From September 2, 2022, a Ukrainian refugee in the Netherlands cannot apply to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Immigratie en Naturalisatiedienst (IND)) of the Netherlands for a sticker confirming the legality of stay in the country. It will no longer be possible to schedule a meeting in IND. The exact date for the resumption of work on pasting stickers is unknown, approximately this can be expected in early October. This was reported by the IND on its site.
The reason for this is the lack of the stickers themselves, or rather, the raw materials for the manufacture of the protective element they contain. That is, stickers not only did not have time to be brought, but they are not even made.
In recent weeks alone, the IND has issued more than 45 stickers to Ukrainians confirming the legality of their stay in the country as persons subject to the European Temporary Protection Directive (RTB). This spring, the Ministry of Justice and Security instructed the IND to issue stickers to 000 Ukrainians. When it turned out that the need was much higher, an additional batch was ordered, but its implementation was postponed due to a lack of raw materials.
There are currently over 75 Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands. Most of them have expired or are about to expire their visa-free stay. Therefore, the plans of the Government were to provide all of them with a document confirming that they are under temporary EU protection as soon as possible. First, the period from which the sticker will become necessary for employment was set for September 000, now it has been moved to October 1, 31. This may not be the last postponement. IND promises to make every effort to provide all refugees with documents on being under temporary EU protection as soon as possible.
Publication Date: 02.09.2022
