A Dutch passport () is an identity document issued to citizens of the

Kingdom of the Netherlands The Kingdom of the Netherlands (, ;, , ), commonly known simply as the Netherlands, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories united under the monarch of the Netherlands, who functions as head of state. The re ...

for the purpose of international travel. As the Netherlands only distinguish one category of citizen (Nederlandse (Dutch), NLD), for all

countries A country is a distinct part of the Earth, world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, List of states with limited r ...

in the Kingdom, passports are the same for all four countries. The passport also serves as a means of identification as required by the Dutch law since 1 January 2005 for all persons over the age of fourteen. Dutch passports are valid for a period of ten years from issuing date. The passport complies with the rules
EU Council Regulation 2252/04
for

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

passports. Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties
Reisdocumenten
Retrieved 14 August 2007 Since 26 August 2006 all passports are issued as a

biometric passport A biometric passport (also known as an electronic passport, e-passport or a digital passport) is a passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip, which contains biometrics, biometric information that can be used to authenticate ...

with an embedded

contactless smartcard A contactless smart card is a contactless credential whose dimensions are credit card size. Its embedded integrated circuits can store (and sometimes process) data and communicate with a terminal via NFC. Commonplace uses include transit ticket ...

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, a radio receiver, and a transmitter. When tri ...

chip for storing biometric data.Paspoortinformatie Nederlan
Travel documents
Retrieved 19 August 2007 Every Dutch citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The nationality allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the

European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...

, and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

History

The first passport regulations in the Netherlands were enacted in 1813, shortly after the country regained its independence from the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

in the Battle of Arnhem (1813). Around 1950, a new Dutch passport booklet was introduced. This passport, nicknamed the "black rag" (''zwarte vod'') from the colour of its cover, became increasingly prone to misuse after the 1970s due to its lack of security features. In 1983, the Dutch government decided to develop a new, EU-format machine readable passport, and entered negotiations with the Sdu publishing house and other interested parties. On 6 June 1986, the KEP BV (a partnership between

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

, Elba (a Schiedam-based printing company) and

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...

) was awarded the contract to develop the new passport type, reportedly because the then-state-owned Sdu publishing house was undergoing privatisation. The development of the new passport type was marred with controversy from the beginning, and was the subject of a . KEP BV was declared insolvent on 27 December 1988 as a result of said controversy, and a new design by the Sdu publishing house was chosen instead. A new biometric Dutch passport design, designed and manufactured by IDEMIA, is expected to be issued from end-2024.

Design

In line with other EU passports, Dutch passports are burgundy in colour, with the Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands emblazoned on the front cover. The words "EUROPESE UNIE" (''European Union'') and "KONINKRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN" (''Kingdom of the Netherlands'') are inscribed above the coat of arms as well as "PASPOORT" (''passport''), consistent with the design standards as set forth by the European Union. The Model 2011 biometric passport also features the

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

biometric passport symbol at the bottom of the cover. The regular passport contains 34 pages, 28 of which may be used for visas. Each chip contains a digital record of the person's fingerprints.

Identity Information Page

Dutch passport specimen issued 9 March 2014

The Dutch passport includes the following data on the identity information page: * (1) Personal Identification Number (on the back on the identity information page) * Photo of passport Holder * Type (P) * Code (NLD) * (2) Nationality (Nederlandse) * Document no. * (3) Surname * (4) Given names * (5) Date of birth * (6) Place of birth * (7) Sex * (8) Height * (9) Date of issue * (10) Date of expiry * (11) Signature (of holder) * (12) Issuing Authority (If issued in The Netherlands, the Mayor of the municipality of residence. If issued by a diplomatic post, the Minister of Foreign Affairs The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone starting with P

Languages

For each item in the passport captions are provided in

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, English and French. These captions are numbered and translations into the twenty-three official

languages of the European Union The European Union (EU) has 24 official languages, of which three English, French and Germanwere considered "procedural" languages, but this notion was abandoned by the European Commission (whereas the European Parliament accepts all offic ...

are given on the last two pages of the passport.

Passport note

The Dutch passport contains on its inside cover in Dutch, English and French the words: ''In naam van Zijne Majesteit de Koning der Nederlanden, Prins van Oranje-Nassau, enz. enz. enz., verzoekt de Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken alle overheden van bevriende staten aan de houder van dit paspoort vrije en ongehinderde doorgang te verlenen alsmede alle hulp en bijstand te verschaffen'' ::''In the name of His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau, etc. etc. etc., the Minister of Foreign Affairs requests all authorities of friendly powers to allow the bearer of the present passport to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer every assistance and protection which may be necessary.'' The term etc. etc. etc. reflects the large number of other titles the King holds and which are not normally mentioned.

Validity

The regular and business passports are valid for a ten-year period from date of issue (five years for minors). A second passport is valid for a period of two years from date of issue. Emergency passports are valid for the duration of the journey, but no longer than a period of one year from date of issue. Foreigners passports are valid for the same period as the corresponding residence permit is valid.

Types of passports

* Regular passport () issued for holiday and business travels and for identification required by Dutch law. The passport contains 34 pages and is valid for a period of ten years from issuing date.Paspoortinformatie Nederlan
Validity of a travel document
Retrieved 14 August 20010 * Second passport () issued for business purposes only to those citizens travelling frequently and experiencing problems when entering countries because of visa (stamps) present in the regular passport or because the regular passport is in process for obtaining other visa by a foreign embassy. The passport is valid for a period of two years from date of issue. * Business passport () issued with additional pages that may be used for visa. The business passport contains 66 pages and is valid for a period of ten years from issuing date. * Diplomatic passport () issued to people representing the Dutch government on official business and offering

diplomatic immunity Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

as defined by the

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. Its aim is to facilitate "the development of friendly relations" among government ...

. The passport contains 66 pages. * Service passport () issued to people representing the Dutch government on official business, but without offering

. The passport contains 66 pages. * Emergency passport (pink cover) () issued either by the

Royal Marechaussee The Royal Marechaussee (, abbreviated to KMar) also translated as the Royal Military Constabulary, is the national gendarmerie force of the Netherlands, performing military and civilian police duties. It is also one of the two national police ...

or a Dutch representative abroad to Dutch citizens who are unable to obtain a proper passport in time for travel, strict rules apply. *

Alien's passport A certificate of identity, sometimes called an alien's passport, is a travel document issued by a country to non-citizens (also called aliens) residing within their borders who are stateless persons or otherwise unable to obtain a passport f ...

(green cover) () issued for travelling purposes to non-Dutch residents of the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

who are unable to obtain a passport from their own government. * Laissez-Passer (blue cover) emergency travel document with 8 pages containing handwritten information.

Visa free travel

Visa requirements for Dutch citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the

. As of 21 September 2022, Dutch citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 188 countries and territories, ranking the Dutch passport 5th in the world (tied with the passports of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

) according to the

Henley Passport Index The Henley Passport Index is a global ranking of countries according to the travel freedom allowed by those countries' ordinary passports for their citizens. It was launched in 2005 as Henley & Partners Visa Restrictions Index and was updated ...

. Although a passport is often used for travel, it is the nationality rather than the passport that visa-free travel is based on.

Gallery of historic images

File:Boris Skossyreff Dutch Passport.png, Dutch passport issued to

Boris Skossyreff Boris Mikhailovich Skossyreff (12 June 1896 – 27 February 1989) was a Belarusian adventurer, international swindler and pretender who attempted to seize the monarchy of the Principality of Andorra during the early 1930s, styling himself King ...

in 1923 File:Bladzijde uit Nederlands Paspoort, Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, Bestanddeelnr 919-9567.jpg, Inner cover page of a ''"zwarte vod"'' Dutch passport, issued in 1967 File:Paspoort NL.jpg, Dutch machine-readable passport cover as issued 2003–06 File:Nederlanden paspoort.jpg, Dutch passport cover as issued 2006 biometric

References

Official copyright-free images of 2014 model Dutch travel documents
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutch Passport Netherlands, the European Union passports