To be eligible for a refugee passport, you must meet at least the following criteria:
- you live in the Netherlands
- You have been recognised as a refugee
- you do not hold Dutch nationality
- You have refugee status and hold a residence permit, either permanent or temporary.
If you meet the criteria, you can apply for a refugee passport. Anyone who needs a passport must attend the appointment.
Take to appointment:
- Your residence permit
- Your (old) travel document(s), if you have any (including foreign ones)
- A clear passport photo taken no more than six months prior to the date of application (see the requirements for a passport photo (on the Government website)
- Is this an application for someone under the age of 18? In that case, consent is also required from the parent(s) or guardian(s) (PDF, 79 KB)
You will receive an email when your refugee passport is ready. If you have not received an email or do not have an email address, you can collect your refugee passport after 6 working days. You can collect it in person without an appointment during opening hours.
- You can apply for your passport urgently. This costs €60.30 more than an ordinary application.
- If you apply for the passport as a priority before 2.45 pm, you can collect it the next working day after 9.30 am. In exceptional cases, it takes two working days.
- You cannot submit an urgent application if you have already submitted a standard application. You cannot change a standard application into an urgent application.
- The Refugee Document III is valid for a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 3 years, depending on the residence permit.
- Refugee Document IV/V is valid for 5 years
The difference between a refugee passport and a foreign national’s passport is that a refugee passport requires refugee status. You are granted refugee status if the United Nations recognises you as a refugee. If you do not have refugee status, it may be possible to apply for a foreign passport to apply for.
If your passport has been stolen, report it to the police in the Netherlands. You will then be issued with a police report. You can use this report to apply for a new passport. You will need to follow the standard application procedure.
If your card is lost, please report this at the Public Service Desk. You can apply for a replacement there immediately after the loss has been registered.
If the theft took place abroad, report it immediately to the police there. Once you have returned to the Netherlands, you must also report it to the police here; please bring your foreign police report with you. If an item goes missing abroad, please report it at the Public Service Desk.