Thinking about becoming Dutch? Better grab some stroopwafels and settle in, because naturalising in the Netherlands might soon take you a full decade.
In a recent motion submitted on June 26 to the Dutch House of Representatives, MPs Diederik Boomsma (CDA) and Queeny Rajkowski (VVD) proposed to extend the standard period for naturalisation from five years to ten years.
And yes, it passed, with a solid 104 votes in favour. Unsurprisingly, Geert Wilder’s PVV was responsible for 37 of these votes.
The strongest opponent is GroenLinks-PvdA (the alliance between GroenLinks and the Labour Party) with 25 votes against.
READ MORE | Stricter asylum laws? The Netherlands votes “yes”, not everyone’s a fan
Currently, you can apply for Dutch citizenship after five years. But if the government follows through on this motion, the length of time needed to reach this milestone will double.
Also increase the language level
But wait, there’s more! The motion also pushes for the Dutch language requirement to increase from A2 to B1. So if you’re planning to say “ik spreek een beetje Nederlands“, you’d better brush up on your grammar.
Boomsma and Rajkowski argue that drawing out the naturalisation process will make the system more “manageable”.
For now, however, nothing changes. The motion will be discussed in parliament at the end of 2025.
Ten years to become Dutch: more time to integrate… or more time to wait? Let us know what you think of this motion in the comments below.
This change alao affects HSMs not only Asylum Seekers 😔
Did you this you will be spared? This right-wing government hates everyone.
indeed but this policy even worsen the situation while refugees will take the benefit of homes, unemployment benefits etc, i see Netherlands will have a great fall soon in the economy.
Will it be applied to everyone including people who are already in Netherlands for more than 3 years or will it be applied on the new comers only ?
I think it will apply to everyone.