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Leaving the Netherlands

If you are thinking of leaving the Netherlands to return to your home country, IOM may be able to help you. Our voluntary return assistance is free of charge and offered to most migrants.

You can talk to us about voluntary return without any obligations. Everything we discuss will be kept confidential. We can inform you about our assistance available before, during and after your departure. You can discuss any concerns you may have related to your return in a personal conversation with one of our counsellors. To answer more specific questions, we can contact our colleagues in your country of origin. If needed, we can refer you to other organizations providing social services or advice on various options. If you decide that voluntary return is the right choice, we can help you with all the preparations for your departure.

If you wish to travel to another country than your home country (resettlement), you can find more information here.

If you are a migrant and you are currently residing in the Netherlands, you can receive our return assistance given you meet the following conditions:

  • You had the intention to settle in the Netherlands for a longer period of time
  • You want to leave the Netherlands voluntarily.
  • You are not a national nor in possession of a valid residence permit[1]/visa of one of these countries
  • You, or the legal guarantee for your stay in the Netherlands or in a resettlement country, lack the financial means to pay for your return.
  • The Government of the Netherlands does not have any objections to your departure.
  •  You have not received voluntary return assistance provided by IOM or the Dutch government in the past five years.
  •  You have, or you can obtain a valid travel document.
  •  Your application for voluntary return is not based on false pretences.
  •  You provide the necessary information and follow instructions to organize your voluntary departure.
  •  Your return can logistically and safely be organized by IOM.
  •  If applicable: you agree with the termination of pending residence permit procedures or the withdrawal of your Dutch temporary asylum permit when departing from the Netherlands.

[1] Unless your residence permit concerns a “Dutch temporary asylum permit”, if this is the case, you are eligible to receive return assistance 

If you do not meet the conditions mentioned above, but you are in a vulnerable situation in the Netherlands, we can discuss the possibility of (exceptionally) offering you our voluntary return assistance. Please contact us for more information: 088-7464466

How Can We Help You?

We provide the following assistance free of charge:

  • Information and counselling about voluntary return in your own language, without any obligation on your part.
  • Logistic support to help prepare your journey, including the flight ticket.
  • Advice and, if needed, assistance with obtaining a travel document, including the reimbursement of associated costs.
  • Assistance during your departure and, if needed, during transit and upon arrival.
  • A financial allowance to cover your immediate expenses during travel, including in-land travel to your final destination and after arrival.
  • Additional support for unaccompanied minor children, victims of trafficking and migrant with health needs.

How do You Get in Touch with Us? 

We have consultation hours at various locations in the Netherlands, for example, at COA reception facilities, immigration detention centres, and civil society organizations. At your request, we can visit you at a location of your choice, for example, in an emergency shelter or a medical institution.  For more information or to make an appointment with an IOM counsellor close to you, you can call us at 088-7464466
EN Co Funded by the EU POS