Netherlands Scraps Citizenship Application Fee For 1 Category Of Applicants
- The Netherlands Immigration and Naturalisation Service listed the fee for Moluccan naturalisation applications as €0, setting them apart from all other applicants
- A standard naturalisation request for one person costs €1,139, while Moluccans pay absolutely nothing to go through the same process
- The zero-fee provision extends beyond naturalisation to cover option statements and return visas, giving Moluccans a unique standing under Dutch immigration rules
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The Netherlands has set the citizenship application fee for Moluccans to €0, according to the official fees schedule published by the [Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND), the body under the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security that handles all immigration and naturalisation matters.
While a standard naturalisation request costs a single applicant €1,139, and a couple applying together pays €1,454, Moluccans are charged nothing at all for the equivalent process.
Source: UGC
The same zero-fee rule applies to the option procedure, through which eligible individuals can opt into Dutch citizenship.
A single person ordinarily pays €241 for an option statement, and a couple pays €412, but Moluccans are again exempt from any charge.
What the Zero-Fee Rule Covers for Moluccans
The fee exemption for Moluccans is not limited to citizenship applications alone. The IND fee schedule also lists the return visa for Moluccans at €0, while the same document costs other applicants €197.
These concessions reflect a long-standing and distinct legal relationship between the Dutch state and the Moluccan community, rooted in the history of the South Moluccas and the arrival of thousands of Moluccans in the Netherlands following Indonesian independence in the mid-20th century.
For context, all other categories of applicants face significant costs when applying for Dutch citizenship.
A stateless person or asylum permit holder applying for naturalisation pays a reduced rate of €847, and a child under 18 becoming a Dutch citizen alongside a parent is charged €168.
Even the five-yearly renewal of a residence document carries a fee of €85 for most applicants.
How Dutch Naturalisation Fees Compare
The IND updates its fee schedule every year on January 1, with amounts valid through December 31 of that year.
The fee waiver applies to both the naturalisation route, which is the standard path to citizenship for most long-term residents, and the option route, which is a separate declaration-based process available to specific groups under Dutch nationality law.
Moluccans qualify for the €0 rate under both pathways, making their position unique among all applicants listed in the IND's official schedule.
Netherlands publishes guidance on work permit
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Netherlands published the full list of countries whose nationals are free to work in the country under specific conditions.
Citizens of European Economic Area member states and Switzerland fall under the exemption, covering 30 countries in total.
Source: Legit.ng
