Dutch citizenship is a person’s legal affiliation with the state, expressed in a set of mutual rights and obligations. Dutch children acquire status, of course, by blood. According to the Citizenship Act, natives of the country can also apply for a Dutch passport. You can obtain status by right of soil automatically or through an option (selection) procedure, depending on the ethnicity of the parents.
Naturalization is the most common way for foreigners to obtain Dutch citizenship. This procedure requires residence (continuous stay) in the country for at least five years. The applicant is also required to meet the conditions of migration policy and comply with the laws and regulations of the state. Dual citizenship (bipatrism) is not permitted in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
What are the benefits of Dutch citizenship?
A Dutch passport gives its holder the following benefits:
- ample opportunities for professional growth in an economically developed European country with a minimum salary of 2000 EUR;
- the right to visit 175 countries around the world without visas;
- free medical care under an insurance policy that is valid throughout the EU;
- free access to the EU labor market;
- the opportunity to vote in elections and hold public office;
- the prospect of inheriting status.
Methods and conditions for obtaining Dutch citizenship
A foreigner cannot become a citizen of the Netherlands through investment in the state’s economy or the purchase of real estate. To obtain status, a candidate of foreign origin must fulfill the residency requirement provided for by law on one of the legal immigration grounds.
For citizens of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, it is possible to quickly obtain an EU passport. Some European countries offer foreigners to formalize their status based on ethnic or territorial origin through repatriation . You can learn how to acquire citizenship without residency requirements and renunciation of a valid document by consulting a specialist.
Birth
Applicants born on or after 1 January 1985 are granted a Royal passport unconditionally based on their parents’ nationality. In this case, the status is inherited equally from the father and/or mother. Natives of the country without roots will be able to claim citizenship if they confirm that:
- the parents were residents of the country at the time of their birth;
- grandparents lived in the state at the birth of the father and mother.
A child born in any country before 1 January 1985 becomes a Dutch citizen automatically due to the origin of the father. Inheritance of citizenship from the mother occurs with certain restrictions. Thus, an applicant can obtain a Dutch passport if he can prove that one of the following circumstances existed at the time of his birth:
- the father was a subject of the kingdom;
- the mother was a Dutch citizen and was not married to the foreign-born father.
Birth abroad before 01/01/1985 in a marriage between a Dutch woman and a foreigner gives the right to obtain a Dutch passport by option (choice).
Option
This method of acquiring citizenship is intended for persons of Dutch descent who have not acquired citizenship due to lapsed legal restrictions or loss of status by ancestors. To obtain citizenship by option, you must meet one of the following conditions:
- born before January 1, 1985 in an official marriage of a Dutch mother and a foreign father;
- confirm relationship with the parent who acquired citizenship through the option procedure;
- be recognized as a minor citizen of the Netherlands in the period from 01.04.2003 to 1.03.2009;
- prove the existence and loss of status in the past.
Registration of citizenship by option is one of the fastest procedures for obtaining citizenship. The immigrant will need to prepare a dossier confirming the basis, fill out an option petition and submit a request to the country’s diplomatic mission. The procedure takes 13 weeks. State duty – 351 EUR.
Naturalization
Immigrants who have lived in the country with permanent residence or a residence permit for a non-temporary purpose of stay for at least five years have the right to naturalize in the Netherlands. Basic requirements for the applicant:
- reaching 18 years of age;
- availability of a residence permit, which must be valid at the time of filing the application and during the entire period of consideration of the request;
- successful passing of the civil integration exam and the state language proficiency test (level A2 and above);
- reliability, absence of threat to public order and the country as a whole;
- renunciation of existing foreign status.
The required period of residence in the Netherlands may be reduced for applicants without status, refugees, and persons who have been married to a citizen for at least three years in the country. Foreigners who have lived in different parts of the United Kingdom for a total of more than ten years (the Netherlands, Aruba, Sint Maarten, Curacao) also apply for citizenship, of which the last 2 years have been directly in the Netherlands.
The main requirement for naturalization is the legalization of stay on the basis of non-temporary purposes, which include:
- employment;
- entrepreneurship;
- investments;
- scientific activity;
- humanitarian reasons;
- reunification with a family member who has permanent residence or residence permit for a non-temporary purpose of stay;
- stay in the country as an EU resident or a family member of an EU citizen.
Procedure for obtaining Dutch citizenship
- Registration of temporary residence – MVV
Foreigners planning to stay in the kingdom for more than 90 days request an entry permit from the consulate or embassy of their country of residence. As a rule, the document is issued by an authorized body at the request of the inviting person – an employer, the head of an educational/scientific institution or a relative living in the kingdom. You can also apply for an MVV yourself if you have a legitimate reason to move to the kingdom. The period for which the permit is valid, as well as its cost, depend on the basis for immigration. The permit is issued within 15 days, the state fee is 210 EUR. - Approval of a residence permit for a non-temporary purpose
To acquire resident status, an immigrant enters the Netherlands under the terms of a visa-free regime or on the basis of an approved MVV, registers at the place of residence and applies for a residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND). After the request is approved, the applicant receives a corresponding letter and can pick up the document at the immigration counter by appointment. The validity period of the residence permit, as well as the cost, depend on the immigration basis. - Submitting an application for citizenship.
After fulfilling the residency qualification required by law, the candidate submits an application for status in the municipality at the place of residence. The applicant attaches a dossier with data on the refusal of the first document to the application, and also pays a state fee, which is 970 EUR. The request is reviewed within a year. You can check the status of the case on the official website of IND. Based on the received certificate of citizenship, the candidate requests a Dutch international and internal passport.
Applicants who have relatives among the Dutch and acquire status through an option can apply for citizenship in the Russian Federation. The candidate must submit a request and dossier to the diplomatic mission of the kingdom in his home country, pass the naturalization test and pay the state fee. The IND reviews the dossier and makes a decision within a year.
Dual citizenship in the Netherlands
Dual citizenship can be obtained in states that have signed an agreement on mutual recognition of statuses. A second passport is purchased when the specified treaty has not been concluded between countries that formally allow bipatrism. Thus, unlike dual citizenship, second citizenship is not recognized by another state. Since January 6, 2014, it is prohibited to have a second/dual status in the kingdom. One of the requirements for naturalization in the kingdom is the renunciation of the previous document.
Certain categories of immigrants can obtain second citizenship in the Netherlands, namely:
- Dutch spouses and registered partners;
- immigrants with refugee status ;
- citizens of states not recognized by the kingdom;
- representatives of countries whose legislation does not allow renunciation of status (for example, Iran or Morocco).
The holder of two passports in the Netherlands will be considered exclusively a subject of the kingdom. A foreign document is not recognized on the border and internal territory of the state. For example, Russian citizenship, which is a second citizenship, has no legal force in the Netherlands.
How much does it cost to obtain Dutch citizenship and passport?
It is possible to obtain citizenship by paying administrative fees. Fixed prices for obtaining status, relevant in 2023, are shown in the table below.
| Expense item | Cost (€) |
|---|---|
| MVV | 210 |
| Resident card | From 70 |
| permanent residence | 210 |
| Application for naturalization | 970 |
| Integration test | 350 |
| Legalization of documents | 27 |
| Internal ID | 147 |
| International passport | 149 |
What do you need to become a Dutch citizen?
Throughout the entire naturalization procedure in the Netherlands, a foreigner confirms his identity and the right to live in the kingdom. To acquire status, the applicant must also prove the fact of integration into society and intention to reside in the state.
What documents are needed to obtain citizenship?
The general dossier that will be required to obtain citizenship consists of the following documents:
- international passport;
- birth certificate;
- resident card;
- an integration certificate issued on the basis of a passed naturalization test;
- Marriage/Partnership Certificate (if applicable).
The list of documents that confirm the grounds may include:
- employee’s employment contract;
- information about your current refugee status;
- civil status acts confirming relationship with a resident/citizen of the country;
- proof of Dutch roots.
The dossier must have a notarized translation into the state language. Foreign documents are legalized with an apostille.
What documents are needed to obtain a passport?
To obtain a passport, the applicant provides the following documents to the competent authority:
- certificate of conferment of citizenship;
- photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm);
- proof of identity, which must be valid at the time of application.
When submitting an application, the relevant service employee also takes the applicant’s fingerprints.
Registration of citizenship for a child
A minor child has the right to become a Dutch citizen based on the naturalization of the father/mother. To obtain citizenship, a child must:
- be a minor;
- have a residence permit;
- be included in the parent’s application for citizenship.
Children over 11 years of age can express their personal desire to register their status together with their parents. Foreigners who are over 16 years old must confirm in writing their consent to acquire citizenship.
Applying for a Dutch citizen passport
A subject of the kingdom receives an internal identification document – an ID card and a foreign passport, which looks like a standard red book with a coat of arms on the cover. The documents contain the owner’s personal data and biometrics. An application for the production of documents is submitted to the local municipality or the Dutch diplomatic mission abroad. The process of obtaining passports consists of several stages:
- Submitting a request to the authorized service.
- Submission of biometric data.
- Payment of state duty.
- Receiving documents from the competent service at the place of application.
The passport is produced from 5 to 30 days. The documents are valid for ten years, the identity card of a minor is valid for 5 years.
Refusal to obtain citizenship – reasons, solutions
The IND may make a negative decision on your application for Dutch citizenship. The most common reasons for refusal of a representative body:
- non-compliance with the requirements of the country’s immigration legislation;
- providing incorrect or deliberately false information in the dossier;
- participation in criminal groups;
- the presence of unsealed criminal records and visa offenses;
- having foreign citizenship.
Within six weeks from the receipt of an official response to the application, the applicant may appeal the decision of the competent authority. After accepting the appeal, the migration service once again checks the applicant’s data.