Third-country nationals can collect a Dutch residency sticker starting May 6

Third-country nationals who left Ukraine due to the war there, and who now reside in the Netherlands, will be allowed to get a sticker placed in their passport confirming their current residency status. Dutch immigration service IND said this will be available for third-country nationals beginning on Monday, which is already available for Ukrainians with temporary residency.

The sticker is intended to show that they are allowed to stay and work in the Netherlands for the time being. IND expected to send out a letter about this to about 1,900 third-country nationals on Thursday.

Last week it was announced that municipalities must temporarily give third-country nationals the same reception and rights as other refugees from Ukraine. Third-country nationals are classified as people who were living in Ukraine with a temporary residence permit when Russia invaded that country more than two years ago.

Many of them fled to Europe and received temporary protection. The renewed protection will last until the European Court of Justice has answered questions about their rights submitted by both a lower court and the Council of State, the highest administrative court in the Netherlands. It is not known when the European court will provide clarity.

The Dutch court system have tried to manage the complex legal wrangling over third-country nationals, as some of them are not from countries which would normally allow them to gain residency status as a refugee. "The Netherlands grants asylum to people who are in danger, risk torture or inhuman treatment in their country of origin," the government notes on its website.

The Dutch government wants to return those individuals who third-country nationals to their country of origin if they have not started the much stricter procedures to request asylum or residency through the normal process. Several third-country nationals have challenged that decision. Various courts have given conflicting opinions, at which point the Council of State had to consider the situation.

For now, the renewed temporary protection will last until March 4, 2025 at the latest, unless the European Court of Justice issues a response sooner.