Becoming a Dutch national abroad
If you had Dutch nationality before and you now want to become Dutch again, then look at the page Regaining Dutch citizenship.
If you had Dutch nationality before and you now want to become Dutch again, then look at the page Regaining Dutch citizenship.
Requirements
There are two ways to obtain Dutch nationality:
- By submitting an application for naturalisation as a Dutch national.
- By applying for option.
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Requirements for naturalisation
open minusYou must meet the following requirements for naturalisation:
- You do not live in the country of which you are a national.
- You are 18 years or older.
- One of the following situations applies to you:
- You have been married or registered partner of a Dutch citizen for 3 years. You have also been living with this Dutch citizen for 3 years.
- You have been adopted as an adult by a Dutch father or mother. The adoption was pronounced in the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Saba or Sint Eustatius.
- You meet the requirements for a Dutch residence permit with a non-temporary residence purpose.
- You are not a danger to the public order or national security of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
You are integrated. You can prove this with a civic integration diploma. In some cases, you do not have to take the civic integration exam. Read more in the Dutch brochure
- In most cases, you must renounce your current nationality.
- You must make the Declaration of Solidarity (In Dutch: Verklaring van verbondenheid).
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Requirements for option
open minusYou can apply for option from abroad if one of the following situations applies to you:
- You were born before 1 January 1985. Your mother had Dutch nationality at that time. Your father had another nationality. This is option procedure for potential Dutch citizens.
- Your mother or father obtained Dutch nationality through option procedure for potential Dutch citizens.
- Between 1 April 2003 and 1 March 2009, you became a child of a Dutch man through acknowledgement or legitimation after your birth. The acknowledgement or legitimation took place when you were a minor.
In addition, you must meet the following requirements for the option procedure:
Process and costs
These are the steps in the application process for Dutch citizenship.
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1. Check requirements open minusA valid provisional residence permit (MVV) is needed for this application
Make sure you meet the requirements.
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1. Check requirements open minusMake sure you meet the requirements.
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2. Collect documents open minusFor the application for naturalisation and option you need at least the following documents:
- Valid passport or other travel document.
- Proof that you were Dutch, such as an old Dutch passport.
- Birth certificate from your country of birth.
- Valid residence permit or other proof of legal residence.
- Civic integration diploma or other proof of integration, or a proof of (partial) exemption or dispensation from the integration requirement.
Additional documents
Depending on your situation, additional documents may be required.
Legalisation and translation of foreign documents
You need to have official foreign documents legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French or German. If your foreign documents are already registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP), then you do not need to request the documents abroad again.
Lack of documentary evidence
If you do not have a passport and/or birth certificate and you are not exempt, you may be able to invoke lack of documentary evidence.
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3. Apply open minusYou will start the naturalisation or option procedure at the Dutch embassy or consulate in the country where you live.
Declaration of Solidarity form
You fill out a form stating that you make the Declaration of Solidarity. You make this declaration during the naturalisation ceremony.
Children under the age of 18
Children aged 16 and over decide for themselves whether they want to become Dutch nationals. Children aged 12 to 16 will be asked to express their opinion on the application.
The parent who does not apply for option or naturalisation must also give his or her opinion. If the child and this parent are of the opinion that the child does not need to become a Dutch national, the child will not be naturalised. If only the child or one of the parents has this opinion, the government will decide whether the child will become Dutch national.
Retaining your current nationality
Children under the age of 18 may retain their current nationality if one parent becomes Dutch or both parents become Dutch. This is the case unless the legislation of the country of their current nationality(ies) states otherwise.
Determining your name
It is possible that your name needs to be determined. This means that your first name and last name will be determined. You will fill out a form stating the first name and the surname (family name) you would like to have. If you are unsure whether your name needs to be determined, the embassy or consulate can provide you with more information.
Changing your name
When applying for naturalisation, you can request a change of your surname. This is only possible if it is important for integration. For example:
- Your name is difficult to pronounce for Dutch people.
- You have received your husband's surname through marriage and you would like to change this name to your maiden name.
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4. Pay for application open minusThe naturalisation and option procedure cost money. For the amount you have to pay, see the page Fees: costs of an application.
You pay when you submit the application for naturalisation or make the option declaration. If your application or the option declaration is rejected or if you withdraw your application or declaration, you will not receive the refund.
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5. Wait for decision on application open minusNaturalisation procedure
During the naturalisation procedure, the embassy examines whether you meet all the requirements for naturalisation. The embassy provides advice to the IND and sends your file to us. The IND will check whether you meet all the requirements and decides. The IND must decide within a period of 12 months.
Option procedure
During the option procedure, the embassy will check whether you meet all the requirements and decides. The embassy must decide within a period of 13 weeks.
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6. Decision on application open minusThe decision is in a letter. The decision is positive or negative.
- Positive decision: a proposal to grant Dutch citizenship will be submitted to the king. You will then receive an invitation to the naturalisation ceremony from the agency where you submitted your application.
- Negative decision: you cannot become a Dutch citizen. You can object to this decision.
After the positive decision
You have received a positive decision on your application. Read what you still need to do before you become a Dutch citizen.
Mandatory participation in naturalisation ceremony
You will only become a Dutch national if you attend the naturalisation ceremony. Attend the ceremony within 1 year of the positive decision. If you do not do this, you will not receive Dutch nationality. Then you will have to submit a new application for naturalisation.
The embassy and consulates-general organise the naturalisation ceremonies. During the ceremony, you will celebrate together that you have become a Dutch citizen. In the naturalisation ceremony, attention is also paid to the meaning of Dutch nationality.
Children aged 16 and over
If your child was 16 years or older when submitting the application for naturalisation then your child is also required to attend the naturalisation ceremony. If your child is younger than 16, then your child does not have to attend the ceremony, but it is allowed.
Read more about the naturalisation ceremony on the website of the Dutch government.
Make the Declaration of Solidarity
During the naturalisation ceremony, you make the declaration of solidarity. You declare that you know that the laws of the Kingdom of the Netherlands also apply to you. You will then receive proof that you have become a Dutch national: the naturalisation decision. View the brochure Declaration of Solidarity on the website of the Dutch government Rijksoverheid.
Apply for a Dutch passport
If you have attended the naturalisation ceremony and you have received the naturalisation decision you can apply for a Dutch passport at your embassy or consulate.
Renouncing your nationality
Have you become a Dutch citizen? And did you declare in your application that you are renouncing your other nationality? You can normally do this at the embassy or consulate of that country in the Netherlands. Children under the age of 18 do not have to renounce their nationality. Read more about renouncing your nationality.
Post-naturalisation child
If your minor child was not naturalised together with you, you can still apply for naturalisation for your child even after you had become a Dutch citizen. This is called post-naturalisation.
Requirements for post-naturalisation of a child
- Your child has been living in the Netherlands for at least 3 consecutive years.
- Your child has a residence permit for an indefinite period or a residence permit for a fixed period with a non-temporary purpose.
Requirements for post-naturalisation of a child born during your naturalisation procedure
- Your child lives in the Netherlands.
- Your child has a valid residence permit for a non-temporary purpose, such as living with their parents.
- If your child was born during your naturalisation procedure, then the application for your child is free of charge. You must submit the application within 1 year after you yourself became Dutch.
Requirements for post-naturalisation of a child that reaches the age of majority during your naturalisation
- Your child has lived in the Netherlands for at least 3 years in a row.
- Your child has a valid residence permit for a non-temporary purpose, for example for residence with parents.
Did your child reach the age of majority during your naturalisation? And the child's application was rejected because of this? If so, then your child can apply for subsequent naturalisation. To find out how much the application costs, visit our web page Fees: costs of an application.
Revoking Dutch nationality
If you have been convicted of a serious crime or if have you committed fraud in obtaining a residence permit or Dutch nationality, then this has serious consequences. Your Dutch nationality can be revoked. This is possible up to 12 years after you have obtained Dutch nationality.
See also
Brochure How to become a Dutch citizen abroad (only available in Dutch)
Brochure Civic Integration Exam: requirement for naturalisation abroad (only available in Dutch)
Brochure You become Dutch. What do you may and need to know? (only available in Dutch)
- Questions and answers on Dutch nationality (in Dutch only on rijksoverheid.nl)
Rules and regulations
- Chapter 3 Netherlands Nationality Act (in Dutch: Hoofdstuk 3 Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) (only available in Dutch)
- Chapter 4 Netherlands Nationality Act (in Dutch: Hoofdstuk 4 Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) (only available in Dutch)
- Article 28 Netherlands Nationality Act (in Dutch: Artikel 28 Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) (only available in Dutch)
- Implementation Guidelines for option/naturalisation requests abroad (in Dutch: Circulaire voor Optie/Naturalisatieverzoeken in het buitenland) (only available in Dutch)
Responsible organisation
Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst
Questions?
