When can you apply for citizenship after getting green card

There are several ways of acquiring Dutch citizenship. You automatically become a Dutch citizen if one of your parents holds Dutch citizenship when you are born. Or if paternity is acknowledged by a Dutch citizen. Or through either the option procedure or naturalisation. Foreign citizens can apply for Dutch citizenship if they have lived in the Netherlands legally for at least 5 years.

1. Applying for Dutch citizenship by naturalisation

How to become a Dutch citizen

There are 3 ways to become a Dutch citizen:

• Automatically at birth (if one or both of your parents holds Dutch citizenship when you are born), through adoption or through acknowledgement of parentage.
• Through a short, easy procedure that takes 3 months. However, this option is available only to people who belong to a special group defined by law. This is called the option procedure.
• If you are not eligible for the option procedure, you can apply for naturalisation. This procedure usually takes less than one year, and never more than 2 years.

For more information on how to become a Dutch citizen, contact the municipality where you live. That is also where you have to submit your application. The Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst – IND (Immigration and Naturalisation Service) provides more information about becoming a Dutch citizen through either the option procedure or naturalisation and about the costs of becoming a Dutch citizen.

Rights of Dutch citizens

In the Netherlands all basic rights are laid down in the Constitution. Being a Dutch citizen means you can enter the Netherlands freely. Other rights that only apply to Dutch citizens are the right to vote and stand for election in parliamentary elections and the right to join the armed forces. People who hold Dutch citizenship can also apply for a Dutch passport and travel freely within the European Union (EU). Go to ‘What will change if I acquire Dutch citizenship?’ to find out more.

Giving up citizenship of other countries

In principle, you will have to give up any other citizenship you hold of any other country. There are some exceptions to this rule.

Acquiring or regaining citizenship of the Netherlands in another country

Former citizens of the Netherlands and some non-Dutch citizens who live in other countries can apply to regain or acquire Dutch citizenship. The IND brochure How can you regain your Dutch citizenship? (pdf, 261 kB) explains what former citizens of the Netherlands have to do to acquire Dutch citizenship again.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a section of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for the qualifications and determination of eligibility to become a naturalized as a U.S. citizen. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is the federal law that defines U.S. immigration policy and citizenship and naturalization eligibility. If you are a U.S. legal permanent resident (LPR) – you have a green card –  and you want to become a citizen, you cannot apply for U.S. citizenship to become naturalized until you have lived in the United States for at least five years as a legal permanent resident.

If you are married to a U.S. citizen that statutory as a legal permanent resident may be reduced to three years. In order for this exception to apply, you must be a legal permanent resident that was married to a U.S. citizen during that three-year period.

If you are a conditional resident, not a permanent resident, due to a recent marriage to a U.S. citizen or through a business investor visa, your two years as a conditional resident count towards your total time as a permanent residence. Generally, you must remove your conditions prior to USCIS granting your naturalization application.

Qualifications to Become a U.S. Citizen

In addition to being a legal permanent resident for 5 years, to become a naturalized American citizen you must meet the following requirements.

Residency Requirements

• • You must have lived in the state or USCIS district where you will be applying for citizenship for at least 3 months.
• • You must prove continuous residence in the U.S. for the previous 5 years.
• • You must have been physically present in the U.S. for at least 30 months out of those five years.

Eligibility Qualifications

• • Applicants must be able to speak, read, and write the English language at a basic level, and
• • Applicants must be able to demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and government by taking a naturalization test.
• • Applicants must be of good moral character and support the beliefs and values expressed in the U.S. Constitution.

There are other exceptions to the residency requirements and other citizenship qualifications; an experienced immigration and naturalization lawyer can assess your case and provide personal advice or assistance with the application process.

The attorneys at Godoy Law Office work with you to evaluate your immigration status and guide you in your journey to becoming a US citizen. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office online.

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