Do you wish to return to your country of birth? In some cases, you may be entitled to the remigration benefit under the Remigration Act. Whether you qualify for this benefit depends on your situation.
Can you get a remigration benefit?
One of the following situations needs to apply:
You want to return to the country where you were born
Whether or not you qualify for a remigration benefit depends on the country you want to move back to. You can’t get a remigration benefit for certain countries. Another factor that will be considered is how long you have been living in the Netherlands. Find out more.
You have been given refugee / asylum status
You may get a remigration benefit if you received your Dutch residence permit before July 1, 2014 or if you started living in the Netherlands before July 1, 2014, on the basis of family reunification, with your family living here legally.
You are Moluccan
This only applies if you came to the Netherlands in 1951 and 1952 as part of a group and you are registered for the Rietkerk benefit.
Further requirements
Do you fall into one of the above groups? You will also need to meet the following requirements:
- You live in the Netherlands, and you have been living here legally for at least eight continuous years.
- You are 55+ old.
- You (and your partner if applicable) do not have any debts with the Dutch government, including the Dutch tax authorities.
- You will have to renounce the Dutch nationality before the remigration can take place.
- You were 18 or over when you moved to the Netherlands
- You were born in the country you are remigrating to and have / had the nationality of this country
- You (and your partner if applicable) are not fleeing from justice or in prison
- You have been receiving a Dutch benefit for 12 continuous months
Please note, if you have a partner, they must move with you if they don’t already live in the country you are moving to. Also, you must move to your country of birth within six months of getting the letter from SVB, awarding you a remigration benefit. Highly skilled migrants are not eligible.
Application procedure
To apply for a remigration grant you have to fill in a claim form, which can be obtained by Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB), or contact the Netherlands Migration Institute (NMI). Together with the claim form and depending on your personal situation, you will have to enclose certain documents, which prove that you meet all the requirements. These include:
- Valid proof of identity of the applicant and of any other person who remigrates with the applicant.
- Copy of your residence permit (if applicable).
- Proof that you have permission to live in the country of destination.
- Proof that you do not have any debts with the Dutch Authorities. If you have debts then you need to provide assurance that you are you going to sort out the debt.
- In case your partner and / or your children already live in the destination country you need to prove that they are alive.
After remigrating
After remigrating, it will always be possible for you and your family to visit the Netherlands, either for holidays or a short period. After (permanently) leaving the Netherlands, you will have to renounce your Dutch nationality (if you have one) and bear in mind that any Dutch national insurance scheme will cease to be valid.
