Lack of documentary evidence

You do not have to show a passport. You must only show a birth certificate if you were born in a country other than the country from which you fled.

Does your child have a permanent asylum residence permit? Then a birth certificate and passport are not necessary to become a Dutch citizen. A birth certificate is needed only if your child was born in a country other than the country from which your child fled.

Does your child have a Dutch birth certificate? And do you have the right documents yourself? Then your child does not need to show a passport. This also holds for children with birth certificates from countries that are members of the Apostille Convention.

You are registered as a stateless person in the Municipal Personal Records Database of your municipality. You do not need a passport for your naturalisation. You usually do need a legalised and translated birth certificate.

You received a permit under the general amnesty (Regulation on Settlement of the Legacy of the Old Aliens Act, or RANOV) in 2007 or 2008. You do not have to show a passport or birth certificate. Even if you have a different residence permit at this time. Do you indeed have a passport and/or birth certificate? Then do take them along to your naturalisation appointment with the municipality.

Have you lived for a period outside of the Netherlands after RANOV-permit? Then the exemption does not apply to you.

The IND does not process any official documents/certificates from countries that the Netherlands does not recognise. This means that the Netherlands does not accept that such an area is its own country. At the moment this applies to Abkhazia, South Ossetia, North Cyprus and Taiwan. Do you come from one of these countries? And have you convinced the IND of this? Then you do not have to show a birth certificate.

You do have to show a valid national passport when you request to become a Dutch citizen.

Since 1 April 2014 there has been a categorial exception for people with Syrian nationality. You do not have to show a passport. You must show a birth certificate only if you were not born in Syria. 

The exception has no end date. 
 

Somalia does not have an organised civil registry. Because of this the country has no certificates from the civil registry. In addition, the Netherlands does not accept Somalian passports. For that reason you do not have to show a passport. You must only show a birth certificate if you were not born in Somalia.

Ethnic Armenians born in Azerbaijan do not have to show a passport or birth certificate.

You use these documents:

• Afghan passport
• Birth certificate or Taskera

Instead of a legalised birth certificate, you may use a legalised Taskera. A Taskera is an official Afghan identity card and can be obtained in Afghanistan.

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

You use these documents:

• 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 issue a 'Medical Birth Certificate'. This birth certificate is used to entre a person in the register of the 'Public Security Bureau' (PSB). The Public Security Bureau is the organisation in China that is responsible for the population register.

Were you born after 1 March 1996?

Then there will be a 'Medical Birth Certificate' for you. 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
  • names of father and mother
• A legalised certified true copy of the document on which the notary has made a declaration. The IND accepts one of these documents for this purpose:
  • 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.

We do not accept other souce documents. Do you only have an identity card? The IND will not be accept this either. 

You must always have the documents translated into English. You must also have the legalisation stamps translated. Find out more about the legalisation of documents from China for use in the Netherlands.

You use these documents:

• Eritrean passport or Eritrean identity card
• Birth certificate

You are sometimes allowed to use an Eritrean identity card instead of a passport. The IND assesses this per situation.

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

You use these documents:

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

Iraqi passport

You apply to the Iraqi Embassy in the Hague for a passport. The Iraqi Embassy has an application form for this. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) in Iraq processes the application. Has the ministry approved the application? Then it prepares the passport in Iraq and sends it by post to the embassy in The Hague. 

Birth certificate or extract from the Iraqi population register

You need 1 of these documents:

• The Shehadat welada. You get this birth certificate if you were born in hospital.
• The Haje el-welada. You get this birth certificate if you were not born in hospital. The doctor or midwife gives you a document. You use this document to apply for a birth certificate in 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 get this extract from the register of births if you once had a birth certificate but have lost it. You apply to the birth and death registration office for this certificate.

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

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

You use these documents:

• Passport or conscription notice for military service
• Birth certificate

Some countries do not issue a new passport if someone must still enlist in the army. For example Turkey. Do you come from such a country with military conscription? And do you have a conscription notice that is not older than 1 year? Then you do not need to show a passport. 

Do you indeed have a valid passport? Then you must simply show it.
 

Tran Bao is Vietnamese. She wants to become a Dutch citizen but 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 the Vietnamese government cannot issue these documents. The reason for this is mentioned in the statements: "after you left the locality without declaration, therefore we did not have any record". This means that the Vietnamese government no longer has a record of Tran Bao. The IND knows that Vietnamese who have lived abroad for more than 2 years are no longer registered in the Ho Khau. Vietnamese who are no longer registered in the Ho Khau only receive documents if they register again. This is possible only if they go to Vietnam themselves.

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

• Tran Bao has statements from the Vietnamese government.
• The IND knows that Vietnamese who live abroad for a long time are removed from the Ho Khau.
• There is no doubt about the identity of Tran Bao.

Joseph was born in Angola. He has an Angolan passport and a birth certificate that has not been legalised. He has asked the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs several times to legalise his birth certificate. He asked someone in Angola to help him. He also travelled to Angola himself for the legalisation. His requests were dismissed without any real refusal or reason.

Joseph enclosed a letter with his application to become a Dutch citizen. In it he stated everything he has done to have the birth certificate legalised. He also has several documents that prove everything he has done. His passport and identity card are valid and correct.

The IND allows Joseph to rely on lack of documentary evidence, because:

• He showed that he has done as much as possible to have the birth certificate legalised.
• The Angolan government did indeed issue a valid and correct passport to Joseph.

Asiye is Lebanese and was born in Lebanon. She has a Lebanese passport but no birth certificate. Asiye sends letters to the Lebanese Embassy in the Netherlands. She also asks the embassy in Germany for a certificate. The certificate states that she was born in Lebanon. The embassies do not issue any statement of whether or not she can obtain a birth certificate. Asiye calls the embassy several times. 

Asiye has tried to obtain a birth certificate, but this is not enough. She can still try to obtain a birth certificate in Lebanon herself. Asiye will not be allowed to rely on lack of documentary evidence. She has not done anything else or cannot show whether she has done more.

Joseph was born in Angola. Joseph has no Angolan passport or birth certificate. He went to the Angolan Embassy in Brussels for these documents. The embassy was unable to do anything. Joseph cannot prove that he went to the embassy, for example with a train ticket or waiting ticket showing that he went to the embassy. 

Joseph also says that he cannot travel to Angola because of illness. Joseph has a medical statement for this.

The IND examines the lack of documentary evidence. The Medical Assessment Section of the IND is of the opinion that Joseph can actually travel. They also say that Joseph can be treated in Angola for his illness. For that reason Joseph could travel to Angola and obtain a birth certificate and a passport there himself. He can also ask family or friends in Angola to help him. The Angolan Consulate does grant powers of attorney to enable Joseph’s family members to do so. Joseph does not have to travel himself. That is why Joseph is not allowed to rely on lack of documentary evidence.

Mei Ling comes from China and has 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. The children do not have a passport or birth certificate. Mei Ling has never registered the children with the Civil Registry of China. Mei Ling contacted the embassy. The embassy cannot help her. Mei Ling does not want to travel to China. Tickets are expensive and the children must go to school in the Netherlands.

Mei Ling will not be allowed to rely on lack of documentary evidence. Mei Ling can travel to China herself or ask family members or someone else in China for help. 

Deniz was born in Turkey and has Turkish nationality. Deniz has no birth certificate and he has to request one in Turkey. If Deniz travels to Turkey to request his birth certificate, he will have to go into military service (a period of compulsory work in the army). Deniz does not want this but does not have the money to buy this off. This is no reason for lack of documentary evidence.

Does Deniz have a letter from Turkey saying that he must go into the army (conscription notice for compulsory military service)? Then a passport is not necessary. The conscription notice proves his Turkish nationality. Deniz does not have to show a valid Turkish passport. The conscription notice for compulsory military service may not be older than 1 year.