Missing an IND appointment has different consequences depending on the appointment type.

The four most common appointment types

• Biometrics (vingerafdrukken en pasfoto). Required for most permit applications. Held at an IND desk (Rijswijk, Den Bosch, Zwolle, Amsterdam) by appointment.
• Document collection (afhalen residence document (verblijfsdocument)). Picking up the residence-card sticker after the application is granted.
• Asylum interviews (eerste asylum interview, nader asylum interview). The substantive asylum interviews held at the asylum-application centre (typically Ter Apel) or a follow-on location.
• Verification or marriage-of-convenience interviews (schijnhuwelijk-gesprek). Held when the IND has questions about a family relationship, sponsor relationship, or other case-specific factual matter.

Biometrics: missing the appointment

Missing a biometrics appointment usually triggers a follow-up letter from the IND offering a new appointment, typically four to six weeks later. The decision-clock under Vw 25 or Vw 42 may be paused under Awb 4:15 from the date of the missed appointment until the rescheduled appointment. If the applicant repeatedly misses biometrics without communicating, the IND can declare the application inadmissible under Awb 4:5(2) on grounds of non-cooperation.

Recovery: contact the IND immediately (within 24-48 hours of the missed appointment) by phone or via the IND business portal (for recognised sponsors) or the contact form on ind.nl. Explain the reason, ask for a rescheduled appointment, document the contact in writing.

Document collection: missing the pickup

Missing a document-collection appointment is the least consequential. The IND holds the document, sends a reminder, and offers a new appointment. The decision-clock is not affected (the decision has already been made). However, if the applicant takes too long to collect, the IND may treat the permit as not received and the residence-rights status can be questioned.

Recovery: book a new appointment via ind.nl or the IND appointment line. Pick up within four to six weeks of the new appointment. Bring identity documents and the appointment letter.

Asylum interview: missing the asylum interview

Missing an asylum gehoor (eerste asylum interview or nader asylum interview) is serious. The IND can refuse the asylum application as kennelijk ongegrond (manifestly unfounded) under Vw 31(2)(b) on grounds of non-cooperation. The asylum lawyer (toegevoegde lawyer) must be informed immediately. If the missed interview has a documented good reason (medical emergency, force majeure), the lawyer can request rescheduling with supporting evidence.

If the asylum asylum interview is missed without a documented reason, the consequences can be severe and immediate. Contact the toegevoegde lawyer the same day. The asylum context offers limited tolerance for no-shows.

Verification or marriage-of-convenience check interview: missing it

Missing a verification interview is taken seriously, especially in marriage-of-convenience investigations. The IND may treat the no-show as evidence that the family relationship is not genuine. Recovery requires immediate contact with the IND and ideally with a lawyer. The IND will typically offer one rescheduling opportunity; a second no-show is likely fatal to the case.

Reasons that may excuse a missed appointment

• Medical emergency. Documented with a doctor's letter (verklaring van de huisarts of specialist).
• Force majeure. Traffic accident, severe weather, public transport breakdown — documented where possible.
• Family bereavement. Death of immediate family member, documented with the death certificate or funeral notice.
• Conflicting IND appointment. If the IND scheduled overlapping appointments and the applicant attended one, this is documented in the IND's own system.
• Late delivery of the appointment letter. If the appointment letter arrived after the date, this is documented with the post-receipt stamp.

Reasons that do not excuse

• Forgetting the appointment. Not a defense. The IND expects calendar discipline.
• Work commitments. Not a defense unless the work commitment was unforeseeable (e.g., emergency).
• Travel costs. Not a defense. The IND can reschedule but not waive the appointment.
• Not understanding the letter. Limited defense if the letter was in Dutch and the applicant does not read Dutch — the IND-published guidance is that applicants must seek interpretation.

The clock and missed appointments

Awb 4:15 governs whether the decision-clock pauses when an appointment is missed. The IND's position is that a missed appointment pauses the clock from the missed date until the rescheduled appointment is held. This is debatable in practice: missing an appointment is not the same as the IND requesting missing information. A lawyer can challenge clock-pausing on missed-appointment grounds if the case is otherwise overdue.

If the IND uses the missed appointment to refuse

If the IND treats the missed appointment as grounds for refusal (typical for repeated asylum asylum interview no-shows or marriage-of-convenience check no-shows), the route is objection within six weeks under Awb 6:7. The objection argues either that the missed appointment was excused by good reason or that the IND should have offered another rescheduling. A lawyer handles this.

Where MigrationProvision sits

Missed appointments are a substantive issue (cooperation with the IND), not a procedural delay issue. We do not handle objection on missed-appointment grounds — that is for a lawyer. Where we touch this indirectly: if a missed appointment has delayed the decision and the IND has not rescheduled within a reasonable time, the Vw 25 / Vw 42 clock may still be running. The Notice of Default is available if the overall decision-term has passed despite the missed-appointment story.