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Dutch passport for children

Joshua Pex
Joshua Pex

Priscilla Moses

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Do you have a child with a person of Dutch nationality and wondering about obtaining a Dutch passport for your child? What are the criteria for obtaining a Dutch passport for children of a Dutch parent who are living abroad with their foreign parent?

Our law office specializes in immigration to Holland and Dutch visas. In this article, attorney Joshua Pex will explain about eligibility criteria and the process of applying for a Dutch passport for your child.

Dutch passport for Children

In the Netherlands, you can apply for a Dutch passport if you are Dutch citizen by law. You are a Dutch citizen by law if you are born Dutch or if you are Dutch by acknowledgement. So in order to apply for a passport for your child, they have to be a Dutch citizen either by birth or by acknowledgement.

Receiving Dutch citizenship by birth

By Dutch law, a child is considered Dutch by birth in the following cases:

  • Both parents are citizens of Holland
  • On the day of birth, only the mother was a Dutch citizen
  • On the day of birth, only the father was a Dutch citizen and was married to the mother of the child
  • On the day of birth, the child, at least one of their parents and at least one of their grandparents, had their “center of life” (primary residence) in the Netherlands.

Receiving Dutch citizenship due to parental acknowledgement

Dutch passport for childrenIf the child was born before the 1st of January 1985, they are considered Dutch by birth only if the father was a Dutch citizen at the time of birth. If only the mother was a citizen of Holland, the child is not considered Dutch by birth. In the latter case, application for a Dutch passport goes according to the so-called “option procedure“. If the child was acknowledged between the 1st of April, 2003 and the 1st of March, 2009, a special procedure is required vis-a-vis the Dutch consulate.

If only the father of the child was Dutch and he was not married to the mother at the time of birth, then the child may receive Dutch nationality by acknowledgement if one of the following conditions is met:

  • The father is a Dutch citizen (not necessarily on the day the child’s birth) and acknowledged the child before their 7th birthday. Only applies if acknowledged after the 1st of March 2009.
  • The father is Dutch citizen (not necessarily on the day the child’s birth) and acknowledged the child after their 7th birthday – and presented the findings of a DNA-test to prove that he is the biological father within a year after the acknowledgment. Only applies if acknowledged after the 1st of March 2009

Netherlands citizenship by DNA-test

The Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) may offer a DNA test to prove the Dutch parentage of a child in case official documents (such as the birth-certificate) are insufficient or missing. The IND will schedule the DNA desk in Utrecht. Overseas, the IND offers DNA appointments at the Dutch embassy. The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) will determine the biological parenthood of the child by means of a saliva swab. The test is free of charge. A countercheck by a Dutch Accreditation Council (RVA) recognized laboratory, may be accepted, if the parent disagrees with the result; but the parent has to pay for such a check out of pocket.

Dutch citizenship by adoption

Adopted minor children of a Dutch may apply for a Dutch passport; provided the adoption procedure was in line with the Dutch guidelines for adoption as defined in The Hague Adoption Convention of the Dutch Civil Code. All family ties with the biological parents of the adopted child must be cut prior to receiving citizenship.

Applying for a Dutch passport

If your child meet any of the criteria as described above, you may apply for a Dutch passport for children. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND) – under the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice and Security – will process the application. You may apply at the Dutch consulate in your country of residence.

Loss of Dutch nationality

Once the child has received a Dutch passport, there are several ways in which they may lose it again; for instance if the Dutch parent loses their Dutch nationality or if the child receives another nationality through one of the parents. In general, a minor child will not lose a Dutch passport if one of the following conditions is met:

  • One of the parents remains Dutch
  • The new nationality is of the country where the child was born and currently lives
  • The new nationality is of a country where the child has lived for at least five consecutive years.

Contact our experts on immigration to the Netherlands

Advocate Joshua Pex or one of the other advocates of the firm are here to help you with the application of a passport for your child. Arrange a consultation in our offices in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem or by phone skype zoom. We can review your personal situation, and guide you through the application process.

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