Acquiring Dutch citizenship through naturalisation

Have you been living for more than 5 years in The Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten? Or in the special municipalities Bonaire, Sint Eustatius or Saba? And you do not have Dutch citizenship? If so, you can be naturalised.

You will have the same rights and duties as other Dutch citizens. In certain cases the 5 year residency requirement can be waived.

If you wish to be naturalised, you will need to meet certain requirements. You can find explanations, exceptions and examples on the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation service.

Request for naturalisation

Do you live in Leiden or Noordwijk and do you want to become a Dutch national through naturalisation?

You can file a digital request to the municipality of Leiden.

  • Did you upload all documents with your request? Then we will make a personal appointment with you.
  • Did you not upload all documents? Then we will contact you and tell you which  documents you still have to send.
  • During the appointment at the Stadskantoor you will formally make a request for naturalisation. You have to pay for this request.

What happens after you filed your request?

  • If the municipality agrees with your request, we will prepare an advice. We will send this advice to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.
  • The IND decides upon your request. This will take a maximum of 1 year.
  • In case your request meets all requirements you can become a Dutch national.
  • In case your request does not meet all requirements you cannot become a Dutch national. The IND will inform you by letter. The letter will explain why you cannot become a Dutch national. If you do not agree with this decision you can appeal against it to the IND. The costs involving this request will not be refunded.

The naturalisation ceremony

You will only become a Dutch national if you attend the naturalisation ceremony. This meeting is a legal requirement. During the naturalisation ceremony you will make a ‘declaration of solidarity’

The municipality will invite you to attend the naturalisation ceremony.

Do you live in Noordwijk? In that case you will receive an invitation from the municipality of Noordwijk to attend the naturalisation ceremony.

Costs

You can review the costs associated with naturalisation on the website of the Nederlandse Vereniging voor Burgerzaken (NVVB).

NB: Not all costs listed on that website are related to naturalisation.

How long does it take?

The Immigration and Naturalisation service (IND) will render a decision on your request. This will take up to 1 year. The IND is allowed to extend this deadline by up to 1 year.

It’s possible that your legal name will have to be determined. This is mandatory if you do not have a last or first name. This may be the case if you have a singular name, or multiple names without a distinction between your last name and first names. For further explanations, exceptions and examples you can consult  the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.

Your child of 17 years or younger can request Dutch citizenship alongside you. You will have to report your child on the form during your follow-up appointment. Children of 16 or 17 years of age are required to be present during the appointment. They will have to consent to the request. For further explanations, exceptions and examples you can consult  the website of the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.