Citizenship Australia & Netherlands

Australian Embassy

Netherlands

Embassy address: Carnegielaan 4, 2517 KH The Hague - Telephone:+ 31 (0)70 310 8200 - Fax:+31 (0)70 310 8250

Citizenship

All matters pertaining to Australian citizenship are dealt with by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Since 4 July 2002, Australia allows its citizens to have dual citizenship. For general information about citizenship of Australia click here.

If you are planning to apply for dual citizenship, always check with the relevant authorities of both countries whether their legislation permits dual citizenship.

Citizenship by Descent

If your child was born overseas, he/she does not automatically have Australian citizenship. In order to be able to apply for an Australian passport, you must provide proof of Australian citizenship. You must therefore first apply for Australian Citizenship by Descent through the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

The Australian Embassy in The Hague no longer has a DIAC representative. All applications for citizenship by descent are now lodged with the DIAC office at the Australian High Commission in London.

Please download the application form and further guidance on how to lodge your application from the Australian High commission in London website.

Please note that the Australian High Commission in London has a target processing time of three to six weeks to process applications for Citizenship by Descent (this does NOT include the time it takes for the application to reach the High Commission in London or for the Citizenship Certificate to be sent once it has been issued).

Once you have proof of your child’s Australian citizenship, you can then lodge an application for an Australian passport with the Passport Office at the Australian Embassy in The Hague.

Please bear in mind, if you are considering making travel plans, that having Citizenship by Descent processed can take approximately eight weeks or more (including sending the application to London and having the Certificate returned to you) and you will still need to apply for the passport which can take approximately three weeks.

An application for an Australian passport CANNOT be lodged without the Citizenship Certificate. If you have urgent travel requirements, please contact the Passport Office on 070-3108238 for further information.

Citizenship of the Netherlands

If you have lodged an application with the Dutch authorities for a Dutch passport, you may be required to ‘hand in your Australian passport’. This means that you will need to lodge an application to renounce your Australian citizenship with the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC). The nearest office is the Australian Embassy in Berlin, Germany. Contact details are:

DIAC
Australian Embassy
Wallstrasse 76-79
10179 BERLIN
Germany

Telephone: +49 30 700 129 129 (available 13:00-17:00, Monday-Thursday and 13:00-16:00 Friday. Calls are answered in turn, the busiest call period is 13:00-14:30)
www.germany.embassy.gov.au or www.immi.gov.au

Once you have lodged this application you will no longer be an Australian, you will no longer be eligible to apply for an Australian passport and you will need to apply for a visa on your Dutch passport if you wish to travel to Australia.

Please look on www.citizenship.gov.au if you wish to know more about Australian citizenship.

Please contact the local Dutch authorities through your town hall or the IND (Immigratie en Naturalisatie Dienst), http://www.ind.nl for further information about the Netherlands legislation and regulations for applying for citizenship.