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Applying for Dutch citizenship by naturalisation in the Netherlands

Do you want to apply for the Netherlands (Dutch) nationality? One of the ways is to apply for naturalisatie (naturalisation). You can hand in your application via your municipality.

Usually one of the conditions is that you have been legally living in the Netherlands for at least 5 years. Read all conditions of naturalisation on the website of the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst – IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service).

In some cases there are exemptions to the condition of 5 years of legal residence.

The municipaity will send the application to the IND. The decision will be made by the IND.

The decision-making process takes a maximum of 12 months. You can track the progress of your application on the Mijn IND online portal.

This is how it works for you

Your (future) place of residence falls under:
Informatie:

Here is some information from your municipality.

Become Dutch

Do you not have Dutch nationality? Under certain conditions, you can become a Dutch national through the option procedure or naturalisation. The municipality is investigating what is possible for you.

Please note: you can only apply for Dutch citizenship by naturalisation if you live in the Netherlands and are registered with a municipality.

Can I also request information for my family members when it comes to becoming a Dutch citizen?

Yes. You can also request information for your family members during the online application.

RANOV permit

Did you receive a RANOV permit as a minor together with your parent(s) or independently? And are you now of age? Then you do not have to show the 3 following documents to assess a request for Dutch nationality:

A valid foreign passport.
A (foreign) birth certificate.
Proof of renunciation of original nationality

Persons who have obtained a RANOV permit as an adult are not yet exempt. More information can be found on the page Nederlander worden met een RANOV-vergunning (Becoming a Dutch national with a RANOV permit) of the IND.

You can arrange online to have your options investigated.

I cannot apply online. What now?

In that case, please contact the municipality by telephone on 0229 25 22 00.

Cost option

  • Option for one person € 217
  • Option for a married couple, registered partners or cohabitants € 370
  • Option for each minor child if the parent also requests Dutch nationality € 24

Naturalization costs

  • Naturalization for one person € 1.023
  • Naturalization for a married couple, registered partners or cohabitants € 1.305
  • Naturalization for a stateless person or asylum permit holder € 760
  • Naturalization for a married couple, registered partners or cohabitants (for stateless persons and holders of an asylum residence permit) € 1.044
  • Naturalization for each minor child for whom Dutch nationality is also requested with the parent's application € 151

Why does it take 5 working days before I get an answer?

This time is needed to be able to give you the correct answer. The municipality checks whether you meet all the conditions for naturalization and gives advice to the IND. The municipality will send your file to the IND.

How long do I have to wait?

Naturalization

The IND has 12 months to decide on an application for naturalisation. You will receive a letter stating the date before which you will receive a decision on your application. The decision period for a naturalization application starts when you have paid the costs for the application. If you have any questions about the request in the meantime, you can contact the IND.

You are only an official Dutch citizen after the naturalization ceremony. You can apply for a Dutch travel document one week after the naturalization ceremony.

Option

The municipality will assess your application for option. The law states that the municipality has 13 weeks to decide on your application. The decision period can be extended once by a maximum of 13 weeks.

Questions about this topic?

Contact the Municipality of Hoorn

Last updated on 26 September 2022