Teeven plans to lift entry ban for short overstays

Junior justice minister Fred Teeven is planning to lift the entry ban which can be imposed on tourists, business people and asylum seekers who overstay by a few days.

The plan was sent in a written briefing to parliament on Tuesday, news agency Novum reports.Currently, anyone who remains in the Netherlands for longer than permitted can be given an entry ban which also applies to other European countries and can be as long as two years for just a short overstay.

Asylum seekers
Teeven wants to lift this section of the entry ban, and to include asylum seekers who only stay illegally in the Netherlands for a short period and who are prepared to leave, according to Novum.The entry ban will remain for people who overstay by long periods and for people who form a risk if they are not under supervision, Teeven says.In these cases, the entry ban can be up to five years.

National security
The most serious entry ban will also remain. This is imposed in cases of national order and national security and can be up to 20 years.
In 2012 and 2013, around 8,000 entry bans were imposed, 7,000 of which were for people overstaying for short periods.