RANOV- group exempted from the document requirement for naturalization

Last update: 8 July 2021

​RANOV-residence permit holders are exempted from the document requirement if they want to become a Dutch citizen. State Secretary Broekers-Knol (Justice and Security) writes this in a letter to the House of Representatives*. The decision follows an investigation by the WODC into possible obstacles for RANOVs who want to apply for a Dutch passport.

The WODC concludes that the document requirement 'was by far the biggest obstacle' when RANOVs submit an application for naturalization. At the same time, they have been living in the Netherlands for a long time. That is why there will be an exemption from the document requirement for the RANOV group as of 1 November. As of June 1 this year, an exception has already been made for part of the RANOV permit holders.

Conditions

The RANOV residence permit is intended for the aliens who meet the conditions of the general amnesty from 2007 (the Settlement of the Legacy of the Old Aliens Act, RANOV). As of November 1, RANOVs will be exempted from the following conditions when acquiring the Dutch citizenship (by naturalization or option):

a presenting a valid foreign passport (or another proof of current possession of a foreign nationality) and
b submitting a (foreign) birth certificate/birth registration certificate and
c the obligation to renounce the original nationality (and to submit proof thereof).

Application for naturalization

To assess an application for naturalization, the IND checks if the naturalization conditions have been met. In addition to the document requirement, other conditions for naturalization remain unaffected. It therefore concerns the existing rule that the IND declines an application for naturalization if there are well-founded doubts about a person's personal data and/or nationality.

* Only in Dutch available