News item | 28-05-2026 | 6:00 PM
Minister Bart van den Brink (Asylum and Migration) is adjusting the country-based asylum policy for Afghanistan. As a result, Afghan women and girls will be eligible for a residence permit in the vast majority of cases. This decision follows a new general official message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which shows a further deterioration of the security situation and the fundamental rights of women and girls.
The official report, which covers the period from June 2023 to October 2025, shows that the position of women and girls has further deteriorated under the Taliban regime. With the introduction of the strict ‘Morality Law’ in August 2024, the freedom of movement and the opportunity to develop for women in Afghanistan has further decreased.
Because the current rules in the Aliens Circular do not do sufficient justice to this situation, the minister has decided to amend the text immediately. In principle, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) grants an asylum residence permit for a limited period to every Afghan woman who relies on it. Although there remains an individual assessment, the basic principle is that protection is almost always necessary.
Under current policy, 760 asylum applications have been submitted by Afghans in 2025. In 2023 and 2024 this was 670 and 490 respectively.
