Temporary protection: Netherlands
🛰️ Varta monitors 5 official sources for this country — checked daily.
Legal basis: EU Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC + Temporary Protection Act • status valid until 04/03/2027 • already extended until 04/03/2028
Steps
- 1
Cross the border
Visa-free entry.
📍 Border crossing💳 Free - 2
Register at the gemeente
Register at the municipality (BRP — basic register). You receive a BSN (Burgerservicenummer) — the key to work, banking, healthcare, benefits. Temporary protection is confirmed by the IND.
📍 Gemeente (BRP)⏰ As soon as possible💳 Free - 3
Healthcare, school, housing
With a BSN you arrange health insurance; children go to school (mandatory from age 5). Housing via gemeente or humanitarian programmes (opvang).
📍 Gemeente / opvang💳 Insurance is paid
Documents
Foreign passport
requiredChild’s birth certificate
requiredProof of residence before 24.02.2022
if availableUkrainian Embassies and Consulates
Map
Document samples and how to fill them
Name in LATIN letters as in the passport.
Format DD-MM-YYYY.
Address in the Netherlands: street, number, postcode, city.
❌ Name in Cyrillic ❌ Without BRP registration there is no BSN
Your Burgerservicenummer (obtained at the gemeente).
As in the BRP.
Dutch IBAN for direct debit.
❌ No insurance arranged (fine) ❌ Forgot to apply for zorgtoeslag (lost subsidy)
Benefits
Labour market access
Protection holders; no work permit needed.
How to apply: Automatic with status
Humanitarian housing (opvang)
Protection holders without housing.
How to apply: Via gemeente
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Where to apply
What happens after protection ends
After protection: verblijfsvergunning on other grounds (work, study, family), permanent residence after 5 years.
What happens when protection ends
These are options for the future — you will need to choose ONE, and not now.
These routes are available outside temporary protection — work, study, family, business, etc.
The description below is a general scheme, similar across countries. Check exact requirements, fees and timelines via the official link in each card — they differ by country and change over time.
💼 Regular residence permit (work)
Those with a valid employment contract in this country.
Passport; employment contract; proof of residence. Authority: Gemeente (municipality).
- Foreign passport
- Employment contract
- Proof of residence
- Health insurance (optional)
Gemeente (municipality)
The employer or the applicant files; the immigration authority decides.
Before the current status or permit expires.
- Collect the card/decision
- Register address and social number
Renewable together with the contract.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
🎓 Study — Netherlands
Enrolment at an accredited institution.
Acceptance letter; proof of funds; housing; insurance.
- Foreign passport
- Acceptance letter
- Proof of funds
- Health insurance (optional)
Gemeente (municipality)
Apply via the institution or the immigration authority.
Before the semester starts.
- Register at the institution and locally
Yearly with continued studies.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
👨👩👧👦 Family reunification — Netherlands
Spouse, children or relatives of a resident or citizen.
Marriage/birth certificates; housing; sponsor income.
- Foreign passport
- Marriage/birth certificate
- Sponsor income proof
- Proof of residence
Gemeente (municipality)
The sponsor or family files; documents need apostille and translation.
Before the current status expires.
- Collect the family member card
Renewable; a path to permanent residence.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
🏢 Self-employment/business — Netherlands
Company or self-employment registration; business plan or contracts.
Registration documents; tax number; funds; housing.
- Foreign passport
- Company/self-employment registration
- Business plan or contracts (optional)
- Proof of residence
Gemeente (municipality)
Register the business, then apply for residence as an entrepreneur.
Before the current status expires.
- Tax registration and bank account
Tied to the company activity.
Usually switchable from temporary protection without leaving.
🏠 Permanent residence — Netherlands
Usually after 5 years of continuous legal residence.
Stable income; housing; integration/language per national rules.
- Foreign passport
- Income proof
- Proof of residence
- Language/integration certificate (optional)
Gemeente (municipality)
Apply once the required residence period is met.
After the required residence period is met.
- Obtain permanent resident status
Permanent status; card replaced periodically.
Temporary protection time often counts towards the period (per national rules).
Opportunities: housing, jobs, grants
6 verified programmes: housing support, job portals, business grants, free courses — with direct official links and verification dates. Available with Varta.
Forms & samples (PDF)
FAQ
Do I need to do anything to keep my protection after the current period?
No action is needed: the IND extends temporary protection automatically until 4 March 2028 — no application, no appointment, no new document. Your existing IND extension letter together with the sticker in your passport (or your card) remains the valid proof of residence; holders of a plastic card (O-document) will receive a letter from the IND in January 2027 telling them what to do. Where: Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), ind.nl. You do not need to apply anywhere, and no in-person visit is required. The IND sends letters by post; you can also receive them digitally via the MijnOverheid Berichtenbox (DigiD required). Call the IND if your card is valid until 4 March 2026 and you still have not received a verlengingsbrief. Important: The automatic extension applies to those who held temporary protection in the EU BEFORE 5 August 2026; the new condition on military obligations applies only to new applications from 5.08.2026 and not to people already protected. Note: holders of a card (Vreemdelingen Identiteitsbewijs Type O) valid until 4.03.2027 — mostly non-Ukrainian nationals and family members — will receive an IND letter in January 2027 explaining what to do; do not ignore it, because a card dated 4.03.2027 will not keep working as a physical document on its own. Likewise, keep the old extension letter: without it, an expired sticker alone is not proof of the right to live and work, and an employer or institution may refuse you. Source: https://ind.nl/nl/oekraine/verlenging-sticker-of-pasje-tijdelijke-bescherming-oekraine (checked 03.09.2026).
What is the BSN?
The Burgerservicenummer — personal number for all public services, work, banking. Obtained when registering at the gemeente (BRP).
Do I need health insurance?
No, not while you have temporary protection. Medical care is covered by the state RMO scheme (Regeling Medische zorg Ontheemden): no premium, even if you work — showing your passport or BSN is enough. The scheme runs at least until 04.03.2027. Do not buy your own insurance: doing so takes you out of the RMO and you start paying yourself. The general rule (basic insurance mandatory, ~EUR 130/month) applies once you leave temporary protection.
Can I work?
Yes, with temporary protection status no work permit is needed.
Can I travel to Ukraine without losing my protection?
Your status does not disappear because of a trip — the limits concern housing and money. You lose your place in the shelter if you are absent for more than 14 days; leefgeld if you are absent more than 28 days per calendar year without informing the municipality (Regeling opvang ontheemden Oekraïne, art. 7(1)(b)). The key words are "without informing": notice changes everything. Tell the gemeente or the shelter before you leave, and the trip costs you neither the place nor the payment.
This information is for reference only and is not legal advice.