Article

This is what you need to do when arriving in the Netherlands

Last updated: 03/06/2025, 12:02

Have you fled from Ukraine and are new to the Netherlands? Then the Dutch government will make sure you are taken care of. Read more about it here.

Conditions for entering the Netherlands at the border

Ukrainians are not subject to entry rules at the Dutch border. If you leave Ukraine, you can travel to the Netherlands without a visa for the first 90 days.

Do you arrive in the Netherlands via an airport or port and have a Ukrainian passport or a permanent Ukrainian residence permit? Then the

Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar)

will review your documents. If you are entitled to temporary protection in the Netherlands then you will be granted entry to the Netherlands.

If the KMar finds that you are not entitled to temporary protection, the

IND

at Schiphol Airport may investigate further. During that investigation, you will stay at Schiphol Airport. This is a closed reception recentre. If, according to the IND, you are entitled to temporary protection, you will be granted entry to the Netherlands.

For reception centres and registration, you can report to a municipality

In the Netherlands, municipal reception locations for refugees from Ukraine are very full. It can be difficult to find a place in a reception centre. Are you just arriving in the Netherlands? Then you should still report to a municipality. The municipality must then investigate for you where you can go for reception. You can also arrange a place to live yourself, but even then you have to register with the municipality.

For example, if you have friends or relatives in the Netherlands, you can report to the municipality where your friends or relatives live.

When you register with the municipality where you live, you will be included in the

Dutch population register (BRP)

. After registration you have 4 weeks to make an appointment with the

Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)

Can you not go to a municipality because there is no place available? Then the municipality must contact the

Dutch Regional Coordination Centre for Refugee Distribution (RCVS)

and the National Coordination Centre for Refugees (LCVS) if necessary. You do not have to do this yourself. The RCVS looks for you to see where there is a place for you in the Netherlands.

Is the municipality refusing to offer you a place in a reception centre and not looking for another place for you? Then contact VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN) during the online consultation hour.

If you are under 18, you can get support after arriving in the Netherlands

Are you under 18 when you arrive in the Netherlands? Then the municipality where you are registered will register you with the

Nidos foundation

. You can also register yourself with Nidos.

This can be done from the moment you arrived in the Netherlands without your parents. Once you are registered at Nidos, you will get an interview to see if you need a guardian. Not everyone needs a guardian. But if it turns out that you do need a guardian, Nidos will officially arrange this for you through the courts.

A guardian is someone who takes over the legal tasks of your parents in the Netherlands. A guardian can make decisions for you for which you have to be 18 in the Netherlands. In addition, a guardian can, for example, explain the Dutch rules to you and support you in finding a place in a reception centre and education. You will get this guardian as long as your own parents are not here and until you turn 18 or return to Ukraine.

This is what you need to do when arriving in the Netherlands

Conditions for entering the Netherlands at the border

For reception centres and registration, you can report to a municipality

If you are under 18, you can get support after arriving in the Netherlands

Did this information help you?