Renouncing your nationality

Make sure you know what the advantages and disadvantages are of becoming a Dutch citizen, and that you know what will change for you if you give up your other nationality.

Becoming a Dutch national: what are the advantages and disadvantages?

​You renounce your nationality with the government of the country of your nationality. This always costs money and time. Make sure that you know how much it will cost and how much time it will take, before you make an application for naturalisation. Contact the consulate or embassy of the country of your nationality in the Netherlands (or Belgium).

Search for the embassy or consulate of your country.

Have you decided that you want to become a Dutch citizen? And do you meet the requirements to become Dutch? Then apply for nationalisation at the municipality where you live. When you apply you must make a statement on paper saying that you want to renounce your other nationality once you have become a Dutch citizen. Or request an exemption in the statement.

Requesting an exemption from renouncing your nationality

Only in very unusual situations can you ask not to renounce your nationality because this will have very serious consequences. Then you must give a good reason. For example:

• You must pay a large sum to the government of your country to renounce your nationality.
• You lose certain rights if you renounce your nationality. As a result, you will lose a lot of money, for example because you can no longer inherit from your family.
• You must do (or buy off) military service before you can renounce your nationality.

Documents

You must present documents showing why you think you cannot renounce your nationality. These documents often come from abroad. You may need to have them translated and legalised first.

Legalisation and translation of foreign documents.

Decision of the IND

The IND decides while processing your naturalisation application whether you will get the requested exemption. After you have become a Dutch citizen, you will no longer be able to request an exemption. If you receive an exemption, you will not have to renounce your nationality. Has the IND decided that you have no right to an exemption? And you still want to become a Dutch citizen? Then you must fill in a new statement that you want to renounce your nationality.

Contact us if you want to know more about exemptions from renouncing your nationality. 

The IND must be able to reach you until you have renounced your nationality. After the naturalisation ceremony, the IND will send you a letter. This letter says that you must renounce your other nationality. If you cannot be contacted by post, you will miss important information. This could result in your Dutch nationality being revoked because you did not renounce another nationality in time.

Moving house within the Netherlands

The IND obtains your address details from the Municipal Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen, BRP) at the town hall where you live. Make sure that your address in the BRP is correct if you have moved house.

Moving abroad

What if you no longer have an address in the Netherlands? Inform the IND of your address abroad promptly. And preferably an email address as well. Send your address details plus your V-number to:

Regular Residence and Dutch Citizenship Department
Postbus 3
9560 AA TER APEL

Digital post

Do you also want to receive your post from the IND digitally? Register to receive mail in your message box (Berichtenbox) in MijnOverheid.

You will receive a letter from the IND which says that you must renounce your other nationality.  Sometimes it takes a few months before you get this letter. Have you received the letter? Then ask the government of the country of your nationality as soon as possible to end your nationality. You can often do this at the consulate or embassy of that country in the Netherlands (or Belgium).

Search for your country's embassy or consulate.

After the IND has sent you a letter, you have 3 months to send proof of your request to renounce your other nationality. The letter says exactly what you have to send. Sometimes you will succeed in giving up your nationality within 3 months. In that case you only have to send the IND proof of renouncement of your nationality.

​After you have renounced your nationality, you will receive an official document from the government of the country of your nationality. This document states that you have given up your nationality. You have to send a copy of this document to the IND. You might first have to have this document translated and legalised.

Legalisation and translation of foreign documents.