Permanent residence or Dutch citizenship: the differences

The short answer

Both are ways to stay in the Netherlands for good. They are not the same. Here is the short version, from the IND.

This guide explains the IND's public rules, checked on 14 November 2026. It is not legal or immigration advice. The IND looks at each application on its own and decides.

• Permanent residence: you keep your nationality and get a residence permit with no end date. The card itself is valid for 5 years and you renew it.
• Naturalisation: you become a Dutch citizen and can get a Dutch passport. You usually have to give up your other nationality.
• Both usually need at least 5 years of living here with a valid residence permit.
• Both usually need the inburgering exam at language level A2.
• You apply for permanent residence at the IND. You apply for naturalisation at your municipality. The IND decides both.

Side by side

The main points next to each other. These are the usual rules. There are exceptions, and the IND decides.

Permanent residence: the main conditions

The IND lists these requirements for a permanent residence permit, among others:

• You have had a valid Dutch residence permit for at least 5 years in a row. Only years from age 8 count.
• Your main home was in the Netherlands during those 5 years.
• You always extended your permit on time, and you met its requirements.
• You now have a valid residence permit for a non-temporary purpose.
• You meet the income requirements.
• You are registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) of your municipality.
• You passed the civic integration exam at level A2 or higher, or you have an exemption.
• The IND first checks if you can get the residence permit for long-term EU residents. You do not have to do anything for that yourself.

• IND: permanent residence permit ↗
• IND: civic integration for a more secure residence permit ↗

Naturalisation: the main conditions

The IND lists these requirements for naturalisation, among others:

• You are 18 or older, and you can prove your identity and nationality.
• You have lived in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least 5 years in a row with a valid residence permit. There are exceptions to the 5 years.
• You have the right kind of residence permit during the whole procedure, up to the ceremony.
• You meet the integration requirement: the civic integration exam at A2 or higher, unless you are exempt.
• You are not a danger to public order or national security.
• You give up your current nationality, unless an exception applies.
• You are willing to make the declaration of solidarity at the ceremony.

• IND: becoming a Dutch national through naturalisation ↗
• IND: exceptions to the 5-year term for naturalisation ↗

The language level: A2, B1 and the 2013 or 2021 law

For both permanent residence and naturalisation, the IND asks for the civic integration exam at language level A2 as a minimum. That is the requirement on the IND's pages, checked on 14 November 2026.

It does not matter which integration law you integrated under. The IND accepts a civic integration diploma at A2 or higher under the Wet inburgering 2013 and under the Wet inburgering 2021. A Staatsexamen NT2 diploma (Programma I or II, B1 or B2) also counts for naturalisation.

If you are on the B1 route now, your B1 Staatsexamen diploma is above the A2 minimum. You do not need to take the A2 exam as well.

You may read news about plans to change the rules for naturalisation. A plan is not a rule. Until the IND's own pages change, check ind.nl and follow what it says.

• IND: civic integration for naturalisation (exemptions) ↗
• A2 or B1: which route are you on? →
• Which exam do you need for naturalisation? →

Exemptions from the integration requirement

Sometimes you do not need the diploma. The IND gives exemptions and dispensations. For permanent residence, examples are:

• You have Belgian or Luxembourg nationality.
• You are under 18, or of state pension age or older.
• You lived in the Netherlands for 8 years or more during your school age.
• You have a Z route certificate, or the civic integration certificate of the Wet inburgering 2021.
• You cannot take the exam for medical reasons, and you can prove it.
• For naturalisation, the IND keeps its own list. For example, a Dutch diploma from education in Dutch, or a Staatsexamen NT2 diploma. A Z route certificate alone is not enough for naturalisation: you also need advice from DUO.

Giving up your other nationality

If you naturalise at 18 or older, the IND says you usually have to give up your other nationality. With permanent residence you keep it. The IND lists exceptions. You do not have to give up your nationality if, for example:

• You are married to a Dutch citizen, or their registered partner, on the day the Royal Decree is signed.
• You have an asylum residence permit.
• You were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and you live here now.
• The law of your country does not allow you to give up your nationality.
• You can also ask to keep your nationality if giving it up has serious consequences. For example, a very high cost, or losing the right to inherit.
• After the ceremony, the IND sends you a letter. From then you have 3 months to send proof that you asked to give up your nationality. If you do not, you can lose your Dutch nationality.

• IND: renouncing your nationality (exceptions and country list) ↗

The naturalisation ceremony

A positive decision from the IND does not make you Dutch yet. The King first signs a Royal Decree. Then your municipality invites you to the naturalisation ceremony.

You must go to the ceremony within 1 year after the positive decision. There you make the declaration of solidarity: you declare that you know the laws of the Kingdom of the Netherlands also apply to you. You get the naturalisation decision, and then you can apply for a Dutch passport or ID card. If you do not go, you do not become Dutch, and you have to apply again.

Costs: check the IND fee page

On the IND's fee page (checked 14 November 2026), a permanent residence permit costs 254 euro. Naturalisation costs 1,139 euro for 1 person, or 1,454 euro together with a partner. A child under 18 who becomes Dutch together with a parent costs 168 euro. The IND says its fees change every year on 1 January, so check the fee page before you apply.

The IND also has a faster and cheaper way to become Dutch for some people, called option. With option you usually keep your nationality and you do not need the integration exam. Check on ind.nl if you can use it.

• IND: fees, the costs of an application ↗
• IND: becoming a Dutch national through option ↗

Who decides

The IND decides both, case by case. It looks at your own documents and situation. Kora cannot tell you which one you can get.

DUO runs the inburgering exams and gives you the diploma. Your municipality takes your naturalisation application, organises the ceremony and gives you your Dutch passport.

What you can do now

If you do not have your inburgering diploma yet, that is often the first step for both. Check Mijn Inburgering to see which exams you already passed.

Kora lets you practice every A2 exam part in the exam format, with explanations in your own language. It shows what you practiced and what you got right. It cannot tell you if you will pass. Kora is independent and not part of DUO or the IND.

• Do expats have to do inburgering? →
• How to book your inburgering exam →