1. The 10-Year Plan: Why It Did Not Become Law

Extending naturalisation to 10 years was a campaign promise, not a finished Rijkswet. A draft went out for consultation in autumn 2025. It drew critical advice from the Council of State (Raad van State) in January 2026 and was not carried forward as enacted law. Until parliament adopts a new Rijkswet and it is published with a start date, five years remains the rule.
Business groups also argued that a 10-year wait would push scarce engineers and clinicians toward countries with shorter tracks. That lobbying is context. It is not the legal text. The legal text is still article 8 of the Rijkswet: five years of uninterrupted lawful residence, unless a listed exception applies.
A later cabinet can revive a longer wait. Check the wetgevingskalender and the IND naturalisation page before you assume the clock will stay at five forever.

3. Language: A2 Now, B1 Possibly Later

Do not plan your appointment around a rumour that “B1 starts on 1 July 2026.” That date spread online. It was not a confirmed statutory cut-off on the day this guide was first drafted, and the IND wording that still governs applications is minimum A2 on the inburgeringsexamen / naturalisatietoets.
A move to B1 for naturalisation is a real political project. It has been consulted on since 2020. Coalition texts have also linked B1 to a future asylum-naturalisation track. None of that is the same as a signed, in-force change for every applicant this summer. It may still happen later. If it does, the IND and Staatscourant will publish a start date and any transitional rule. Until then, an A2 civic-integration diploma remains the standard legal proof, unless you are exempt or you hold a higher diploma such as Staatsexamen NT2.

A2 vs. B1: What the Jump Would Mean If It Arrives

Do not use a fake “grandfathering” deadline
Some explainers told readers: apply before 1 July 2026 with an A2 diploma or the file will be rejected the next day. That is not how the published IND rule reads. If a B1 requirement is enacted later, look for an official transitional clause — who is protected, from which application date, and whether old A2 diplomas still count. Do not invent a cut-off and do not delay a ready application out of panic.
Separate track: people with an inburgeringsplicht under the Wet inburgering 2021 often already sit on a B1 civic-integration route in their PIP. That municipal integration duty is not automatically the same as the IND naturalisation exam. Read both files.

5. The Renunciation Trap: Can I Keep My Passport?

The Netherlands still applies the Afstandseis (renunciation requirement). The general rule: to become Dutch you give up your other nationality.
Exceptions exist. You may keep the other passport if, for example:

• The “Love” exemption: you are married to, or in a registered partnership with, a Dutch citizen. A samenwooncontract is not enough.
• The “Impossible” exemption: your country of origin does not allow renunciation (often cited: Morocco, Iran, Syria, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica — the official country list can be updated; confirm yours).
• The “Refugee” exemption: recognised asylum status, where that exemption still applies to your permit type.
• The “Financial loss” exemption: you must prove a serious, documented loss. Informal talk of a €10,000 threshold is a rule of thumb, not a number to tattoo on the form. The IND assesses evidence.

Country lists and circulars can change (a 2026 update already reclassified South Africa on the renunciation list). Recheck before you sign the afstand statement.

7. Name Change: Fixing Your Name for Free

A little-known feature of naturalisation is Naamswijziging.
A stand-alone name change in the Netherlands is slow and expensive. During naturalisation it is often cheap or included if you ask at the right moment.
Typical grounds:

• the name is hard to spell or pronounce in Dutch;
• you want a Dutch-facing form of the same name;
• you want to take a partner’s surname where the rules allow it.

Tip: Ask at the gemeente when you file. After the naturalisation decision is issued it is usually too late for the cheap track.

8. Medical Exemptions: What if I Can’t Take the Exam?

Ontheffing is possible if you can show you are physically or mentally unable to sit the exam.
Process: an independent medical assessment in the DUO / Argonaut track. A short note from your own huisarts is not enough.
Aantoonbaar geleverde inspanningen (proven effort): if the problem is not medical, DUO may accept a proven-effort file. The classic pattern is hundreds of hours at a recognised school plus multiple failed attempts. The exact hour and attempt counts are on inburgeren.nl and can be updated — read the live page, not this paragraph as a statute.

9. Children & Citizenship: The “Mee-naturaliseren” Rules

Children can often join your file (mee-naturaliseren). Age changes the load.

Timing: if a child is close to 16 or 18, the month you file can change both exams and fees.

10. The “Option Procedure”: The Faster Track

Naturalisation is the default. Optie is a shorter municipal track: often about three months, a lower fee, and usually no integration exam.
Typical option categories (not a complete list):

1. Born in the Kingdom and continuously resident, now an adult, with valid stay.
2. 15 years + AOW age: long lawful residence and retirement age.
3. Long marriage + long residence: a high-year combination with a Dutch spouse (confirm the current IND option page; older “15 and 15” summaries go stale).

EU citizenship alone does not put you in the option lane. Most EU expats still naturalise. Option categories are statutory and occasionally amended — read the IND option page the week you book.

12. Blueprint: The 7-Step Application Process

1. Check eligibility: five years (or an exception), permit type that counts, no public-order block.
2. Language proof: inburgeringsexamen at the level the IND lists on the day you file (today: A2 unless exempt), or Staatsexamen NT2.
3. Documents: legalised or apostilled birth certificate, sworn translation if needed, valid passport.
4. Gemeente appointment: you cannot file naturalisation online.
5. Pay fees at the desk. Unpaid files do not start the IND clock.
6. IND decision period: up to 12 months.
7. Ceremony: you become Dutch after the verklaring van verbondenheid at the ceremony, not when the letter arrives.

13. The Hidden Costs: Budgeting for 2026

IND fees rose on 1 January 2026. Budget with the live tariff, not a 2025 screenshot.

14. After the Ceremony: Getting the Document

After the pledge you are Dutch, but you still need a passport or ID card.
1. Book eerste aanvraag paspoort at your gemeente.
2. Bring the naturalisation proof, your other passport, and a Dutch-spec photo.
3. Standard production is often about five working days. Spoed is faster and dearer.
If the other country requires you to surrender that passport after naturalisation, follow that consulate — not a blog comment.