Naturalisation continues to fall

Nearly 42 thousand foreigners were granted the Dutch nationality by means of naturalisation in 2002. This is nearly one thousand fewer than in 2001. In 1996 nearly 80 thousand people received the Dutch nationality.

Naturalisation by nationality

The number of naturalised Turks in particular has dropped sharply in recent years. In 1996 nearly 30 thousand Turks received the Dutch nationality. In 2002 this was fewer than 5 thousand.

Many Moroccans

The number of naturalised Moroccans has fluctuated between 11 and 12 thousand in recent years: one quarter of all naturalised persons in 2002 were Moroccan.

In 2002 naturalised persons also included 2.4 thousand Iraqis, nearly 2 thousand people from Suriname and some one thousand from former Yugoslavia. These numbers are all smaller than in 1999, when 3.8 thousand Iraqis, more than 3 thousand Surinamese people and nearly 8 thousand people from former Yugoslavia received the Dutch nationality.

One nationality

In the second half of the eighties a maximum 15 thousand people a year were naturalised. After 1990 the number of people receiving the Dutch nationality started to increase quickly.

Dutch nationality through naturalisation

Between 1 January 1992 and 1 October 1997 foreigners who received the Dutch nationality papers were also allowed to keep their original nationality. On 1 October 1997, the Dutch government returned to the principle of one nationality. Partly because of this change, the highest number of people who were naturalised was in 1992, when nearly 80 thousand people received the Dutch nationality.

Ron Tas

Source: Statline