Netherlands must take in EU asylum seekers again or pay

In a report presented on Friday, the European Commission said the Netherlands must take over asylum seekers from other EU countries next year too. It is the second time the redistribution of asylum seekers across the EU has been announced.

The Netherlands can choose to pay instead of taking them in, or contribute in another way to the countries that received above-average numbers of asylum seekers this year: Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Spain.

The Commission says Greece and Cyprus saw high numbers of asylum applications. It says Italy is under migratory pressure because a disproportionate number of people arrive there after search and rescue operations at sea.

Figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the national statistics office, show 2,100 people made a first asylum application in the Netherlands in September 2026, down from 2,700 in September 2025.

First asylum applications are lower than a year ago

People · Sep 2025–Sep 2026

First asylum applications are lower than a year ago (people). From 2,700 in Sep 2025 to 2,100 in Sep 2026; highest 2,700 in Sep 2025, lowest 1,810 in Jun 2026. Source: CBS.

View data

Data: First asylum applications are lower than a year ago

Item	People
Sep 2025	2,700
Oct 2025	2,470
Nov 2025	2,485
Dec 2025	2,570
Jan 2026	2,070
Feb 2026	1,960
Mar 2026	1,965
Apr 2026	2,105
May 2026	2,145
Jun 2026	1,810
Jul 2026	1,920
Aug 2026	1,845
Sep 2026	2,100