Netherlands Announces What Changes When Foreigner Acquires Dutch Citizenship
- Acquiring Dutch citizenship triggers automatic registration in the Netherlands' Personal Records Database, unlocking key civic rights
- Dutch citizens gain the right to vote in national elections and can travel freely across the Schengen Area on a Dutch passport
- Some new Dutch citizens may be required to renounce their original nationality, though exceptions exist under specific conditions
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The Dutch government has outlined what changes for a person once they successfully acquire Dutch citizenship, covering travel rights, voting eligibility, identity document requirements, and the conditions under which a person may need to give up their original nationality.
Upon acquiring Dutch citizenship, a person is registered in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP), the Netherlands' central Personal Records Database.
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That registration is the starting point for all other rights and obligations that come with citizenship.
Identity documents and travel
Once registered in the BRP, a new Dutch citizen can apply at their local municipality for a Dutch passport or identity card. The Netherlands requires everyone aged 14 and above to carry valid proof of identity at all times and to present it to police or law enforcement when asked.
For travel, Dutch citizenship allows free movement within the Schengen Area. The government advises carrying either a passport or identity card when travelling inside the European Union. A passport is required for travel to destinations outside the Schengen Area.
Voting and working in government
Residency alone is enough to vote in municipal elections in the Netherlands. A person aged 18 or older who has lived in the country for at least five years and holds a valid residence permit may vote in gemeenteraadsverkiezingen (municipal elections), regardless of whether they hold Dutch citizenship.
Dutch citizenship, however, opens the door to national political participation. Citizens may vote in elections for the Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives) and the Provinciale Raad (Provincial Council). They are also eligible to work at either of those institutions.
When you must give up your original citizenship
Not everyone who becomes a Dutch citizen can hold two passports. In certain cases, the Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND), the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, requires new citizens to renounce their previous nationality. Failure to do so can result in the IND revoking Dutch citizenship.
There are, however, two circumstances in which a person is exempt from this requirement. The first applies when a person's country of origin does not legally allow them to renounce their citizenship.
The second applies when that country automatically strips a person of their nationality the moment they take up citizenship elsewhere. In both cases, the person is permitted to retain their original citizenship alongside their Dutch one.
Netherlands publishes official cost of citizenship test
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Netherlands has officially published the fees that foreigners are required to pay in order to sit the citizenship test, a mandatory step for those seeking to become Dutch nationals through naturalisation.
Source: Legit.ng
