Becoming a Dutch national in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom

You must meet the following requirements for naturalisation:

• You are 18 years or older.
• You can prove your identity and nationality with valid documents.
• You have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for 5 years or longer with a valid residence permit. You have always renewed you residence permit in time. You can sometimes apply for naturalisation earlier. Read the exceptions to the rule of living in the Kingdom for 5 years.
• When you apply for naturalisation, you have a residence permit that allows you to continue living on the island you are at, permanently. If you have any doubts about your residence permit, contact the authorities of the island where you live.
• Your residence permit is still valid on the date of the naturalisation ceremony.
• You meet the integration requirement. This means that you are supposed to have passed the naturalisation test, which tests whether you have sufficient knowledge of the language (minimum language level A2) and society. In Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire, this language test must be passed in Dutch and Papiamentu. In Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba, the test must be passed in Dutch and English. Contact the authorities of the island where you live for more information.
• You pose no threat to public order or the national security of the Kingdom.
• You must renounce the nationality you currently have or there is an exception for you. Before you apply for naturalisation, read whether you need to renounce your nationality and what this means.
• You must be willing to sign and make the Declaration of Solidarity (in Dutch: Verklaring van verbondenheid) during the naturalisation ceremony. By doing so, you declare that you know that the laws of the Kingdom of the Netherlands also apply to you.

The option procedure is a quick way to become a Dutch citizen. You apply by using an option declaration.

Persons who can apply for option 

Not everyone can obtain Dutch nationality by option. You can only apply for option if one of the following situations applies to you:

• You were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and have always lived in the Kingdom. You have now reached the age of majority and have a valid residence permit.
• You were born without citizenship (stateless) in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. You have lived in the Kingdom for at least 3 consecutive years with a valid residence permit.
• You are younger than 21 years old and were born without citizenship (stateless) in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. You cannot reasonably obtain another nationality. Immediately before your option declaration, you had your main residence in the Netherlands for at least 5 consecutive years. You have a permanent main residence if you meet all 3 of the following points:
  • You have actually lived in the Kingdom for at least 5 consecutive years.
  • You and your parents have always actively participated in the departure process.
  • You and your parents have always remained in the attention of the Dutch State.
• You are a minor and acknowledged by a Dutch citizen. You have not become Dutch through the acknowledgement. This Dutch citizen has cared for you and raised you for at least 3 years without interruption on the date of your option declaration.
• You have been under the joint authority of a non-Dutch parent and a Dutch parent since birth. Dutch law has determined that your parents have joint authority over you, or this has been ruled by a judge in the Netherlands. You can apply for option if you meet the following requirements:
  • Since the parental authority was determined, the Dutch parent has cared for you and raised you for at least 3 years without interruption.
  • You do not live in the country of which you are a national.
• You have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands since the day you turned 4 years old. You have always had a valid residence permit. You have now reached the age of majority.
• You have been living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 15 consecutive years with a valid residence permit and you have been the married or registered partner of a Dutch citizen for at least 3 years.
• You have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 15 consecutive years with a valid residence permit. You are now 65 years or older.
• You were born to a Dutch mother before 1 January 1985. Your father did not have Dutch nationality at the time of your birth.
• A woman who had Dutch nationality at the time, adopted you before 1 January 1985. You were a minor at the time. A court in the Kingdom of the Netherlands pronounced the adoption.
• You are a child of a person who was born before 1 January 1985 from or adopted by a Dutch mother. You are a child of this person by birth, adoption, acknowledgement or court ruling. Contact your municipality to find out whether you can indeed become Dutch by option.
• You have lost your Dutch nationality because you married a non-Dutch man before 1 January 1985. You and your husband are now divorced, or your husband has died. You make the option declaration within 1 year after the end of your marriage. You do not need to live in the Kingdom for this.
• You are a former Dutch citizen. You have been living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 1 year with a valid permanent residence permit period or a temporary residence permit with a non-temporary purpose of residence. If you previously lost your Dutch nationality because you did not renounce your other nationality, you cannot apply for option.
• You are a former Dutch citizen because you automatically lost your Dutch nationality. As a result, you are no longer a citizen of the European Union (EU). The consequences of the loss of your Union citizenship were disproportionate at that time. Disproportionate means that the consequences of this loss are so heavy that it should not have happened. You must prove that you used your rights as a citizen of the Union 6 months before the loss or that you would have used your rights as a citizen of the Union in the 6 months after the loss. It concerns, for example:
  • the ability to travel freely within the EU
  • the ability to give meaning to your family life
  • the ability to practice your profession
  • the ability to continue your studies
  • what is best for your children under 18 living in the EU. 

Additional requirements for option

In addition, the following requirements apply when applying for option:

• You prove your identity and nationality with valid documents, for example, a passport and birth certificate.
• You pose no danger to public order or the national security of the Kingdom.
• You make the Declaration of Solidarity during the naturalisation ceremony. With the Declaration of Solidarity, you show that you know that the laws of the Kingdom of the Netherlands also apply to you.
• Only if you have lived in the Kingdom since the day you turned 4 years old: you must renounce the nationality you currently have. Before applying for option, read whether you have to renounce your nationality and what this means.