Lack of documentary evidence

You do not need to show a passport. You only need to show a birth certificate when you are born in another country than the country from which you have fled.

Does your child have a permanent asylum residence permit? A birth certificate or passport is then not needed to become a Dutch citizen. Your child only needs to show a birth certificate when your child is born in another country than the country from which the child has fled.

Does your child have a Dutch birth certificate? It is then not necessary to show a passport. This also applies to children with birth certificates from countries that belong to the Apostille Convention.

You are stated as a stateless person in the Municipal Personal Records Database of your municipality? No passport is then required for naturalisation. You do however, in most cases need a legalised and translated birth certificate.

You have obtained a RANOV permit as a minor together with your parent (s) or independently, and you are now 18 years or older.

The IND does not process official documents/certificates from countries which have not been recognised by the Netherlands (such as, for example, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Northern Cyprus or Taiwan). Therefore, persons from a country which has not been recognised by the Netherlands, may apply for naturalisation without providing official documents.

However, a valid national passport must be submitted with the application for naturalisation.

• Afghan passport
• Birth certificate or Taskera

Instead of a legalised birth certificate, a legalised Taskera may also be used. A Taskera is an official Afghan identity card for Afghan citizens and can be obtained in Afghanistan.

Read more about the legalisation of documents from Afghanistan for use in the Netherlands.

• Chinese passport
• Birth certificate or hukou or medical birth certificate

In China, each family has a household registration booklet (hukou). In this booklet, births, relocations, marriages or deaths are registered. The hukou is also called the birth registration system. Since March 1996, China also has a 'Medical Birth Certificate' that is issued by hospitals. With this birth certificate, a person can register in the registry of the 'Public Security Bureau' (PSB). The Public Security Bureau is the agency that is responsible for the population registration in China.

Were you born after 1 March 1996?

Then there is the 'Medical Birth Certificate'. You need this:

• Original 'Medical Birth Certificate';
• A legalised 'certified true copy' of the 'Medical Birth Certificate'.

Were you born before 1 March 1996? 

You need this:

• A legalised, notarial declaration with:
  • family name;
  • first names;
  • date of birth;
  • place of birth;
  • name of father and mother.
• A legalised 'certified true copy' of the document for which the notary has made his declaration. The documents that are accepted for this are one of the following:
  • Hukou of the parents which includes your birth.
  • A hospital certificate stating that the certificate can be used for recording the birth in the hukou register.
  • A declaration from the Public Security Bureau with full details of your birth.

Other source documents are not accepted. Such as a statement from a midwife. Do you only have an ID card? This will then also not be accepted. 

The documents must always be translated to English (also the legalisation stamps must be translated). Read more about the legalisation of documents from China for use in the Netherlands.

• Eritrean passport or Eritrean identity card 
• Birth certificate

In place of a passport, an Eritrean identity card may also be used in certain situations. This is assessed per situation.

Read more about the legalisation of documents from Eritrea for use in the Netherlands.

• Iraqi passport
• Birth certificate or extract from the Iraqi population register

Iraqi passport

A passport can be requested from the Iraqi Embassy in the Hague. The Iraqi embassy has an application form for this. The application is handled at the Ministry of the Interior in Iraq. If the application is approved, the Iraqi passport is made in Iraq. The passport is sent by post to the embassy in the Hague. This may take 2 to 6 months.

Birth certificate or extract from the Iraqi population register

You need 1 of the following supporting documents:

• The Shehadat welada. You receive this birth certificate if you were born in hospital.
• The Haje el-welada. You can obtain this birth certificate if you were not born in hospital. You will receive a document from the doctor or midwife. This allows you to request a birth certificate from the hospital within 30 days of birth. Was the birth more than 30 days ago? Then you need a court ruling.
• The Suret qid welada. You can obtain this extract from the birth register if you have ever had a birth certificate, but lost it. You apply for this certificate at the birth and death registration office.

Do you not have one of these documents and are you unable to obtain one? Then an extract from the 1957 population register (Surit qid, copy of entry 1957) is sufficient.

Read more about the legalisation of documents from Iraq for use in the Netherlands.

As of 1 April 2014, there is a categorical exemption for people with the Syrian nationality:

• Syrian people born in Syria: birth certificate and passport are not required.
• Syrian people born outside of Syria: a passport is not required.

The exemption runs until further notice.

In Somalia there is no organised civil register. The country has, therefore, no certificates of civil status. In addition, the Netherlands does not recognise Somali passports. You do not need to show a birth certificate and passport if you want to become a Dutch citizen.

Birth certificate and passport exemption. This exemption only applies to Ethnic Armenians born in Azerbaijan.

Bao Tran is Vietnamese. She wants to become a Dutch citizen, but she does not have a Vietnamese passport or birth certificate. She applies to the Vietnamese embassy for a passport and birth certificate. She receives 2 statements that these documents cannot be given. In the statements the following reason is given: "after you left the locality without declaration, therefore we did not have any record". This means that the authorities have no registration anymore of Bao Tran.

The IND knows that Vietnamese persons who have been living abroad for over 2 years, are no longer in the HuKau. Vietnamese nationals who are no longer in the HuKau can only obtain documents if they are registered again. This can only be done if they themselves go to Vietnam.

The IND grants Bao Tran lack of documentary evidence, because: 

• she has statements from the Vietnamese Government;
• the IND knows that Vietnamese persons who live abroad for a long time will be removed from the HuKau;
• and there is no doubt about the identity of Bao Tran.

Joseph was born in Angola. He has an Angolan passport and a non-certified birth certificate. He has asked the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs several times to legalise his birth certificate. He has asked someone in Angola to help him. He also travelled to Angola himself for the legalisation. His requests have been rejected without any real refusal or reason.

With his application to become a Dutch citizen, Joseph encloses a letter stating everything he has done to legalise the birth certificate. He also has various documents that prove everything he has done. His passport and identity card are valid and correct.

The IND grants Joseph lack of documentary evidence, because:

• he has shown that he has done as much as possible to have the birth certificate legalised;
• the Angolan Government has given Joseph a valid and correct passport.

Asiye is Lebanese and born in Lebanon. She has a Lebanese passport but no birth certificate. Asiye sends letters to the Embassy of Lebanon in the Netherlands. She also asks the Embassy in Germany for a declaration. The declaration states that she was born in Lebanon. The embassies do not issue a statement. Asiye calls the embassies several times. Asiye has tried to obtain a birth certificate, but this is not enough. She can still try to obtain the birth certificate herself in Lebanon. Because she has not done anything else and also because she cannot show any evidence, she is not granted lack of documentary evidence.

Joseph was born in Angola. He has no Angolan passport and no birth certificate. To get these documents, he went to the embassy of Angola in Brussels. The embassy could do nothing for him. Joseph cannot prove that he was at the embassy. For example with a train ticket or a waiting ticket that shows that he was at the embassy. Furthermore, Joseph says that, due to illness, he cannot travel to his native country. He has a medical statement for this.

The IND investigates the lack of documentary evidence. The Medical Assessment Section of the IND assesses that Joseph is able to travel. It also says that Joseph can get treatment for his illness in Angola. Joseph would thus be able to travel to Angola himself to get a birth certificate and a passport.

Joseph is therefore not granted lack of documentary evidence. He can also ask family or friends in Angola for help. The Consulate of Angola namely issues proxies so that Joseph's family can do this. Joseph would not need not to travel himself.

Mei Ling comes from China and has the Chinese nationality. Mei Ling and her two minor children want to become Dutch citizens. Mei Ling has a Medical Birth Certificate and a Chinese passport. Her children do not have passports and birth certificates. Mei Ling never registered her children in the civil register of China. Mei Ling has contacted the Embassy. The embassy cannot help her. Mei Ling does not want to travel to China, this is expensive and the children must go to school in the Netherlands.

Mei Ling is not granted lack of documentary evidence. She can travel to China herself. She can also ask for help from family or someone else in China.

Deniz was born in Turkey, he has the Turkish nationality. Deniz has no birth certificate and will have to request this in Turkey. If Deniz goes to Turkey to request his birth certificate, he will be drafted into military service. He does not want this. Deniz has also no money to buy off the compulsory military service. This is not a valid reason for lack of documentary evidence.
But if Deniz is summoned from Turkey for military service, a passport is not necessary. The summons shows that Deniz has the Turkish nationality. He then does not have to show a valid Turkish passport. The summons for compulsory military service must not be older than 1 year.