Organisations helping migrants in the Netherlands: VluchtelingenWerk, ASKV, Red Cross

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

In an emergency in the Netherlands, dial 112. For an asylum claim or family reunification, VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (Dutch Council for Refugees) supports asylum seekers and refugees across the country. If you have no residence permit, ASKV in Amsterdam offers legal and social support, and Stichting LOS keeps a list of organisations that shelter undocumented people. For care without insurance, Dokters van de Wereld (Doctors of the World) runs consultations. The Netherlands Red Cross (Rode Kruis) helps undocumented people find food and care, and trace relatives.

This guide presents the organisations helping migrants in the Netherlands: what each does, for whom, where, and the link to reach it. It points you in the right direction; it does not give legal advice. Compatri has no link with any of them. For the steps of a stay on a visa, also read arrival procedures in Europe with a long-stay visa, country by country.

Organisations helping migrants in the Netherlands at a glance

Opening hours and addresses change: they are not listed here. Follow the link before you go.

Before a first visit, bring your passport (or any ID), letters from the IND or COA, the decision you want to understand, and a written list of your questions. Say straight away if you have a deadline: an appointment, an objection or appeal deadline, a summons. ASKV advises calling before you come.

Claiming asylum: how it works and who supports you

Where to report

According to the IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service):

• if you enter the Netherlands by land (via Belgium or Germany), you report to the Ter Apel application centre;
• if you arrive by plane or boat and have not yet passed border control, you report to the Schiphol application centre;
• a minor travelling without parents or a guardian also reports to Ter Apel.

The COA (Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers) checks whether you are entitled to reception; if so, it provides a place to sleep, food, medical care and support. For the standard asylum procedure, the Raad voor Rechtsbijstand (Legal Aid Board) arranges a lawyer, and the IND says this is usually free of charge. The IND also gives free legal information at Ter Apel, but it is general, not personal advice.

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland

VluchtelingenWerk Nederland is the main organisation. It gives information, explains the procedure and supports asylum seekers during their claim. In 2025, it supported 69,400 asylum seekers in their procedure, and 44,950 refugees with integration in their new municipality. That year, 4,500 family reunification applications were started with its help. More than 7,000 volunteers take part.

To find the team in your municipality, use the postcode or town search on its website, or its locations page. The IND also refers to VluchtelingenWerk's information on Refugeehelp.nl.

Without a residence permit: ASKV and Stichting LOS

ASKV, in Amsterdam

ASKV Steunpunt Vluchtelingen offers legal and social support to people without a residence permit, and medical shelter (MOO) with care and support. It holds that everyone has a right to legal assistance, whatever their status, and works on statelessness and access to education. Call before you come; its « Hulp nodig? » page explains how to reach it. If you live far from Amsterdam, ASKV suggests finding an organisation near you through Stichting LOS.

Stichting LOS, the national support point

Stichting LOS (Landelijk Ongedocumenteerden Steunpunt) is the national support point for undocumented people and those who help them. It keeps a list of organisations offering emergency shelter (noodopvang) to undocumented people, province by province, with each organisation's admission criteria. It is the right starting point if you need a roof outside COA reception.

Health: care without insurance

Dokters van de Wereld starts from the principle that everyone has a right to care. It helps people without papers, without insurance, without a safety net, in mobile clinics, consultations and medical rooms, with volunteer doctors and dentists. Its consultations are free and confidential. In practice:

• the Zorgbus, a mobile clinic with no appointment needed, in Amsterdam;
• Zorgcafés for health questions and referrals, in Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Utrecht and Venlo;
• psychological support consultations in Amsterdam;
• dental care by volunteer dentists, requested by email;
• a helpdesk by phone, WhatsApp and email (details on its « Need help » page).

The organisation reminds people to call 112 in a life-threatening emergency, and to go to the out-of-hours GP service (huisartsenpost) or a hospital emergency department in the evening, at night or at weekends.

The Red Cross also helps undocumented people find their way to care, through its WhatsApp helpline and an information platform on local care.

Emergencies, food and missing relatives: the Red Cross

The Rode Kruis supports undocumented migrants with:

• food aid through local partner organisations, especially in case of illness, old age or pregnancy, since this group is officially not entitled to benefits or the food bank;
• humanitarian helpdesks in several cities, including Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Almere, for a conversation, direct help or referral;
• life skills workshops.

Its Restoring Family Links service helps find relatives lost during migration.

Legal help: Juridisch Loket and Raad voor Rechtsbijstand

These are not associations but the public legal aid system:

Beware of scams

A trustworthy organisation never promises a residence permit. Be wary of anyone who asks for money for an IND appointment, promises a result, or claims to be a lawyer without proving registration with the Netherlands Bar (Nederlandse orde van advocaten). In the asylum procedure, the Legal Aid Board arranges the lawyer, usually free of charge. The organisations in this guide sell no result.

Keep a copy of every document you hand over, never give away your passport, and sign nothing you do not understand.

Compatri: fellow nationals in the Netherlands

An organisation sorts out a file; a community takes you in. On Compatri, the Netherlands page gathers cities and meetups, such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Diaspora pages lead to your community: Moroccans in the Netherlands, Ghanaians in the Netherlands, Nigerians in the Netherlands. Those who came before you know the local VluchtelingenWerk team and which drop-ins answer. You can join your community before you leave, read how mutual aid between fellow nationals works and browse all communities. The directory of diaspora associations mainly lists associations in Belgium for now.

To compare, see organisations helping migrants in Europe and the Americas and, across the border, organisations helping migrants in Belgium.

Sources

• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland: home
• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland: what we do
• ASKV Steunpunt Vluchtelingen: home
• ASKV: need help
• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland: locations
• Stichting LOS: emergency shelter
• Dokters van de Wereld: home
• Dokters van de Wereld: need help
• Dokters van de Wereld: who we help
• Rode Kruis: support for undocumented migrants
• Rode Kruis: home
• IND: apply for asylum in the Netherlands
• Raad voor Rechtsbijstand: subsidised legal aid