Dutch Passport

I have successfully received my Dutch passport. I am officially recognized as a dual citizen. I’ll describe my situation so my cousins who are interested in getting their passport can do the same. First off, your father should have been born in Holland but left before the age of …I’m not sure. At least 13 I think. Second, you must apply for the passport before you turn 28 (ten years plus the age of majority). You will also need a bunch of documents that take weeks to process. It took me about 4 months to finish everything. Here are the documents you need:

1) Your father’s Dutch passport or the passport which his name was mentioned in when he came to Canada. That passport exists and has all the kids names in it.

2) If you can’t find the passport, you need proof he was a Dutch citizen before he left Holland through:

Bureau Vestigings Register BVR

Spui 70, 2511 BGT Den Haag or Postal address:

Posbus 12620

2500 DL Den Haag

The Netherlands

Tel: 011-31-70-353-3171

Fax: 011-31-70-353-2850

3) You need your father's long form citizenship certificate. This was awkward for me because Canada no longer issues the long form, only the short form (which dad had). The long form citizenship form can be requested by the consulate directly to whatever Canadian department handles it. I brought both the short form citizenship form and the long form (we still had it but it had been invalidated) and that was accepted.

4) You father's large size birth certificate. This I got with much assistance from Fokke Ypma (thanks again!!) You have to contact where you father was born to get this birth certificate. Hmmm, I can’t remember the details of how all this worked out. Perhaps Fokke has some insight.

5) Your parent’s long form marriage license available at your provincial Bureau of Vital Statistics. This document must be legalized by mail or in person at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa. (see address below).

6) Your large size birth certificate. Also available at the provincial Bureau of Vital Statistics and this must also be legalized at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa.(they do have a website)

7) Two full face pictures (different size than Canadian passport photos). If they need to be signed I don’t know. I had my supervisor (Prof.) sign them just in case.

8) Your Canadian passport or driver’s license.

9) $77.20 cash in the exact amount.

Legalizing Canadian documents: The original certificates must be legalized by

Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

125 Sussex Drive

Ottawa ON,

K1A 0G2

So I gathered all the documents, went to the consulate in Vancouver and they helped me fill out the passport application, took my money and in 4 weeks I went back to pick it up. So I am officially a dual citizen, I have a European Union passport which makes working in the EU much easier.

Texas

Bert and I are now in Falcon State Park in Texas (along the Rio Grande River), where we have stayed in previous years. The weather has been just great with temperatures an average of 27 degrees. Not too tough to take huh?