Syrian refugees in the Netherlands who want to return to Syria following the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad are to receive €900 in cash and a ticket to Damascus if they give up their asylum claim, the justice ministry’s repatriation service DTenV has said on a designated website.

The €900 cash return premium, meant to support returnees during the first few weeks, is almost double that of the normal maximum of €500.

The offer is meant for Syrians who are in the Netherands illegally, have a temporary residency permit or are in the process of getting a permit. In exchange, candidates are to sign a document which will permanently cancel any residency permit or future request for asylum.

New asylum applications had already been put on hold since December.

The service, which claims to have received “ inquiries and requests” for help from Syrians wanting to go back, said candidates will be told about the risks that may be involved because it is unclear if the country is safe for all.

The service will also assist in booking the ticket although the site does not say who will be footing the bill. Syrians who have no travel documents can be provided with one at the Syrian embassy in Brussels, including help with permission to travel to the Belgian capital.

The Netherlands is currently home to 160,000 Syrians. In 2023 some 27,000 refugees were given temporary residency, over half of whom were Syrian nationals. According to a survey among 3,000 Syrians in 2022 the majority would not return if the situation in their homeland improved.

Faber has made it clear that her policy is to return people to Syria once it is safe to do so.

Faber, a minister on behalf of the far right PVV, said that the initial focus would be on people with a temporary residency permit. If they had fled because of Assad, then the grounds on which they had been granted asylum have now gone, she said.