Minister Van Weel: “This bill is an important step towards a stricter asylum system. It means stronger external borders, more efficient procedures, increased returns, and combating illegal migration.”
European Asylum and Migration Pact
On June 12, 2026, the EU Asylum and Migration Pact will come into effect. From then on, a single joint European asylum system will apply. The pact consists of 9 regulations and a directive designed to reduce the influx of asylum seekers to the Netherlands and the EU and to better distribute the burdens among member states.
The pact introduces mandatory border procedures for asylum seekers with little chance of protection or who pose a risk to public order, uniform screening rules at external borders, and an extensive European registration system for data on asylum seekers and irregular migrants. This further strengthens the external borders and ensures better screening of foreigners upon arrival.
Asylum procedures are also further simplified and in some parts made stricter, including shortening appeal periods.
National Implementation
With the implementation of the pact, the Netherlands aims to simplify the asylum procedure. At the same time, the law no longer allows an indefinite asylum permit, shortens the validity of the permit from 5 to 3 years, and introduces a two-tier system with stricter conditions for family reunification.
