What is the list of safe countries of origin?
Some asylum seekers who come to the Netherlands are from safe countries of origin. To process asylum applications faster, the government has drawn up a list of safe countries. Asylum seekers from these countries are almost never eligible for protection.
Dutch list of safe countries of origin
The list sets out countries where, according to the Dutch government, the following practices do not generally occur:
- persecution on the grounds of, for instance, race of religion;
- torture;
- inhuman treatment.
The list comprises the following countries:
- Albania
- Armenia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Georgia
- Ghana
- India
- Jamaica
- Kosovo
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- North Macedonia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Tunisia
- Ukraine: Due to the situation in Ukraine, its status as a safe country of origin has temporarily been suspended. This means that the safe country policy is not applied to asylum seekers from Ukraine. More information on how asylum applications by Ukrainians are dealt with (in Dutch).
- United States
The list is not fixed: countries can be added or removed, depending on how safe a country is.
EU list of safe countries of origin
The European Union (EU) is also drawing up a list of safe countries. It is not yet known when this list will be ready. That is why the Netherlands has drawn up its own list. Other EU member states also have their own lists of safe countries of origin.
In the context of asylum applications, all EU member states regard each other as safe countries of origin for all legal and practical purposes.