Blog · 2026-09-05

Dutch citizenship in 2026: residence term, the exam and the passport you give up

The 10-year plan is dead, the language bar is going up and renunciation stays - here is what actually applies in September 2026

In short: what changed and what did not

The Netherlands is one of two EU countries (Austria is the other) where a new citizen must, as a rule, give up their previous nationality. That is the single most inconvenient fact about Dutch citizenship, and 2026 has not changed it. Almost everything else has swung back and forth over the past year, so let us start with where things stand in September 2026:

• The residence term for naturalisation is 5 years of uninterrupted lawful residence. The plan to raise it to 10 years was dropped by the new government.
• The language level for the exam is still A2. The coalition has committed to B1, but there is no instrument with an entry-into-force date.
• For asylum permit holders the government plans a 6-year term (after two temporary permits) and B1 - not law yet.
• Renunciation of your previous nationality is mandatory; the exceptions are narrow and are not being widened.
• Years under temporary protection (Ukrainians) do not count towards the 5 years.

Details, fees and figures follow. The country overview, including residence permits and taxes, is on our Netherlands page.

What happened to the 10-year law

In September 2025 the Schoof cabinet approved a bill: the general naturalisation term from 5 to 10 years, spouses of Dutch nationals from 3 to 5 years, stateless persons from 3 to 5, and an end to naturalisation from abroad. The draft sat in public consultation until 1 December 2025. In February 2026 the immigration service IND published its implementation assessment: feasible, but only with 23 to 68 extra staff, roughly 500,000 euros in one-off costs and at least a one-year transition period for people who were already about to apply.

The bill never reached parliament. After the election of 29 October 2025, the D66, VVD and CDA coalition dropped the 10 years in its agreement of 30 January 2026; the Jetten cabinet was sworn in on 23 February 2026. Instead the agreement carries two measures: a 6-year term for asylum permit holders (after two temporary permits) and a B1 language level. This is the second failed attempt to lengthen the term - a previous 7-year bill died in the Senate in 2017.

The takeaway is simple: the window with 5 years and A2 is open now. If you have the years, file rather than wait for clarifications.

Naturalisation: the conditions that apply today

The IND checklist looks like this:

• aged 18 or over, with a valid passport and legalised birth documents;
• 5 years of uninterrupted residence in the Kingdom on a valid permit, with every extension filed on time - one late renewal resets the clock;
• a permit at the time of application and up to the ceremony that is either permanent or temporary with a non-temporary purpose of stay;
• the civic integration exam passed at A2 or higher, or an exemption;
• no threat to public order: in the past 5 years no prison sentence, no fine of 900 euros or more, no set of fines totalling 1,350 euros or more (each 450 or more); a pending criminal case blocks the application;
• willingness to renounce your previous nationality;
• attendance at the ceremony and the declaration of solidarity within a year of the decision - otherwise the decision lapses.

Which permits count

The IND divides purposes of stay into temporary and non-temporary. Years spent on a temporary purpose do not count towards the 5 years at all, even if you lived here and paid tax the whole time.

The classic trap: five years of a master's degree plus an orientation year, then a highly skilled migrant contract - and the naturalisation clock only starts on the date of the work permit. How to choose a first permit with the passport in mind is covered in our residence permits section.

Exceptions to the 5 years

• 3 years of marriage or registered partnership with a Dutch national while living together - and you may live abroad, which makes this the only route to naturalise from outside the country;
• 3 years of unmarried cohabitation with a Dutch partner within the Kingdom;
• 3 years for persons formally registered as stateless;
• 10 years of residence in total with interruptions, of which the last 2 years uninterrupted;
• former Dutch nationals - separate rules, often through the option procedure.

Timelines and government fees

You apply at your municipality; the IND decides. The statutory decision period is 12 months, followed by the royal decree and the ceremony. Realistically, budget 12 to 15 months from filing to passport.

The fee is not refunded if you are refused. Add legalisation and translation of birth documents, the exams and, for most people, the cost of leaving your previous nationality.

The civic integration exam: A2 today, B1 tomorrow

The exam consists of reading, listening, writing, speaking, a test on Dutch society (KNM) and labour market orientation (ONA or MAP depending on the year). For naturalisation today, a civic integration diploma under the 2013 or 2021 Act at A2 is enough. Alternatives are the state exam Dutch as a second language NT2 (programme I or II), a Dutch school or university diploma taught in Dutch, or a Belgian or Surinamese diploma in Dutch.

Exemptions: serious medical grounds, pension age, or 8 years of residence in the Netherlands during school age (5 to 16). Highly skilled migrants are exempt from the duty to integrate as such, but not from the exam for naturalisation - these are two different things, and many people are caught out by it.

On B1. The increase has been debated since 2017 and now appears in three consecutive coalition agreements. In September 2026 the IND page still says A2. B1 can be introduced by decree without a long parliamentary fight, so our advice is to study straight to B1 or take NT2 programme II (which is B2). That settles the question under any scenario, and B1 makes the job market easier too.

Renunciation and its exceptions

The rule is strict: after the royal decree the IND sends a letter and you have 3 months to prove you have applied to give up your previous nationality. Fail to prove it and Dutch nationality can be withdrawn. You do not have to renounce if:

• you are married to or in a registered partnership with a Dutch national on the date of the decree;
• you hold an asylum residence permit;
• you were born in the Kingdom and live here;
• the law of your country does not allow renunciation or attaches disproportionate conditions to it (a large payment, military service first, loss of inheritance rights) - the IND checks this per country;
• you are a citizen of a state the Netherlands does not recognise;
• children under 18 do not have to renounce.

For citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan or Ukraine, giving up nationality is technically possible, but it is a separate procedure that takes months and sometimes over a year, and it has to start right after the decree, not after you collect the passport. The dual nationality bill has been sitting in parliament since 2016, and the current coalition has made clear it will not change anything for new citizens. Workarounds and the countries that do allow a second passport are covered in our article on dual citizenship in 2026.

The option procedure: faster and cheaper, but rarely for newcomers

Option is a declaration rather than a request: the municipality checks the conditions and must decide within 13 weeks (extendable by another 13). No exam, no renunciation in most categories, and a fee of 241 euros. Sounds great, but the categories are closed:

• born in the Kingdom, lived here since birth, turned 18 with a valid permit;
• lived in the Netherlands since the age of 4 (renunciation is required in this category);
• 15 years of uninterrupted residence and 3 years of marriage to a Dutch national;
• 15 years of uninterrupted residence and aged 65 or over;
• born before 1985 to a Dutch mother and a foreign father (and their children);
• former Dutch nationals after one year of residence on a non-temporary permit.

For an adult who arrived on a work permit, option is effectively a 15-year plan. For a family with Dutch roots on the mother's side, it is the most underrated route and the first one to check.

Ukrainians under temporary protection: the clock is not running

About 135,000 Ukrainians live in the Netherlands under the Temporary Protection Directive. On 30 July 2026 the EU extended it to 4 March 2028. Since 5 August 2026, new applicants who are liable for military service under Ukrainian law are refused protection unless they prove lawful departure or an exemption; people already registered are not affected.

The uncomfortable truth: years under temporary protection count neither towards the 5 years for permanent residence nor towards naturalisation. The three-year transition document planned for after protection ends is also a temporary status and does not lead to permanent residence. The government is merely studying how many people could switch to regular permits on the basis of income or an employment contract.

The practical conclusion: if the goal is a passport, switch to a regular permit as early as possible. Options are highly skilled migrant status (salary thresholds from the second half of 2026: 5,942 euros a month if 30 or over, 4,357 euros under 30, 3,122 euros for graduates of Dutch universities), employment with a work permit, partner of a citizen or resident, self-employment or a start-up visa. The naturalisation clock starts on the date of that permit. Note too that the renunciation exemption for asylum permit holders does not extend to temporary protection.

The start-up visa and other permits as a starting point

The start-up visa gives you one year to launch a business under a recognised facilitator from the RVO register. Conditions: an innovative product or service new to the Dutch market, a step-by-step business plan, funds to live on for a year (in a Dutch bank account or guaranteed by the facilitator), and Chamber of Commerce registration for both of you. The facilitator may not be a relative up to the third degree or hold a majority stake. Fee 423 euros, decision within 90 days.

After the year comes the self-employed permit: RVO scores you on a points system (at least 30 points in each of three categories - experience, business plan and added value for the Netherlands, or 45 and 45 on the first two), the facilitator confirms at least 3 months of mentoring, and you show gross profit of at least 1,766.77 euros a month. The permit runs 2 years, fee 423 euros. What matters for our topic: both the start-up and the self-employed permit are non-temporary purposes, so the 5-year clock runs from day one. The weak point is the second stage: the points system filters out projects with no revenue and no investor.

For employees the route is shorter and more predictable: highly skilled migrant through a recognised sponsor, 5 years, exam, passport. You are a tax resident from day one, with full obligations on worldwide income - what that means for your investments and the 30% ruling is on our Netherlands taxes page.

What to do in 2026

• Have 5 years and an A2 diploma? File now while the current rules apply. The IND recommended a one-year transition period, but nobody guarantees you will get one.
• On an asylum permit? File before the 6-year rule is adopted; it will hit you first.
• Check your renewal history: was every extension filed before the permit expired? One late filing costs you 5 years.
• Learn Dutch to B1 regardless of today's standard.
• Find out in advance how to leave your own nationality: timelines, documents, consular fees. Three months after the decree go quickly.
• Dutch mother in the family tree before 1985, or 15 years in the country? Check the option route - it saves a year and 900 euros in fees.

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