Some 4,000 British nationals officially registered as living in the Netherlands have not yet come forward to sort out their post -Brexit residency status, the Dutch immigration service IND has told DutchNews.nl.

British nationals have June 30 to apply for a residency permit, if they want to continue living legally in the Netherlands, the IND said. So far, 41,000 people have done so and 99% of all residency applications have been approved.

The IND has written to British nationals several times, urging them to sort out their paperwork and the British ambassador to the Netherlands has also appealed to British nationals to comply. A new reminder has was sent to the 4,000 or so British nationals who have not yet done so last week.

‘The IND cannot tell exactly why they have not applied but some may have forgotten or may not realise how urgent it is,’ Betty Sieperda, project manager Brexit at the IND, told DutchNews.nl.

Special help is also being targeted at the elderly and people without the skills do deal with the paperwork themselves. Libraries and the Salvation Army, for example, can help, Sieperda said. In addition, everyone over the age of 70 will get a postcard this week, reminding them that they can ask for help if they need it.

British nationals who don’t have the proper papers by July 1 will have to leave the Netherlands, lose their right to benefits and will no longer be allowed to work here, Sieperda said. ‘That is why we would urge everyone who has not yet done so to ask for a residency permit, as quickly as possible. It is pretty easy to do.’