The Netherlands ordered more British nationals to leave the country in the first nine months of 2023 than any other EU member state, according to data compiled by EU statistics office Eurostat.

In total, 1,040 British citizens were ordered to leave countries in the Schengen area during the period, 275 of whom were in the Netherlands.

The information comes from national authorities in EU member states, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. However, the data reported by the Netherlands is provisional and for all countries the figures for the full year will be available in spring.

Orders to leave can be issued because applications for residence or combined work and residence permits are rejected, for overstays or to people who have committed serious crimes.

Among Britons ordered to leave by the Netherlands, 130 were above the age of 35, 125 were between 18 and 34 years old and 15 were below the age of 18, suggesting families were concerned.

The figures do not state why people were told to go and how many of the orders were given to people who had already left the country without de-registering. Nor do they state if people had overstayed a visa or been turned away at the border.

Dutch News has contacted the Dutch immigration service IND to clarify the figures.

Last year, it emerged that 615 British nationals had been told to leave the Netherlands between 2021 and the third quarter of 2022, but just 10 were actually deported. A further 60 people went voluntarily but others may also have gone without reporting back to the police, the IND immigration service told Dutch News at the time.

Almost half (48%) of those IND decisions stemmed from rejections of residence permit applications under the Brexit agreement because the person was not residing in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021 or because they had been away longer than permitted.

Eurostat also reports that in the first nine months of 2023, 55 British citizens were actually sent back by Netherlands to the UK or another country following an order to leave but does not say how many were turned away at the border.

Under the withdrawal agreement, the 45,000 British citizens who were living in the Netherlands before 31 December 2020 had to apply for a new residence permit to stay in the country. Britons arriving after that date have to apply for a regular work and residence permit.

More than 324,000 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave EU countries between January and September 2023, of which 17,180 by the Netherlands. The largest number, over 102,000, was reported in France.

This article is published in cooperation with Europe Street News.

Are you a British national who has faced problems with their residency permit in the Netherlands? We’d like to hear from you. Please email editor@dutchnews.nl.