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
Here is some information from your municipality.
apply for dutch nationality
Please note: you can only apply for Dutch citizenship by naturalisation if you live in the Netherlands and are registered with a municipality.
The conditions you must meet will be discussed with you personally during an appointment. This appointment can only be made by telephone on (0541) 58 81 11.
Option procedure
Via the option procedure you can indicate that you want to become a Dutch citizen by making a statement. This procedure is a quick and simple procedure. The option procedure applies to a number of groups. More information can be found on the website of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (hereinafter: IND).
You must submit the option request to the municipality. This is only possible by appointment. The municipality will first inform you about:
- the conditions you must meet
- the documents you need to submit
- costs
- any consequences of adopting Dutch nationality (it is possible that you will lose your original nationality).
If you meet all the conditions for an option, the mayor will confirm in writing that you have become a Dutch citizen. This happens during a naturalization ceremony.
Naturalization procedure
You must submit a naturalization request to the municipality. This is only possible by appointment. The municipality hereby informs you about:
- the conditions you must meet
- the documents you need to hand over
- costs
- any consequences of adopting Dutch nationality (it is possible that you will lose your original nationality).
The municipality then draws up an advice based on the information received. This will be sent to the IND together with the necessary documents. The IND will decide on your application within 1 year. If there is a positive decision, the municipality receives the Royal Decree for naturalization. The Royal Decree will be presented to you during a naturalization ceremony.
Naturalisation per person: € 945,-
Naturalisation of partners: € 1 206,-
Naturalisation of a child at the same time: € 139,-
Naturalisation for persons who have an asylum residence permit of indefinite duration: € 703,-
Naturalisation for partners who have an asylum residence permit for an indefinite period: € 965,-
[extra optie]
You pay a fee for this service. For more information, contact the municipality [contactgegevens].
- The municipality assesses whether you meet all conditions for naturalisation and provides the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst – IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) with advice. The municipality sends your file to the IND.
- The IND checks whether you meet all conditions and takes a decision. The IND must take a decision within 12 months. If you have any questions about the application in the meantime, you can contact the IND.
- You officially become a Dutch citizen only after the naturalisation ceremony.
- You can apply for a Dutch travel document 1 week after the naturalisation ceremony.
Questions about this topic?
Contact the Municipality of Oldenzaal