You can travel and identify yourself with a passport and an identity card. A Dutch citizenship certificate can be used to prove your Dutch citizenship.
- Applying for a new passport or renewing your old one
- Applying for a Dutch passport outside the Netherlands
- Applying for an emergency passport
- Applying for a business passport
- Applying for an alien’s passport
- Applying for a refugee passport
- Applying for a second passport
Dutch citizenship certificates
If you move outside the Netherlands, intend to get married, or want to be eligible for certain jobs (some civil service posts, for instance), you may need to prove you are a Dutch citizen. If you live outside the Netherlands, you can apply for a bewijs van Nederlanderschap (Dutch citizenship certificate) at the embassy or consulate of the Netherlands in the country where you live. If you live in the Netherlands, you can apply at the Afdeling Burgerzaken of your municipality.
To be eligible for a Dutch citizenship certificate, you must:
- be a Dutch citizen;
- (if you live in the Netherlands) be registered as a resident in the municipality where you file your application;
- show a valid form of identification.
Period of validity of Dutch citizenship certificates
The period of validity of Dutch citizenship certificates is not laid down in law. The organisation that asks to see the certificate can itself decide its period of validity.
Applying for a Dutch passport or identity card
If you have Dutch citizenship, you should apply for a Dutch passport or identity card to the municipality where you are registered. You will need to bring a colour photo and your old documents with you. Make sure the photo meets the requirements for accepting passport photos in Dutch travel documents.
All children (even babies) need their own passport or identity card to travel. You have to pay a fee for your passport or identity card.
Fingerprints in passports
When you apply for a Dutch passport, your fingerprints will be recorded – a requirement from which only children under 12 are exempt. Your fingerprints will not be recorded if you apply for an identity card. After issue, the fingerprints will only be stored in your passport.
The travel document contains an image of the holder’s fingerprints in order to prevent identity theft (i.e. using false or stolen identity documents to impersonate someone else).
Period of validity of passports and identity cards
Passports and identity cards are valid for 10 years in the case of adults and 5 years in the case of children under 18.
Aliens’ and refugee travel passports
Non-Dutch citizens who have a verblijfsvergunning (residence permit) and who are unable to obtain a passport from their country of origin sometimes qualify for an alien’s passport. You can apply for an alien’s passport to the municipality where you are registered.
If you have refugee status, you can apply for a refugee passport to the municipal authority where you are registered. You must have a residence permit showing that you have been admitted as a refugee.
You can use your alien’s or refugee passport to travel to all countries except your home country. Both can be used in the Netherlands as proof of identity.
Residence permits and leave to remain cards
Residence permits are issued to aliens permitted to live in the Netherlands under the Aliens Act or Community law. Leave to remain (W-document) cards are issued to aliens who have applied for asylum in the Netherlands but have not yet received a final decision on their application. The Immigratie- en Nturalisatiedienst – IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) issues residence permits and leave to remain cards.
A Certificate of Naturalization is a document to prove that the person named on the certificate has obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalization. Naturalization refers to the process in which a person not born in the United States voluntarily becomes a U.S. citizen. For foreign-born persons, naturalization is the most common way to become a U.S. citizen. This document is different than a Certificate of Citizenship.
Your naturalization document should contain the label “Form N-550” or “Form N-570” in the bottom margin.
Obtaining an Initial Naturalization Certificate
Initially, a person obtains a certificate by filing Form N-400, Application for Naturalization, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and completing the naturalization process. Generally, this form must be submitted by permanent residents who meet the eligibility requirements. USCIS typically issues the certificate after an officer approves the Application for Naturalization and the applicant has taken the Oath of Allegiance.
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Replacing a Certificate of Naturalization
U.S. citizens who want to replace a Certificate of Naturalization may file Form N-565, Application for Replacement Naturalization/Citizenship Document, with USCIS. You can replace a certificate for the following reasons:
- Certificate was lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated
- Certificate is incorrect due to a USCIS typographical/clerical error
- Name has legally changed
- Gender has legally changed
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Contents of Certificate
The Certificate of Naturalization contains information identifying the person and confirming his or her U.S. citizenship through naturalization. Specifically, the certificate contains:
- Certificate number (generally a red 6- to 8-digit alpha numeric number)
- Date of issuance (date the holder became a U.S. citizen)
- USCIS registration number (A-number)
- U.S. citizen’s full name
- Marital status
- Place of residence
- Country of former nationality
- Photograph
- Signature of applicant; and
- Other descriptors: sex, date of birth, and height
The document also includes a Department of Homeland Security seal as well as a statement and signature by the USCIS Director indicating that the applicant complied with all the eligibility requirements for naturalization under the laws of the United States.
Certified True Copy of Certificate
When a naturalized U.S. citizen needs to have a certificate “authenticated” by the U.S. State Department for use by foreign governments or embassies, USCIS can copy the document and certify it as a true copy. “Authentication” is a term used by the U.S. Department of State and other governments to describe what USCIS refers to as Certified True Copies. When you require USCIS to authenticate a naturalization certificate, be sure to use the term “Certified True Copy.” For more information on requesting a Certified True Copy, visit the USCIS website.
Obtaining a U.S. Passport
When applying for a U.S. passport, you may use the naturalization certificate as evidence of U.S. citizenship. You’ll need to provide a photocopy of your certificate as one of the passport requirements when submitting the application for a U.S. passport (DS-11).