What are the conditions for naturalisation?
You must be 18 or older, have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 5 consecutive years with a valid residence permit, and always have extended your permit on time. You need a qualifying permit at application, during the procedure and on the ceremony day. You must also pass the civic integration exam at A2 (or be exempt), not be a danger to public order, be willing to renounce your current nationality (unless exempt), and make the declaration of solidarity at the ceremony.
Do I need a permanent residence permit first?
No. A temporary residence permit for a non-temporary purpose is enough, as is a permanent permit or an EU long-term resident permit. Highly skilled migrant, paid employment, self-employment and residence with a Dutch family member are non-temporary purposes. Study and the orientation year are temporary purposes. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals need no permit.
From when do the 5 years count, and can I apply early?
The IND requires 5 consecutive years of residence with a valid residence permit. Your municipality checks this in the population register (BRP), so gaps in your registration or permits matter. Unless an exception applies, such as the Dutch partner rule, you can only apply once the 5 years are complete. If your entry date, BRP registration and permit start date differ, ask your municipality which date it will use before you book.
My partner is Dutch. Is there a shorter route?
Yes. If you have lived in the Kingdom with a valid permit for 3 consecutive years and lived together with your Dutch spouse or registered partner for those 3 years, you can apply after 3 years instead of 5. Time you lived together abroad as spouses or registered partners can also count. An unmarried partner can apply after living together in the Kingdom with the same Dutch partner for 3 years. Your partner only has to be Dutch when you apply, not for the whole 3 years. You must stay together during the whole procedure.
What if my residence permit expires during the procedure?
Apply to extend it in time. Your permit must stay valid during the procedure and on the day of the ceremony. Without a valid permit (or EU right of residence) on that day you cannot become Dutch.
Can I naturalise while on unemployment benefit or without a job?
The IND conditions for naturalisation do not include an income requirement. But your residence permit must stay valid until the ceremony. If your permit depends on your job (for example as a highly skilled migrant), losing your job can affect your permit, and so your naturalisation. Check your permit's rules with the IND.
Can traffic fines or a criminal record block naturalisation?
Yes, above certain limits. The IND refuses you if, among others, you got a prison sentence, community service of 36 hours or more, a fine or penalty order of €900 or more, several fines of €450 or more that together reach €1,350, several community service orders of 18 hours or more that together reach 54 hours, or a driving ban of 60 days or more. These count for 5 years after the sentence ended or the fine was paid in full. A single fine under €900 does not count. An open criminal case also leads to refusal.
Where do I apply and which documents do I need?
You apply at the municipality where you live, by appointment. The IND lists a valid passport, your birth certificate, your residence permit and your integration diploma or exemption. Foreign documents must be legalised and translated into Dutch, English, French or German, unless they are already registered in the BRP. Since January 2026 the IND and municipalities accept the digital integration diploma: share it digitally, because a print is not valid.
How much does naturalisation cost and how long does it take?
On the IND fee page we checked: €1,139 for one person, €1,454 together with a partner, and €168 per child under 18 who naturalises with a parent. You pay the municipality when you apply. Fees change every 1 January. The IND must decide within 12 months after you pay; this can be extended if your application is incomplete.
What happens after a positive decision?
The King signs the Royal Decree. You then attend the naturalisation ceremony within 1 year of the positive decision and make the declaration of solidarity. You become Dutch only at the ceremony. If you do not attend within that year, you do not get Dutch nationality and must apply again. Children who were 16 or older at application must attend too.
Can my children naturalise with me?
Yes. A child under 18 is included in a parent's application. Children of 12 or older come with you to the application. Children of 16 and 17 must have lived in the Netherlands for 3 consecutive years, agree, attend the ceremony and make the declaration of solidarity. The child needs a valid qualifying permit until the ceremony. A child born during your procedure can be naturalised afterwards for free if you apply within 1 year after you become Dutch.
Can my children keep both nationalities?
Usually yes. Children under 18 who naturalise with you do not have to renounce their other nationality. A Dutch minor only loses Dutch nationality in specific cases, for example when a parent voluntarily takes another nationality that the child shares, and even then not while one parent is still Dutch (Dutch Nationality Act, art. 16(2)(a)). Once they are 18, the adult rules apply, including the 13-year rule for living outside the EU.
Under Turkish law, children keep Turkish citizenship when a parent renounces it, unless that parent asks for the child to lose it too and the other parent agrees (Law No. 5901, art. 27(2)).
Do I have to give up my current nationality?
Adults usually must. Exceptions on the IND list include: you are married to or the registered partner of a Dutch citizen when your Royal Decree is signed, you were born in the Kingdom and live there now, you have an asylum residence permit, or your nationality is of a state the Netherlands does not recognise. Ask for any exemption in your application: you cannot ask after you become Dutch. After naturalisation the IND sends a letter; you then have 3 months to send proof that you asked to renounce. Keep your address up to date with the IND. If you do not renounce, the IND can revoke your Dutch nationality.
Turkish nationals can renounce with permission under Turkish law. If your spouse became Dutch before your Royal Decree is signed, the spouse exception applies to you; if you naturalise in the same decree, it does not, so confirm your order with the IND. See the topic on Turkish citizenship and the Blue Card (Mavi Kart).
Rules differ per country. Check your nationality in the IND country list.
Some countries do not let you renounce, or make it very costly. Check your nationality in the IND country list, and ask for an exemption in your application if one applies.
I have two nationalities. How do I keep my Dutch nationality?
If you also have another nationality, you lose Dutch nationality automatically after living outside the Kingdom and the EU for 13 consecutive years. The count ends if you live in the Kingdom or the EU for more than 1 year, and starts from zero when you move outside again. Getting a new Dutch passport or ID card, or a Declaration of Possession of Dutch Citizenship, also starts the count from zero. As an adult, voluntarily taking another nationality also makes you lose Dutch nationality, unless one of the exceptions in art. 15 of the Dutch Nationality Act applies.
What is the option procedure and who can use it?
Option is a faster, cheaper route for some groups, for example people born in the Kingdom who always lived there, people who lived there since their 4th birthday, people with 15 years of residence who have been married to a Dutch citizen for 3 years, and people of 65 or older with 15 years of residence. You do not need the civic integration exam. If you use option because you lived here since your 4th birthday, you must renounce your other nationality. The municipality decides within 13 weeks (once extendable). The fee on the IND page we checked is €241 for one person.