Hot To Get a Dutch Passport
Ik ben een Nederlander. Well, kind of. I was born and raised in the United States of America. My childhood in Tennessee was always an anomaly. I had a Mexican-American father and a Dutch-Indonesian mother. Our home language was English, with a touch of Californian and Tennessee slang. Being Dutch was to me, stroopwafels on Christmas and my family joking that Zwarte Piet would come to take me if I misbehaved. We called slippers "sloffen" and told our mother she was related to Goldmember from Austin Powers. We were far removed from our Dutch family as my large household (I have three brothers) could not afford to visit family in the Netherlands. In fact, my mom was also relatively withdrawn from her Dutch past as she moved to the United States with her family when she was two years old. Facing anti-immigrant realities, her family decided to raise her as an American, and in my Oma's words, "speak American at home" as well.
My journey to obtain Dutch citizenship was always a dream growing up with my brother Keir. However, we were often told that the Netherlands does not accept dual citizenship. Then, in 2019, we visited our aunt in Amsterdam (our first time in the Netherlands) and fell in love with the country. I was transitioning to work in South Korea and thought, "Why not try to get citizenship?" What transpired was research, translation, and what felt like a mountain of red tape to cross. The outcome: In the summer of 2020, I got an email from the Dutch embassy in San Fransisco stating that my passport was ready to be picked up or sent to me.
My blog post will tell how I obtained my Dutch passport at 27. I hope to answer the why, where, and how to get Dutch citizenship through birth. My experience is my own, and I cannot guarantee your Dutch passport as laws change, and every case can vary depending on who you talk to. But, if you have a Dutch parent and you are seeking dual citizenship, I hope this post helps.
Why?
I wanted to get my Dutch citizenship for many reasons. With an EU passport, one can easily travel around Europe. Living in Europe is also more accessible, and attending university in many parts of Europe is cheaper. I can now vote, live, and access healthcare in the Netherlands with Dutch citizenship. Also, I have always been drawn to my Dutchiness because of my curiosity about my family's history, culture, and past. So, the better question for me was, "Why not?"
Where?
The first place to search if you qualify and the process is www.government.nl. The site will help guide you through qualifications, laws, and the process. You can also call or email for support. A quick Google search can get you to the needed page on the government's site. This link will direct you to the part that you will need to go to:
https://www.government.nl/topics/dutch-citizenship/becoming-a-dutch-citizen
This site will walk you through the many ways and steps to becoming a Dutch citizen. You should also email your nearest Dutch consulate/embassy. I contacted the Dutch Console in San Fransisco because my birth certificate and paperwork came from California.
How?
There are three ways to become a Dutch citizen. Acknowledge Parentage, Option Procedure, and Naturalization. For me, I went the Acknowledge Parentage path. Naturally, this was the way because my mother was Dutch when I was born. Upon layered research and emails, I found that I had always been a citizen due to my parentage. However, my mother or I needed to acknowledge it. There were two options for this process. The first was my mother acknowledging me at birth. The second was acknowledging myself at a municipal office in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or a Dutch representative sight abroad (embassy/console), which I did. WARNING: If you go this path, you must do it before 30 because that is the cut-off date. You automatically renounce your citizenship if you have yet to acknowledge yourself as Dutch after age 30. You must also live in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (ABC islands included) for a full uninterrupted year within ten years after receiving the passport. If not, your passport is forfeited.
Breakdown:
Here is a breakdown of what I needed at the time. Note, I was getting a Dutch passport, which equates to citizenship, as you can only have a passport to the countries you are a national of. Make sure to ask your local Dutch representative before to make sure you have the correct paperwork.
I filled out correct paperwork to get a passport (you can easily translate them from Dutch online).
I paid the fee to apply for a passport, which cost $160.
I got a copy of my mother's Dutch passport/birth certificate (proving I had a Dutch parent).
I brought my birth certificate with an apostle (my birth certificate showed that my mom was Dutch at my birth).
I got passport photos that have specific Dutch requirements (35 mm x 45 mm).
To end, on paper, it seems an easy process. There were no language requirements. It also only cost $160. However, obtaining the documentation from around the USA, getting many of them an apostle, and applying to an embassy/consulate that processes passports is costly. That said, it was completely worth it. If you find yourself with a Dutch parent and are not 30 years old yet, I highly suggest going Dutch. I saw it as an investment to eventually living in the Netherlands. The USA/NL partnership also allows for dual citizenship. I hope you find this post helpful on your journey to becoming Dutch.
By: Rainier Lee
