Netherlands Publishes Conditions Foreigners Must Meet Before Applying for Dutch Citizenship Abroad

• The Dutch government has outlined specific conditions under which foreigners outside the Netherlands can apply for citizenship
• The government explained how foreigners can still apply for nationalisation through four possible criteria available
• Former Dutch nationals who lost their citizenship can also regain their citizenship under the same conditions

The Dutch government has published official guidelines explaining how foreigners living outside the Netherlands can still apply for Dutch citizenship.

The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) clarified that while residing in the Kingdom is typically a requirement for naturalisation, certain situations allow foreigners to bypass that condition entirely.

Requirements for applying for citizenship outside Netherland

Below are the requirements for foreigners to apply for citizenship without staying in the Kingdom of the Netherlands:

1. The most commonly applicable route is through marriage or a registered partnership with a Dutch national. To be eligible, the applicant must be either married to or a registered partner of a Dutch citizen at the time of application, and the couple must have lived together as partners for at least three years. The relationship must remain intact throughout the entire naturalisation process.

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2. Notably, the IND also confirmed that couples who lived together in the Netherlands before formalising their relationship through marriage or registered partnership can count that cohabitation period towards the three-year requirement. The Dutch partner does not need to have held Dutch nationality throughout those three years — only at the point when the application is submitted.

Three additional categories of people who may also qualify are below:

3. Former Dutch nationals who lost their citizenship can, under certain conditions, reclaim it through an option procedure rather than a full naturalisation application.

4. Adults who were adopted in the Netherlands by at least one Dutch parent during their adult years are also eligible.

5. Finally, individuals of Moluccan descent who fall under the special legislation, the Wet betreffende positie van Molukkers, passed on 9 September 1976, may apply under that specific Act.

How long foreigners can stay in Netherlands

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that the Netherlands requires foreigners to live in the country for some years before applying for naturalisation, but several exceptions exist.

Foreigners married to or in a registered partnership with a Dutch citizen may qualify for naturalisation under a different timeline.

Source: Legit.ng