Dual Citizenship in the Netherlands 2026: Who Can Keep Two Passports?

Last updated: October 5, 2026

Short answer: the Netherlands still does not generally allow dual citizenship for people who naturalise. If you become Dutch through naturalisation, you normally have to give up your other nationality, unless one of the IND’s exemptions applies to you. The most common exemptions are being married to (or the registered partner of) a Dutch citizen, being born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and living here, and holding an asylum residence permit.

This guide explains who has to renounce and who does not, what changed for asylum status holders on 12 June 2026, what happens to Dutch citizens who take another nationality, and where the bill to allow dual nationality stands in parliament.

Table of Contents

• Does the Netherlands allow dual citizenship?
• Who can keep their nationality: the exemptions
• Asylum status holders: what changed on 12 June 2026
• How renouncing works in practice
• The other requirements: 5 years, A2 and the fees
• Dutch citizens who take another nationality
• Will the Netherlands allow dual citizenship?
• Step by step: from application to passport
• Dutch Learning Corner

Does the Netherlands allow dual citizenship?

Only in specific situations. Dutch nationality law tries to limit multiple nationality, and two rules do most of the work:

• The renunciation requirement (afstandsplicht). Adults who become Dutch through naturalisation must give up their current nationality, if their country makes that possible.
• Automatic loss for Dutch citizens. A Dutch citizen who voluntarily takes another nationality usually loses Dutch nationality automatically (see below).

Plenty of people still hold two nationalities legally: people covered by one of the exemptions, people whose country does not let them give up their nationality, and children who are born with two nationalities, for example because one parent is Dutch and the other is not.

Who can keep their nationality: the exemptions

According to the IND, you do not have to renounce your nationality after naturalisation if:

1. You are married to, or the registered partner of, a Dutch citizen on the date the Royal Decree granting you Dutch nationality is signed. If you marry after that date, this exemption does not apply. Living together without marriage or registered partnership does not count here.
2. You were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and live there now. The Kingdom includes the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. You do not need to have lived here your whole life.
3. You have an asylum residence permit.
4. You have an EU long-term resident permit with a note that you were granted international protection in the Netherlands.
5. You received a residence permit in 2007 or 2008 under the RANOV scheme (the regulation that settled the legacy of the old Aliens Act).
6. Your nationality is that of a state the Netherlands does not recognise, such as Taiwan or the Palestinian Territories.
7. Your country does not allow you to give up your nationality. Rijksoverheid gives Iran as an example of a country where the law makes it impossible, and Morocco as a country that does not accept renunciation in practice.
8. You are under 18. A minor who naturalises, for example together with a parent, does not have to renounce.

Asking for an exemption because of serious consequences

If giving up your nationality would have serious consequences for you, you can ask the IND not to require it. The IND mentions situations such as:

• you would have to pay a large sum of money to your country’s government to renounce;
• you would lose inheritance or property rights;
• you would first have to complete military service in your country before you are allowed to renounce.

The IND decides this case by case, so include your explanation and supporting documents with your application.

Becoming Dutch through the option procedure

Some people can become Dutch through the simpler option procedure instead of naturalisation. With option you can often keep your other nationality. The exception: if you opt because you have lived in the Kingdom since your fourth birthday, you do have to renounce.

Asylum status holders: what changed on 12 June 2026

The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum took effect on 12 June 2026. New asylum residence permits are now temporary, and the Netherlands no longer issues permanent asylum permits. This has direct consequences for naturalisation:

• You cannot naturalise on a temporary asylum permit. You first need an EU long-term resident permit. That permit has its own conditions, including passing civic integration at A2 and having independent, sustainable income (for example an employment contract that runs for at least another 12 months). Social assistance (bijstand) does not count as independent income.
• A permanent asylum permit you received before 12 June 2026 remains valid, and you can still naturalise with it if you meet the other conditions.
• Renunciation: holders of an asylum residence permit, and holders of an EU long-term resident permit with the international-protection note, do not have to give up their nationality.
• Fee: stateless people and holders of an asylum residence permit pay a reduced fee of €847 (2026).

The coalition agreement describes a possible future route to naturalisation after 6 years on a temporary asylum permit combined with Dutch at B1 level. That route has been agreed politically only; it is not law. Read more in our citizenship and inburgering guide.

How renouncing works in practice

1. Before you apply, contact your country’s embassy or consulate in the Netherlands (or Belgium) to find out how renouncing works, what it costs and what rights you might lose.
2. With your naturalisation application you sign a statement that you will renounce your nationality, or you explain which exemption applies to you.
3. After you have become Dutch, the IND sends you a letter asking you to renounce. This can take months, so keep your address details up to date.
4. Within 3 months of that letter, you send the IND proof that you have applied to renounce. Later you send the official document that confirms you no longer hold that nationality.

If you do not renounce when you are required to, the IND can revoke your Dutch nationality.

The other requirements: 5 years, A2 and the fees

Residence

You must have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 5 years in a row with a valid residence permit, and you must always have applied to extend your permit on time. Years on a study permit count towards the 5 years. However, when you apply, during the procedure and on the day of the ceremony you must hold a permit that allows you to naturalise, such as:

• a permanent residence permit, or an asylum permit for a permanent period issued before 12 June 2026;
• an EU long-term resident permit;
• a residence permit for a non-temporary purpose of stay;
• a residence document as the family member of an EU citizen, or a document under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

Study permits and the orientation year for highly educated persons (zoekjaar) are temporary-purpose permits, so you would need to switch to another permit before you apply. Citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland do not need a residence permit but must have lawful residence.

You can apply sooner in some cases. For example, if you are married to, in a registered partnership with, or living together unmarried with a Dutch citizen and have lived together for 3 years in a row, you may be able to apply after 3 years of residence. Married and registered partners who have lived together with their Dutch partner for 3 years may even apply without living in the Kingdom. See the IND’s list of exceptions to the 5-year term.

Language: A2, not B1

For naturalisation you need a civic integration diploma (or the naturalisation test) at at least A2, unless you are exempt. The B1 level you may have heard about is the standard for people who started their integration obligation under the Civic Integration Act 2021, and raising the naturalisation requirement to B1 has been proposed, but as of September 2026 A2 is still the requirement for naturalisation. Our inburgering guide explains the exams.

Fees

You pay when you submit the application at your municipality. The fee is not refunded if your application is refused.

Dutch citizens who take another nationality

If you are Dutch and you voluntarily acquire another nationality, you normally lose your Dutch nationality automatically. You keep it if:

• you were born in the country whose nationality you acquire and you live there when you acquire it;
• before you turned 18, you lived in that country for an uninterrupted period of at least 5 years; or
• you are married to, or the registered partner of, someone who has that nationality.

These exceptions do not apply if you acquire Austrian nationality.

The 13-year rule. If you have dual nationality and live outside the EU (and outside the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten) for 13 years in a row, you lose Dutch nationality automatically. You can stop the clock by getting a new Dutch passport or identity card, or a certificate of possession of Dutch nationality, within the 13 years. The issue date of the new document must fall within that period. The period was 10 years until 1 April 2022. If you live in the United Kingdom, the 13 years started on 1 January 2021.

Will the Netherlands allow dual citizenship?

Maybe, but not yet. The initiative bill 34 632 (R2080), now defended by MPs Jan Paternotte (D66) and Songül Mutluer (GroenLinks-PvdA), would:

• end the automatic loss of Dutch nationality when a Dutch citizen voluntarily acquires another nationality;
• remove the renunciation requirement for people who become Dutch through naturalisation or option; and
• end the loss of Dutch nationality after living outside the EU for a long time.

The bill is on the Tweede Kamer agenda for the week of 29 September 2026. Even if the Tweede Kamer passes it, the Eerste Kamer must also approve it before it can take effect. The outcome is uncertain. The coalition agreement says Dutch citizens abroad should not lose their nationality more easily than in Germany, Belgium, France or the United Kingdom, but for newcomers who naturalise “the starting point is that they give up their other nationality”. The coalition parties also hold a minority of the seats.

Until a new law has been passed and has taken effect, the current rules in this guide apply. We will update this article when parliament votes.

Step by step: from application to passport

1. Check the conditions: residence, the right permit, your civic integration diploma at A2, and whether you have to renounce or qualify for an exemption. Contact your embassy about renunciation early.
2. Apply at your municipality (gemeente) and pay the fee. You make the application in person.
3. The IND assesses your application. The decision period is 12 months.
4. Royal Decree and ceremony. If the decision is positive, you are invited to a naturalisation ceremony at your municipality. You must attend within 1 year of the positive decision and make the declaration of solidarity. You become Dutch at the ceremony, not before, and you receive your naturalisation certificate.
5. Apply for your Dutch passport or identity card at your municipality. The Dutch passport is one of the strongest passports in the world.
6. Renounce your other nationality when the IND asks you to, unless an exemption applies.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your situation may differ, so check the IND’s pages or speak to an immigration lawyer before you apply. Read how we research and update our guides in our editorial standards.

Dutch Learning Corner

Sources

• IND, Renouncing your nationality (updated 8 June 2026)
• IND, Becoming a Dutch national through naturalisation (updated 28 August 2026) and Exceptions to the 5-year term
• Staatscourant 2025, 31825 (fees 2026) and 2026, 31976 (fees 2027)
• Rijksoverheid, Dubbele nationaliteit
• NetherlandsWorldwide, When do I lose my Dutch nationality?
• Eerste Kamer, Initiative bill 34 632 (R2080)
• RefugeeHelp, Voorwaarden om de Nederlandse nationaliteit te krijgen (June 2026)

More in our guide: Dutch Citizenship, Inburgering & Learning Dutch – all our guides

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