Fees and Procedures

At my office, I work both on government payment as with a fixed legal fee.

For the application fase I never work on government payment. Should you want this, you need to contact a different office. If your application is rejected, we can request government payment should you fulfil the conditions.

When an application for a residence permit is needs to be done, the chances of success are not always clear. Sometimes this requires extensive research of the case, documents, and evidence, or the hiring of external experts. In such cases, we can split the invoice into two parts. The first part will be the advice fee (analyzing the chances) and the second part (if we decide to proceed with the case) will be the actual starting of the application. This helps us avoid unnecessary costs.

For advice or analysis of a case, see the other services page.

Government payment - legal aid

People with a low income may be eligible for government payment (free legal aid), subject to a personal contribution. I can submit an application on your behalf to the Raad voor Rechtsbijstand with your BSN and/or V-number. Our firm works with the RvR under a high-trust agreement. You can see if you are eligible in this chart:

You can receive a € 65 discount on this personal contribution if you contact the Juridisch Loket in advance to discuss your problem. However, since COVID-19, an exemption has been in effect. For more information and the nearest address, see www.juridischloket.nl. The number is 0900 - 8020.

Please note that in certain cases, a case review applies, meaning the legal aid application may be withdrawn retroactively. In that case, you may still be liable for the legal aid costs yourself. You can read these and all other conditions on the RvR website at https://www.rvr.org/english/.

My office does not handle LAT or RATZ applications. Such cases can only be handled at my office for an advice fee.

Paid fixed legal fee cases

If you are not eligible for government payment, or explicitly waive it, the case will be handled on a fixed legal fee basis. You will always know in advance what to expect regarding the cost, regardless of the number of hours I've spent on the case. This fixed fee is determined based on your individual case and my experience as a lawyer.

The fixed fee always applies per component of the case (application, objection IND, appeal at court). We usually start with an advice fee for a thorough assessment of your case. Your questions will be answered, and the chances of success will be assessed. Analyzing your complete legal file and assessing the possibilities for submitting a (new) application is also done at this advice fee.

After that, I charge a fee for the actual assistance with the application up to the first decision of the IND. Depending on your wishes I have 4 different levels of guidance. Contact me to explain you the different levels of guidance. If the application is rejected, we will discuss the costs of filing an objection at the IND. If the objection is rejected, we can discuss the costs of filing an appeal with the court or appeal to the high court.

The costs discussed here relate exclusively to the lawyer's work. Other costs, such as application fees, court fees, and the involvement of third parties, such as (medical) experts or other experts, are never included in the fixed fee amount. These costs are always billed separately.

No free or paid consultation

My office does not offer a free nor paid consultation service. My services start with the advice-fee, which is intended for long-term advice. Should you need consultation only please contact a different firm.

You can however send me a WhatsApp message directly on my mobile or email 24/7. Your message will be answered quickly. Your first message is always free of charge. After that I will let you know what the fee will be for further contact.

Court fees and charges

If you need to submit an application to the immigration department (IND), you will be required to pay fees (leges). These are the IND's costs for processing an application. See this page for the costs per application. These costs are always excluded from the agreed-upon fee.

For every court procedure (appeal or vovo), you will be required to pay court fees (griffierechten). These are the court's costs for processing the appeal. These costs are not covered by the RvR and are always your responsibility and are also excluded from the legal fixed lawyers fee. You pay these fees directly to the court. You can find the amount on this page. Depending on your income, you can request an exemption (vrijstelling).