Some circumstances can move the case to the front of the queue.

What counts as urgent in practice

Authorities and courts apply similar criteria. The shorthand: a serious harm that will become irreparable if the decision waits its normal turn. Examples from the published case-law and IND working instructions:

• A minor child is in another country, separated from a parent, with no other parent available.
• Serious medical condition requiring continuous treatment that depends on residence status.
• Threat to safety in the country of origin (with country-information evidence).
• Documents (passport, MVV, residence permit) are about to expire and would block employment, study or travel.
• An immediate family member is gravely ill or dying in the Netherlands.
• A pregnancy with complications, especially where the partner abroad cannot enter.
• A criminal-justice matter (witness protection, ongoing victim case) tied to status.

Urgency is not subjective. It must be evidenced. The authority will ask for medical certificates, school enrolment letters, doctor's statements, or country-information reports.

Which authority decides on priority

How to ask the IND

1. 1
   Write a separate priority-request letter

   It is its own document, not a paragraph in another letter. The IND processes priority requests through a dedicated team.
2. 2
   Cite the category

   Open with: "Ik verzoek prioritaire behandeling van de aanvraag op grond van [category]." The IND's internal categories include medische urgentie, gezinsleven minderjarig kind, openbare orde, document termijn.
3. 3
   Attach the evidence

   Medical certificates, school letters, custody documents, country reports. Without evidence the request is dismissed in the same letter as the refusal of priority.
4. 4
   Send by registered mail

   PostNL Aangetekend or via Mijn IND with a follow-up tracking the case-number. Keep the proof of receipt.
5. 5
   Follow up after two weeks

   If no priority-decision has arrived, write again and copy the ombudsman. Silence on a priority request is itself a behaviour the ombudsman investigates.

How to ask the court for a voorlopige voorziening

If you have an open objection (bezwaar) or court appeal (beroep) and a decision is needed quickly to prevent irreparable harm, the voorzieningenrechter (provisional-relief judge) can grant interim relief under Awb 8:81. The application is filed alongside the main appeal.

• Filed at the same district court as the underlying court appeal.
• Court fee €51 in 2026, same as for court appeal.
• Hearing usually within two to four weeks.
• The judge weighs the urgency against the chance of success on the merits.
• Granted relief is provisional, valid until the substantive decision.

What does not count as urgency

• Normal queue waiting. Long does not equal urgent. The Notice of Default route is for that.
• Personal inconvenience. Stress, holiday plans, job-interview pressure rarely meet the threshold.
• Hypothetical future risk. The harm must be concrete and imminent, with evidence.

Where MigrationProvision sits

We flag urgency at intake. Step 10 of the case-new wizard asks about urgent circumstances. If one is ticked, the case is routed to a caseworker the same day for a priority-letter draft. The priority request goes out separately from and faster than the Notice of Default, often within 24 hours. The ombudsman copy follows automatically.