Conditions for (post-travel) asylum family reunification in the Netherlands

On 12 June 2026, the new

From that date onwards, it is important whether you have a

After 12 June 2026, you can only apply for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' for:

• Your partner and your biological and adopted children who are under 18. Your adult, unmarried children may only come to the Netherlands if they were still under 18 when you applied for asylum in the Netherlands.

• Your biological parent(s) and your minor siblings if you arrived in the Netherlands as an unaccompanied minor.

If you want to apply on behalf of one of these family members, please read the step-by-step plan below to find out how to do so.

If you have a residence permit as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection, additional conditions for family reunification will apply from 12 June. These additional conditions also apply if you submitted your application before 12 June.

From 12 June 2026, three additional conditions will apply if you have subsidiary protection:

1. Once you have been granted your asylum residence permit, you must wait two years before applying for family reunification;

2. You must have a sufficient independent income. This means that you must earn at least €2,294.40 gross per month and that this income is received on a long-term basis. And that you pay

   taxes
   and
   contributions
   on that income.

3. You must have somewhere to live. A reception centre does not count as a home, but a transit centre does.

Please note: Are you an

Please note: Would you like to apply for family reunification for your adult brother or sister, adult children or other family members (such as foster children)? If so, you must submit an application for family reunification on the basis of

Leaflets with information about family reunification

Would you like to read a bit more about family reunification first? If so, please read the information leaflet published by VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (VWN). The leaflet is available in Dutch, English, French, Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Somali, Tigrinya and Turkish.

Apply for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' for members of your immediate family

You can apply for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' for the members of your immediate family who have remained behind if:

• you have an independent asylum residence permit;

• your family member belongs to your family and also already belonged to your family abroad.

• your family member has not committed a criminal offense or crime.

• You declare that you are the 'referent' for your family member. The referent is the person who is bringing the family member to the Netherlands (the applicant).

Please note: If you have been granted a residence permit as a refugee, you must apply for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' for your family members within three months. This period is known as the post-travel period.

Sometimes it is not possible to complete the application within these three months. For example, because you do not know where your family member is staying or because you do not yet have all the necessary documents.

In these situations, do not delay submitting your application. Apply for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' within the post-travel deadline, even if you do not yet have all the information or documents. The IND usually takes some time before it starts processing the application. This means you will often still have the opportunity to submit any missing documents at a later date.

Did you not submit your application within three months? Then your right to post-travel will, in principle, lapse. A late application may sometimes still be accepted, but only if there is a valid reason why you were unable to submit your application on time.

You can apply for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' for these immediate family members:

• Your wife or husband, to whom you are legally married in your country of origin

Do you have more than one spouse? If so, you may only apply for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' in the Netherlands for one of them. This spouse must be aged 18 or over.[AD1]

• Your biological or adopted children who are under 18

A child who was under 18 when you came to the Netherlands is entitled to come to the Netherlands. Was your child already over 18 and therefore of legal age (an adult) when you came to the Netherlands? In that case, this child is not allowed to come to the Netherlands. However, you can submit an ECHR Article 8 application on behalf of this child of legal age.

The IND will reject your application for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' involving a child if the 'family relationship' with the child has been severed. This is the case, for example, if your child has started a family of their own through marriage or a relationship. However, if this child is still a minor, they are still considered part of your family under Dutch law. This is because the Netherlands does not recognise child marriages.

Does the parent of your minor child or children live abroad? And are you not applying for 'family reunification for asylum seekers (post-travel)' for that (former) partner? In that case, your (former) partner must give their consent for your minor child or children to travel to the Netherlands.

Did you come to the Netherlands as an unaccompanied minor refugee (AMV)?

If so, you have a right to post-travel of your biological parents, even if you became an adult yourself during the asylum procedure. Have you gained a relationship as an adult (in the Netherlands) in the meantime? Then the IND can decide that the family relationship with your parents is broken.

Perhaps other family members could come to the Netherlands as well

If you are an unaccompanied minor refugee applying for family reunification for your parents, you are also entitled to family reunification with your minor brothers and sisters. However, you must have applied for family reunification for your parents and brothers and sisters at the same time.

In very special cases, as an adult you can also apply for family reunification with family members other than your partner and children, for example with your parents. This is possible if you are older than 18 and your parents are dependent on you. Or vice versa: if you are an adult between the ages of 18 and 25, but still dependent on your parents.

You will need to submit a separate application for family reunification for these family members.