Dutch Naturalisation and Dual Nationality in 2026: Renunciation, the Option Route and the 7 December Bill

Sooner or later, most internationals who settle in the Netherlands ask themselves whether to become Dutch. You have a job, perhaps a partner and children here, and maybe a permanent residence permit. Still, you might want to vote in national elections, stop worrying about permit renewals, or hold the same passport as your children. That is usually the moment the renunciation question appears.

This guide starts from DutchNews, which on 27 October 2026 published "The dual nationality dilemma: what Dutch News readers say". The paper asked readers about taking Dutch citizenship, and more than 80 replied. Many described the same frustration: married people and over-65s can keep their passports more easily, while others cannot.

We have checked the rules behind those stories against the IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, the immigration and naturalisation service), the text of the Dutch Nationality Act (Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) and the IND's own statistics. We also cross-read IamExpat, Expatica, NL Times, DutchReview, ACCESS and The Hague International Centre. Where sources disagree, we say so.

Main sources for this guide

• IND, "Becoming a Dutch national through naturalisation" (updated 20 October 2026), "Renouncing your nationality" (updated 8 June 2026) and "Becoming a Dutch national through option" (updated 18 August 2026)
• The Dutch Nationality Act as in force from 1 October 2026, consulted on 29 October 2026
• IND, "Monitor Naturalisatie en Optie 2018-2024" (June 2025)
• DutchNews: the readers' article (27 October 2026) and the column "Foreign residents: get organised, starting with dual nationality" (29 October 2026)

1. What is happening now

Dual nationality has been debated in the Netherlands for decades. It is back in the news because a long-stalled bill is finally scheduled for a plenary debate. Here is what readers told DutchNews, and where the politics stand.

More than 80 readers, many different stories

DutchNews invited readers in early October 2026 to share their views on Dutch citizenship. The 27 October article presents a selection of more than 80 responses. It is a collection of experiences, not a statistical survey.

A reader from Chile described being removed from his country's national registry after renouncing, which made routine documents such as birth certificates hard to obtain. An unmarried reader from Australia, resident for over 20 years, said he cannot naturalise without giving up his Australian citizenship and finds that discriminatory. A US reader is keeping his American passport for family reasons and applying for permanent residency instead.

Others found the choice easy. A reader from Ireland who has lived here for 32 years and became Dutch about 15 years ago said he feels more Dutch than Irish. The same rule lands very differently depending on the home country's law and where a person's life is centred.

Bill 34632 is scheduled for 7 December

The bill is private members' bill 34632 (R2080). The House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) lists it as submitted on 16 December 2016 and now defended by MPs Paternotte (D66) and Mutluer (GroenLinks-PvdA). The plenary debate is planned for week 50, on 7 December 2026, and the page says the meeting has yet to take place.

According to DutchNews in September 2026, the debate was originally due in June, then moved to October and then to 7 December. The bill would let Dutch nationals abroad keep their nationality when they take another, and would end the duty for foreigners who naturalise to give up their original passport.

The coalition keeps renunciation for newcomers

On 30 January 2026, DutchNews reported that the new coalition would not change dual nationality rules for people who naturalise. Newcomers must still, in principle, renounce. The outgoing cabinet's plan to raise the residence requirement from five to ten years was dropped. The coalition also suggested raising the language requirement from A2 to B1.

DutchNews reported in September that the VVD and CDA would not back the part of the bill covering foreigners, so that part could be dropped or the bill could stall. In a column on 29 October, Eelco Keij, founder of the Foundation for the Dutch Abroad (SNBN), wrote that his organisation found no political majority for removing the renunciation duty for foreigners.

The takeaway: a debate does not mean the renunciation duty for naturalising foreigners will disappear. If you are planning around the bill, plan for both outcomes.

2. The three ways to become Dutch

There are three broad routes to Dutch nationality: by descent from a Dutch parent, by naturalisation through the IND, and by option through your municipality. Residents who were not born Dutch use either naturalisation or option.

The table shows why readers' experiences differ so much: the route, not the person, decides whether renunciation applies. When DutchNews readers say married people and over-65s can keep their passports more easily, they are mostly describing the option route.

Naturalisation is a grant of nationality (verlening) by Royal Decree. Option is a declaration by someone who meets fixed criteria; the municipality confirms it. Naturalisation is heavier, slower and costs several times more.

3. Naturalisation: the requirements

The requirements are set out in Articles 8 and 9 of the Dutch Nationality Act. The IND explains them for applicants on a page updated on 20 October 2026.

The core conditions

You must hold a qualifying residence status when you apply, throughout the procedure and on the day of the ceremony.

The permit type is the condition people overlook most. A highly skilled migrant permit has a non-temporary purpose; study permits and the orientation year do not. Our residence permit guide explains which permits count, and our Dutch language guide covers the A2 exam.

Article 8(1)(c) of the Act requires admission and main residence for at least five years immediately before the application. Article 8(1)(d) sets the language and integration requirement by decree, which the IND translates as passing the civic integration exam at A2 or higher.

Shorter routes than five years

The IND lists exceptions to the five-year term (updated 6 March 2026). These change when you can apply, not whether you must renounce.

The unmarried partner can apply after three years but is not exempt from renunciation. That is exactly the gap the Australian reader in the DutchNews piece found unfair.

The residence periods differ widely between routes. The option routes for spouses and over-65s need far longer residence, but in exchange they usually come without the renunciation duty.

The chart shows the trade-off in one line: the routes without renunciation ask for three times the residence of standard naturalisation.

Fees and decision times

The IND fees table lists the following amounts. Fees change every year on 1 January and are paid at the municipality when you submit.

Naturalisation costs more than four times as much as the option route. Expatica's guide, updated in June 2025, still shows 2024 amounts: €1,023 single, €1,305 with a partner, €151 per child and €217 for option. Media figures often lag a year or more, so budget from the IND table.

The IND has a decision period of 12 months, starting once fees are paid. Its June 2025 monitor shows the average time to approval fell from 344 days in 2018 to 182 days in 2024.

From application to ceremony

You are not Dutch when the IND approves your application. The King must sign the Royal Decree, and you must attend a ceremony and make the declaration of solidarity. The Act says the decision is not announced until the declaration has actually been made.

The IND monitor found that 82% of successful applicants in the European Netherlands attended their ceremony within a year of submitting a complete application. If more than a year passes after approval without attending, you must apply again.

4. The duty to renounce, and its exceptions

The renunciation duty (afstandsplicht) is the most contested part of Dutch nationality law. Article 9(1)(b) allows the IND to refuse naturalisation if the applicant has not done what is possible to lose their other nationality, or is not willing to do so afterwards, unless this cannot reasonably be required.

The rule and the timeline

According to the IND (updated 8 June 2026), adults who naturalise must renounce their other nationality afterwards. Minors who naturalise with a parent do not have to.

With your application, you declare that you will renounce or you ask for an exemption. After naturalisation, the IND sends a letter and you have three months to send proof that you have applied to renounce. If you fail to renounce, the IND can revoke your Dutch nationality. An exemption must be requested during the application, not afterwards.

Exemptions written into the law

Article 9(3) lists four groups that are never asked to renounce. The IND adds a few cases from its policy.

On marriage, the IND is specific: you must be married to, or the registered partner of, a Dutch citizen on the date the Royal Decree is signed. A later marriage does not count. IamExpat (5 November 2024, a sponsored article by a law firm) adds that the marriage itself does not need to have lasted three years for this exemption.

When renunciation "cannot reasonably be required"

The IND also accepts individual reasons, all of which need documentary proof, usually legalised and translated.

Expatica names Greece, Iran and Morocco as countries where renunciation is not legally possible. A 2019 IamExpat article said 23 nationalities could not renounce at that time; we could not confirm that number in current IND material. Lists change, so check your own nationality with the IND or a lawyer.

What the numbers show

The IND monitor breaks down what happened to the original nationality of people who naturalised between 2018 and 2024. Only part of that group actually faced a renunciation procedure.

For half of all people who naturalised, the home country's law did not allow renunciation. 28% could renounce, and 13% lost their original nationality automatically on becoming Dutch. Among those who could renounce, some were exempt anyway, such as refugees and spouses. The IND started about 28,200 renunciation procedures in the period and closed about 23,900; in 83% of closed cases the person proved they had renounced.

5. The option route (optie)

The option route lets people who meet fixed criteria become Dutch by making a declaration (optieverklaring) at their municipality. It is cheaper than naturalisation and there is no integration exam. According to the IND (updated 18 August 2026), the municipality decides within 13 weeks and may extend once by up to 13 weeks.

Who qualifies

The categories are listed in Article 6(1) of the Act. The ones most relevant to international residents are these:

The final column is the point. Article 6a applies the renunciation duty only to Article 6(1)(e), adults resident since age four. Rijksoverheid, the central government site, says the same: most people who opt do not have to renounce, except adults who have lived in the Netherlands since age four.

For an unmarried long-term resident, this means there is no option route until age 65. That is why DutchNews readers in that position feel the rules reward marriage and age.

"About half of new Dutch citizens use option": a discrepancy

DutchNews wrote in September 2026 that about 50% of new Dutch citizens use the option scheme. The IND monitor tells a different story for 2018 to 2024: about 338,200 people became Dutch through naturalisation or option, of whom just over 52,000 did so through option. That is roughly 15%.

In other words, the media figure and the IND count are far apart. The IND figures include children naturalised with a parent, and 31% of naturalisation requests were for minors. Counting methods could explain part of the gap, but we could not confirm the "about half" figure in any primary source.

The largest option group is spouses with three years of marriage and 15 years of residence (Article 6(1)(g)). By nationality, Turkish (about 13,000), Moroccan (about 7,600) and British (about 6,200) nationals opted most often, with British numbers rising before Brexit.

6. Naturalisation or permanent residence?

Before choosing naturalisation, compare it honestly with staying on a permanent status. There are two: the long-term EU resident permit (EU-langdurig ingezetene) and the national permanent residence permit.

The two permanent statuses

According to the IND (updated 28 October 2026), the long-term EU resident permit requires five consecutive years on a valid Dutch permit. In those five years, you must not have been abroad for more than six consecutive months, or ten months in total. Study years count for half; other temporary purposes do not count.

The status itself does not expire, but the card is renewed every five years. The national permanent permit is for people with a non-temporary purpose who do not qualify for the EU status. Both cost €254, with €85 for the five-yearly card renewal, and both require the civic integration exam at A2 unless you are exempt.

What actually changes when you naturalise

The Hague International Centre describes permanent residence as giving almost the same rights as Dutch nationality, with no expiry date. The differences are concentrated in a few areas.

For day-to-day life, permanent residence covers most needs. According to the Kiesraad, the electoral council, non-EU residents may vote in municipal elections after five years of continuous legal residence.

Naturalisation matters more if you want to vote nationally, move freely to other EU countries, or spend long periods abroad later in life. The IND says it assumes you have moved your main residence if you stay outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland for more than 12 continuous months, which can put a permanent status at risk.

7. Your home country's law decides the other half

This is the part many people discover too late. Dutch law only decides what the Netherlands asks of you. Whether you keep your original nationality is decided by your home country.

Three kinds of home-country rules

Countries generally fall into three broad groups. The IND monitor's figures reflect this: half of people who naturalised could not renounce, and 13% lost their nationality automatically.

The middle row is the trap. If your country automatically withdraws nationality when you voluntarily acquire another, a Dutch exemption, such as being married to a Dutch citizen or using the option route, does not save your original passport. The same applies if the bill passes: it can only change what the Netherlands requires.

What to check with your own authorities

Before applying, ask your embassy or consulate, or a lawyer in your home country:

• Does voluntarily acquiring another nationality cause automatic loss?
• Does that also apply to children naturalised with a parent?
• Is there a notification duty after you become Dutch, and a deadline?
• Can you regain your nationality later, for example if you move back?
• Does losing your nationality affect property, inheritance, pensions or residence rights at home?

The Chilean reader's experience, losing access to civil registry documents after renouncing, shows that consequences can be practical and long-lasting. It is worth having the answers in writing.

8. Children's nationality

Children's nationality involves both Dutch law and your home country's law, and the answer depends on the parents' nationalities.

Dutch nationality is based on descent

Under Article 3 of the Act, a child is Dutch if the father or mother is Dutch at the time of birth. According to ACCESS, a non-profit for internationals, a Dutch mother passes on nationality automatically. A Dutch father who is not married to or in a registered partnership with the mother must acknowledge the child before birth.

Being born in the Netherlands is not enough on its own. ACCESS says children of non-Dutch parents normally do not receive Dutch nationality at birth. There is a third-generation rule: a child is Dutch if a parent was born in the Kingdom to a parent who lived there, and the child also lives there.

Children born here to non-Dutch parents

A child born and raised here can later use the option route as an adult who has always lived in the Kingdom, without having to renounce under Dutch law. Whether the home country then lets them keep their original nationality is, again, a question for that country.

Some countries require registration within a short time after a birth abroad, or ask dual nationals to choose by a certain age. Check this with your embassy before the birth, when you have time.

Children included in a parent's naturalisation

Children under 18 can be included. The IND says children under 16 must meet the parent's residence conditions, while 16- and 17-year-olds need three years' continuous residence and must consent. Minors do not have to renounce under Dutch law, but their home country may still withdraw their nationality.

9. Losing Dutch nationality later

Once you are Dutch, you can still lose it. Article 15 lists how an adult loses Dutch nationality.

Rijksoverheid explains the 13-year rule as the ten-year passport validity plus three years to renew. Renewing your Dutch passport in time keeps your nationality. NL Times reported on 8 February 2026 that, according to IND figures, 90 people had their Dutch citizenship revoked over four years, mostly for fraud or terrorism. Revocation is only possible for people with another nationality, to avoid statelessness.

10. How the Netherlands compares

DutchNews reports that Germany recently passed a law letting people keep their original nationality when they become German, and that the Netherlands and Austria are now the only EU countries that still generally disallow dual nationality for naturalising foreigners. That is the paper's characterisation and does not capture every country's exceptions.

The Dutch system is strict in principle but full of exceptions. Your actual position depends on which exception you fit, and on how your home country treats you.

11. Fictional cases

The following people are fictional. They show how the answer shifts with circumstances.

Case A: Laura, married to a Dutch citizen for six years

Laura has lived here for seven years. She can naturalise and is exempt from renunciation as a spouse, provided she is still married when the Royal Decree is signed. Her home country allows dual nationality, so she can hold both passports. Naturalisation makes sense if she wants to vote nationally.

Case B: Ravi, single, eight years on a highly skilled migrant permit

Ravi meets the five-year requirement but is not exempt. His home country does not allow dual nationality, so he would lose his original passport. He weighs voting rights and EU mobility against family property at home, and chooses the long-term EU resident permit for now.

Case C: Ana, 66, resident for 20 years

Ana is unmarried and has lived here for 20 years. At 65 she became eligible for the option route, which costs €241, needs no integration exam and does not require renunciation under Dutch law. She checks with her consulate before applying, because her home country's rules decide whether she keeps her passport.

The Dutch route sets the cost and paperwork; the home country often sets the outcome.

12. Mistakes to avoid

Nationality is hard to get back once lost. These are the most common avoidable errors.

Most of these mistakes come from reading only the Dutch side of the question.

13. Steps and checklist

1. Check your permit type and how many continuous years you have on it
2. Confirm whether you have passed the A2 civic integration exam, or qualify for an exemption
3. Write down why you want to naturalise and test whether permanent residence would cover it
4. Ask your own embassy or consulate how your country treats voluntary acquisition of another nationality
5. Check whether you fit an exemption, or the option route, before choosing naturalisation
6. Get legal advice for complicated cases, such as children, property abroad or military service
7. Book an appointment at your municipality to apply

Checklist

• Permanent, long-term EU or non-temporary permit
• Five years (or three with a Dutch partner) of continuous residence
• A2 exam passed or exemption confirmed
• Fee confirmed in the current IND table
• Home country's rules on loss of nationality confirmed in writing
• Children's position checked in both countries
• Ready to send renunciation proof within three months if required

14. Summary

• Naturalisation generally requires five years' residence, A2 and renunciation, and costs €1,139 for a single applicant
• Spouses of Dutch citizens (on the day of the Royal Decree), people born in the Kingdom who live there and refugees are exempt from renunciation
• The option route costs €241, has no integration exam and usually needs no renunciation, but is limited to specific groups
• The IND's figures show option accounts for roughly 15% of new Dutch citizens, not the "about half" reported in the media
• Permanent residence covers most daily-life rights; national voting, an EU passport and long stays abroad are the main differences
• Your home country's law decides whether you keep your original nationality, whatever the Netherlands requires
• Bill 34632 is due for debate on 7 December, but reports suggest the renunciation duty for naturalising foreigners will stay

Sources

Dutch primary sources

• Becoming a Dutch national through naturalisation — IND: requirements, 12-month decision period, ceremony (updated 20 October 2026)
• Exceptions to the 5-year term for naturalisation — IND: partner, ten-year and stateless routes (updated 6 March 2026)
• Renouncing your nationality — IND: duty, exemptions, marriage date, three-month proof (updated 8 June 2026)
• Becoming a Dutch national through option — IND: option categories and 13-week decision (updated 18 August 2026)
• Fees: costs of an application — IND: naturalisation, option and permanent residence fees
• Apply for a residence permit for long-term EU residents — IND: conditions and absence limits (updated 28 October 2026)
• Main residency — IND: absences of more than 12 months outside the EU
• Monitor Naturalisatie en Optie 2018-2024 — IND: numbers, renunciation outcomes, processing times (June 2025)
• Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap — wetten.overheid.nl: Articles 3, 6, 6a, 8, 9, 15 and 16
• When can I have dual nationality? — Rijksoverheid: renunciation under the option route
• Losing Dutch nationality as a dual national — Rijksoverheid: the 13-year rule and passport renewal
• Bill 34632 plenary debate — Tweede Kamer: scheduled for week 50
• 34.632 (R2080) — Eerste Kamer: history of the bill
• Non-Dutch residents — Kiesraad: municipal voting rights

Media and guides for internationals

• The dual nationality dilemma: what Dutch News readers say — DutchNews: starting point for this guide (27 October 2026)
• Foreign residents: get organised, starting with dual nationality — DutchNews: SNBN founder's column (29 October 2026)
• Some Dutch people are about to be more equal than others — DutchNews: debate postponements, "about 50%" option claim
• No change on dual nationality but 10-year residence plan dropped — DutchNews: coalition plans (30 January 2026)
• D66 and GroenLinks-PvdA bill to boost dual nationality drive — DutchNews: bill content (August 2025)
• Naturalisation as the partner of a Dutch citizen — IamExpat: marriage exemption timing (5 November 2024)
• Dual citizenship in the Netherlands — IamExpat: exemptions and the "23 nationalities" claim (2019)
• Citizenship in the Netherlands — Expatica: 2024 fees and countries that do not allow renunciation (updated 2 June 2025)
• Dutch government revoked more than 90 citizenships in four years — NL Times: revocations (8 February 2026)
• Dual citizenship in the Netherlands: why the Dutch discourage it — DutchReview: background to the debate (updated March 2021)
• Dutch nationality for children born in the Netherlands — ACCESS: descent rules for children
• Permanent residency and naturalisation — The Hague International Centre: permanent residence versus naturalisation

All sources were checked on 29 October 2026. Fees change every 1 January, and the bill may change during the debate. Check the IND and your own embassy before applying.

Original article

The dual nationality dilemma: what Dutch News readers say — DutchNews