Frequently asked questions about the earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

Dutch nationals in difficulty abroad can contact the Netherlands Worldwide contact centre 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can be reached at +31 247 247 247.

All Dutch nationals in Türkiye are advised to register via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Service (click ‘Aanmelden’ under the option ‘Aanmelden + registratie bij ambassade’). This way, we know which Dutch nationals are in the country and we can contact you if necessary. If you registered and then leave Türkiye, please update your status via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Service.

The damage caused by the earthquakes has made it harder to leave the area. Several airports in the region are closed to commercial flights and roads are less accessible.

The Dutch authorities cannot arrange transport out of the affected area. Need assistance? The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) , has published a list of places where you can apply to evacuate from the affected area. Check out AFAD's list. From these places, you will be transported to safe accommodation. Further, contact your travel insurance or local emergency services.

Unfortunately the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unable to help you with this. Try to find a hospital, pharmacy or doctor’s office that is open. You can also ask aid workers for advice or have family members back home send you more medication.

Anyone wishing to leave the affected area using their own transport can report to the 'Jandarma' (Turkish Police Service). They can direct you to available accommodation in Türkiye outside the affected area. Follow the instructions and updates given bij the Turkish authorities.

This Google Maps page can help you find organisations and businesses that have opened their doors to people who have nowhere to stay because of the earthquake. The blue dots represent safe places and you can find accommodation at the red points.

Concerned Dutch nationals in Türkiye can contact the Netherlands Worldwide contact centre 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can be reached at +31 247 247 247.

All Dutch nationals in Türkiye are advised to register via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Service (click ‘Aanmelden’ under the option ‘Aanmelden + registratie bij ambassade’). This way, we know which Dutch nationals are in the country and we can contact you if necessary. If you registered and then leave Türkiye, please update your status via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Service.

The Dutch embassy in Damascus closed in March 2012. Dutch nationals in Syria can contact the Netherlands Worldwide Contact Centre 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can be reached at +31 247 247 247.

Consult the travel advice for Türkiye (information in Dutch) and find out what this means for you.

You can contact the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) via en.afad.gov.tr. AFAD can also be reached on the phone numbers below. (Please note that not all AFAD staff speak English.) The Dutch authorities do not have any information about Turkish nationals.

AFAD phone numbers in the affected area:

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has a database of people who have died in the earthquake. The parent or child of a missing person can use the Turkish government digital health portal (e-nabiz.gov.tr) to check whether their relative is in the AFAD database. This can only be done by parents or children and not by brothers, sisters or other family members. If no relatives have reported to the AFAD within 5 days, the AFAD will take a DNA sample from the victim and bury their body.

Lots of people in the Netherlands want to help the people affected in Türkiye and Syria. By donating money, for example. The Dutch Red Cross and the Dutch aid agencies coalition (Giro555) are providing aid and have opened special fundraising accounts.

Businesses that wish to help, can contact the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).

The embassy has contact with the local Turkish authorities several times a day about possible Dutch victims. When the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) register a victim who is a foreign national, it informs their country’s embassy. As yet, the names of the Dutch nationals who have been reported missing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by relatives are not in the AFAD database. No victims with Dutch nationality have been registered so far. It is possible that, in some cases, people with 2 nationalities have only been registered with 1 of their nationalities.

You cannot adopt a child from the region hit by the earthquakes. The Netherlands does not have an intercountry adoption arrangement with Türkiye or Syria.

More generally, it is not possible to adopt children from disaster areas. There would be a high risk of the necessary procedures not being carried out carefully enough. In such cases, including in the event of a natural disaster, the authorities will always first look for family members in the child’s home country. And particularly in a disaster area, this process can take a long time. Under the international principles on adoption, no adoptions should take place from disaster areas.

You can apply for an emergency travel document by sending an email to:

• the embassy in Ankara: ANK-RD@minbuza.nl.
• the consulate-general in Istanbul: ist-ca@minbuza.nl

You will be given an appointment at the Dutch embassy or the consulate-general. You will need to make your own travel arrangements to get to Ankara or Istanbul.

After applying for an emergency travel document, you can collect it from the Dutch embassy in Ankara or the consulate-general in Istanbul.

Yes, the consulate-general in Istanbul is open.

Turkish nationals need a visa to travel to the Netherlands or another Schengen country. Read more about applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in Türkiye.

It is possible to get a priority visa appointment. The applicant must then meet the following conditions.

Conditions

• The applicant has Turkish nationality or a residence permit for Türkiye.
• The applicant is in possession of a valid (Turkish) passport.
• The applicant is a first or second degree relative.
  • 1^st degree family: Partner, parents (including adoptive and stepparents), parents-in-law, children (including adoptive and stepchildren), daughters-in-law and sons-in-law
  • 2^nd degree family: Brothers, sisters, grandchildren, grandfathers, grandmothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, stepsisters and stepbrothers
•  The applicant comes from the disaster area. The disaster area consists of the following provinces:
  • Kahramanmaras
  • Gaziantep
  • Hatay
  • Kilis
  • Diyarbakir
  • Adana
  • Osmaniye
  • Sanliurfa
  • Adiyaman
  • Malatya

Make an appointment

Does the applicant meet the conditions? Then he/she can make a priority appointment with for a visa application. He/she does this by sending an email to ANK-CA@minbuza.nl with the subject of the email: Earthquake/Visa.

This email should clearly state:

• Where the applicant comes from
• The family relationship (e.g. in the Netherlands I am taken care of by my brother)
• the telephone number on which the applicant can be reached

The visa that you or your family member is applying for is a short-stay visa. This allows the applicant to stay in the Netherlands for a maximum of 90 days (that is approximately 3 months).

Documents

To apply for a visa, the applicant needs as many of the following documents as possible:

• Legalised municipal invitation/guarantee from the sponsor in the Netherlands
• Payslips of the sponsor from the past 3 months, other proof of income from the past 3 months and/or bank statements from the past 3 months showing that the sponsor has sufficient finances to act as guarantor
• Travel insurance (applicant)
• Flight reservation (return flight)
• valid passport of the applicant
• (if possible) Proof of family relationship (Nufus Kayit Ornegi) applicant-sponsor
• Proof of residence in the disaster area of the applicant
• For minors; if one of the parents is not traveling with you: A notarial declaration of consent

You bring these documents with you to your appointment at VFS Global.

Syrian nationals need a visa to travel to the Netherlands or another Schengen country.

The applicant will need to make an appointment to submit their visa application. The Dutch embassy in Damascus has been closed since March 2012. You can normally only apply for a Schengen visa at locations in the region. There is an exception now for people who come from the earthquake zone in Syria.

Until April 15, 2023, people from the disaster area in Syria can apply for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands at the Belgian Visa Application Centre of TLS Contact in Beirut.

It is possible to get a priority visa appointment. The applicant must then meet these conditions:

Conditions

• The applicant has Syrian nationality or a residence permit for Syria.
• The applicant is in possession of a valid (Syrian) passport.
• The applicant is a first or second degree relative.
  • 1^st degree family: Partner, parents (including adoptive and stepparents), parents-in-law, children (including adoptive and stepchildren), daughters-in-law and sons-in-law
  • 2^nd degree family: brothers, sisters, grandchildren, grandfathers, grandmothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, stepsisters and stepbrothers
•  The applicant lives in the area affected by the earthquakes and can demonstrate this:
  • Alep
  • Hama
  • Idlib
  • Lattaguie
  • Tartous

* If you do not live in the areas mentioned, you cannot apply for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands through the Belgian embassy.You can then apply for a visa through a Dutch representation in the region.

Read more about applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in the region

Make an appointment

Does the applicant meet the conditions? Then the applicant can get a priority visa application appointment via the Belgian embassy in Beirut by sending by sending an email to:

beirut.visa@diplobel.fed.be

This email should clearly state:

• where the applicant comes from
• the family relationship (e.g. in the Netherlands I am taken care of by my brother)
• the telephone number on which the applicant can be reached

The visa that your family member is applying for is a short-stay visa. This allows the applicant to stay in the Netherlands for a maximum of 90 days (that is approximately 3 months).

Documents

To apply for a visa, the applicant needs the following documents:

• Legalised municipal invitation/guarantee from the sponsor in the Netherlands
• Payslips of the sponsor from the past 3 months, or other proof of income from the past 3 months and/or bank statements from the past 3 months showing that the sponsor has sufficient finances to act as guarantor
• Travel insurance (applicant)
• Flight reservation (return flight)
• Valid passport of the applicant
• (if possible) Proof of family relationship applicant-sponsor
• Proof of residence in the disaster area of the applicant
• For minors: if one of the parents is not traveling with you: a notarial declaration of consent

You bring these documents with you to your appointment at TLS.

Yes you can make an appoint at the embassy in Ankara or the consulate-general in Istanbul. Read more about how to apply.

Yes, that is possible. In that case, however, you must submit two sponsorship forms:

1. A form in which the first- or second-degree family member with whom you will be staying agrees to house you, and;
2. A form, accompanied by supporting documents, which provides insight into the financial situation of your financial sponsor.

You must use the standard sponsorship form in both cases.

For more information, visit the Sponsoring a visitor from abroad page.