Asylum requests

Asylum seekers are allowed to submit more than one request. The number of asylum seekers is generally lower than the total number of asylum requests. Follow-up requests are also included in the figures presented in this article. A follow-up request can be submitted, if new facts emerge. Another reason to reconsider an asylum request is, if the list of safe countries of origin changes.

As from August 2006, the Dutch Immigration and  Naturalisation Service can distinguish between first-time and follow-up requests. This is not possible for earlier years.

For the sake of readability, the terms “asylum seekers“ and “asylum requests” are assumed to be interchangeable in this article. As one asylum seeker may submit more than one request, strictly speaking, the term “asylum request” should be preferred.