Netherlands Has Paused All Decisions on Iranian Asylum Applications for Six Months

The Dutch government has placed a formal hold on all decisions regarding Iranian asylum applications, effective immediately. The measure was announced by Asiel en Migratie Minister Bart van den Brink in a letter to parliament on March 19.

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What the moratorium means

The measure is known in Dutch policy as a besluit- en vertrekmoratorium, a decision and departure moratorium. In practical terms it means two things. First, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, known as the IND, is given the legal space to temporarily suspend decisions on Iranian asylum applications. Second, forced returns of rejected asylum seekers to Iran are stopped. People who were due to leave the Netherlands retain their right to shelter during this period.

The moratorium takes effect immediately and applies for an initial period of six months. It can be extended by another six months or lifted early if the situation changes. Rejected asylum seekers who fall under the moratorium retain the right to shelter and healthcare, but cannot bring family members to the Netherlands during this period.

Why it was introduced now

Since 28 February 2026, an armed conflict has been underway between Israel and the United States on one side and Iran on the other. The IND has determined that the volatile situation in Iran means it currently lacks sufficient clarity to fairly assess the individual circumstances of Iranian asylum seekers.

Minister Van den Brink said the developments in the region and specifically in Iran over recent weeks have made clear that the unpredictable situation is lasting longer than expected and does not appear to be stabilising quickly. "A decision like this is not taken lightly," he said.

Who is and is not covered

The moratorium does not apply unconditionally to all Iranians. War criminals and those who have committed serious crimes are excluded. The IND will also continue making decisions in cases where another European country is responsible for the asylum application under so-called Dublin rules, meaning cases where the person first registered in another EU member state.

For applications that have already been pending for more than 21 months, the IND will still make a decision based on the individual merits of the case and the information available at that time.

Context

In practice, forced returns to Iran had already been extremely rare in recent years, as Iranian authorities have not been issuing replacement travel documents for their nationals abroad. The moratorium formalises a protection that was largely already in place in practice, while also putting a temporary hold on decisions that would grant or refuse residence permits.

A similar decision and departure moratorium was previously introduced for people from Lebanon in November 2024, following the escalation of conflict there.