How can I become a Dutch citizen?

How do I become a Dutch citizen?

• I am a US citizen and I would like to immigrate to Holland. Can I stay and work in a high-skilled job in Holland without Dutch citizenship? If not, how can I become a Dutch citizen? Must I learn to read and write in Dutch (I am assuming the answer to this is yes)? Also, I am applying to Dutch schools for my MSc in Finance - does this have any affect?

• Answer:

  Unless you have a claim on nationality by birth (ie a parent still in possession of Dutch nationality) then in principle you would need to reside legally in the Netherlands for 5+ years (3+ in case of being in a registered relationship with a Dutch national. You can read about how to acquire Dutch nationality here: http://www.minbuza.nl/en/Services/Consular_Services/Dutch_Nationality A student visa will not count towards acquiring Dutch nationality* You do not need to become a Dutch citizen in order to reside in the Netherlands, but you will need a residence permit to do so. In the case of an American then you can visit the Netherlands as a tourist for up to 90 days but not work. Basically to move over here with the wish to live and work, then you would have to find an employer who would apply for a work permit on you behalf. That work permit would not be granted unless it was proven that the job is of such a specialist nature that no-one else in the total pool of labour from (not just the Netherlands but the) whole EEA area. So whilst a MSc in Finance is a good start, it is not a guarantee because there are no end of Dutch and other EEA graduates in the same field currently taking any job they can because of not being able to find jobs in the current economy. You can read more about the details of the process here in a question I answered a while ago for another American interested in the same. It gives links to the IND (Dutch immigration site), how to look for jobs and accommodation as well. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Au4FSM_iOwVeAeSn5NGVt4fty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20081029005645AAYhd63 (saving me retyping and also this turning out to be a very long answer!) As mentioned, you also have to take into account that the economy is having an effect on the EEA market and whilst the Netherlands is not (yet?) as badly affected as other EU countries such as Spain or the UK, of course the labour market in those countries are free to move to the Netherlands as well and jobs that don't require many qualifications/experience are easily filled by EEA passport holders. So read the link I gave you first, and then you can follow up with details on: http://www.ind.nl/EN/verblijfwijzer/ - immigration dept wizard http://www.ind.nl/en/Images/4012_VIN_ENG_tcm6-595.pdf - immigration dept overview (brochure) http://www.netherlands-embassy.org/dutchmissions.asp - links to Dutch consolate details and a confirmation of what I stated Another good source is the expat sites and you can check forums as well to see people who have "been there, done that" http://www.justlanded.com/english/Netherlands http://holland.angloinfo.com/ http://www.expatica.com/nl/main.html In short, you need highly specialist skills which are in demand to get you into the Netherlands (unless you have a proven relationship with a Dutch national) for living & working. Another route is to work for a company in the US which has branch offices in NL with the aim of being transferred based on in-house experience built up - but it also has to be said that this is becoming less common/needed these days as well * One positive I can offer you though is that if you do receive an acceptance for a place to get your MSc in Finance, is that after graduation at a university or university of applied sciences then foreign students can spend up to 12 months to find a job as a highly skilled migrant. You can read about this here on this site http://www.nuffic.nl/international-students/alumni/working-after-your-studies/seeking-work-after-graduation which is a really good site for all info about studying in the Netherlands Best of luck EDIT - Actually 'marriage' would not automatically qualify you to automatically be able to reside anyway. There is no difference between marriage a recognised relationship. To live in NL on the basis of a relationship - presumably 'family formation' (as you would not have lived together previously) then your partner would have to prove they could provide for you, thus earning at least 120% of the minimum wage with at least a year contract (from point of application). You would need a shed load of documents which have been officially verified and the applicaton fee alone is in excess of €800 and of course proof of relationship e.g. visits, Emails etc. You also both have to be 21 or older http://www.buitenlandsepartner.nl/ and http://www.ind.nl/ EDIT2 - sorry Orla, but if you are in a recognised relationship (which of course includes marriage)& are living together, then the required residence permit reduces from 5 to 3 years, and not 5 or 6 as you state. You can see this http://www.minbuza.nl/en/Services/Consular_Services/Dutch_Nationality/How_can_I_acquire_Dutch_nationality#internelink3 on the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs site EDIT3 - does it make a difference if you marry Doutzen Kroes? Nope. If anything it makes it harder because she lives principally in the US. (of course not even taking into account that the chance she would marry a stranger to help them become legal is so minutely small that it's not even worth discussing!)