Family migration

Migrants in the EU may be joined by their partner and children. In doing so, the EU respects the fundamental right to family life, as set out in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)..

Family migration takes two forms: family reunification and family formation. Family reunification means bringing an existing family back together, with a migrant being joined by their partner and children. Family formation refers to the establishment of a new family relationship. 

A distinctive feature of Dutch policy is the distinction between family reunification for migrants who work or study in the Netherlands, and family reunification for beneficiaries of international protection. The latter is referred to as family reunification for beneficiaries of international protection and is subject to less stringent requirements than regular family reunification.

Please note: the publications on this page are from July 2024 onwards. For earlier publications, please switch to Dutch (the EMN PDFs of the publications on the Dutch pages are in English). The filter below is in Dutch and will be available in English towards the end of 2026.