There are various reasons why the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) may record somebody’s nationality as ‘unknown’ when they first apply for asylum. For example, the applicant may not state their nationality, or say they do not know their nationality. If a child is born in the Netherlands to parents whose nationality has not been ascertained or who are nationals of a country that does not exist (or no longer exists) or is not recognised by the Netherlands, their nationality will also be recorded as unknown. This latter category includes people from the Palestinian territories, for example, who have not been recognised as stateless. At the time of the initial asylum application, unknown nationality status is provisional. The IND may ascertain an applicant’s nationality definitively at a later point in time.
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