Irregular migration

Migrants sometimes try to enter or stay in the European Union (EU) without valid documents. These irregular migrants violate the immigration laws and regulations of the country of destination.

Irregular migrants do not have valid documents to enter or stay in a country. For example, when a person does not have a valid passport or travel document, or uses false documents. EU Member States avoid terms such as "illegal migration" and "illegal migrants" because they imply a criminal phenomenon. Irregular migration is an administrative violation and not a criminal act.

The Netherlands holds its own responsibility for countering irregular migration, such as by conducting border controls. In this effort, the Netherlands does depend on the other EU member states. Because of the Schengen agreements, the Netherlands shares its external borders with other member states and, in principle, does not monitor migrants at its internal borders.