A Dutch family member or friend has been arrested abroad. What should I do?
If your Dutch family member or friend is a Dutch national or has a valid Dutch alien’s passport or refugee passport and has been arrested abroad find out what to do.
Contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
You can contact the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs by calling the NetherlandsWorldwide contact centre: +31 247 247 247 or contacting a Dutch embassy or consulate-general in the country where your family member or friend has been arrested.
What help can the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide?
The Dutch embassy or consulate can assist you in various ways:
Providing information about your family member or friend
If your family member or friend consents, the embassy or consulate-general can provide information about them to you. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs cannot otherwise provide information to you because the person’s privacy is protected by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (information in Dutch).
Transferring money
If your family member or friend is in prison abroad, you can usually deposit money for them in the prison’s account. If that is not possible you can transfer the money to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Your family member or friend will then receive the money from the Dutch embassy or consulate-general. There is a one-time €50 fee for this service.
Read the Arrested abroad brochure
If a Dutch national is arrested abroad, the local authorities will inform the Dutch embassy or consulate as soon as possible, but only if the arrested person wants them to.
The arrested person will then receive the Arrested abroad brochure (PDF). Read through the document for more information about what help is available.