Conditions for applying for family reunification
If you want your family members to come to the Netherlands, you must apply for family reunification with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). You must apply for family reunification within 3 months of being granted a residence permit. This is called the 'nareistermijn'.
You can apply for family reunification for your family members left behind if:
you have a residence permit based on asylum.
your family relationship (for example, marriage or partnership) existed before you fled to the Netherlands.
If you would like help submitting your application, go to a
For which family members can I apply for family reunification?
You can apply for family reunification for the following family members:
your spouse or partner. Please note: if you have more than one spouse, only 1 spouse may come over along with your children.
your biological children and foster or adopted children under 18 who were part of the family in your country of origin. Please note: if the childundefineds other parent stay behind abroad, they must provide permission for your child to leave for the Netherlands.
your biological children and foster or adopted children for children older than 18 up to about 25 years, if they always belonged to your family and are not married or in a relationship. Children older than 25 are sometimes allowed to come to the Netherlands.
I am under 18 years of age
If you are under 18, you are a minor. If none of your parents reside in the Netherlands, you can apply for family reunification for:
Your biological father and/or mother.
Your adoptive or foster parents. This application costs money.
Your minor brothers and/or sisters. This application costs money.
In some cases, you can also have adult brothers and/or sisters come to the Netherlands. This application costs money.
On this page you will find more information about applying for family reunification.