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18 or over in France with a Dutch passport or ID card that expired more than 2 years ago

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If you only have Dutch nationality, are 18 or over and your Dutch identity document (passport or ID card) expired more than 2 years ago, you will have to submit proof that you do not have French nationality together with your passport or ID card application to the Dutch embassy in Paris.

Attention: If you have a Dutch passport and a Dutch ID card, you will only have to submit proof that you do not have French nationality if you are 18 or over and both identity documents expired more than 2 years ago.

Answer the following questions to get a better idea of your position regarding French nationality:

  1. Were you born in France?
  2. Did you live in France for five or more consecutive years before you turned 18?
  3. Are you married to a French national?
  4. Do you have a valid residence permit?
  5. Do you have a French voter’s pass for the municipality in which your Dutch nationality is registered?

If the answer to all the questions is ‘no’

If you answered all the above questions with ‘no’, you are advised to apply to the Service Central d'État Civil in Nantes for an official copy of your birth certificate. The statement that you do not appear in the register is proof that you have not acquired French nationality. Submit this proof with your passport or ID card application.

There are two ways to submit your application:

  1. online via Service-Public.fr (information in French); select apply for acte d'état civil
  2. by sending a letter to:

    Service Central d’État Civil
    11 rue de la Maison Blanche
    44941 Nantes Cedex 9

    Tel: +33 1 41 86 42 47
    Website:     www.diplomatie.gouv.fr (information in French)

If the answer to one or more questions is ‘yes’

If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of the first three questions, you may have acquired French nationality without losing your Dutch nationality.

For more information on acquiring a second nationality and the possible implications for your Dutch nationality, please see When do I lose my Dutch nationality?

If you answered yes to one or more of the questions, you will need to take the following document(s) with you:

  • Question 1: A recent complete official copy of your French birth certificate.
  • Question 2: Documents proving that you lived in France for at least five consecutive years before you turned 18. For example, copies of diplomas (Brevet, Bac), registration for school/college.
  • Question 3: Recent complete official copies of your marriage certificate and your French partner’s birth certificate.
  • Questions 4 and 5: Take both the original documents and copies of the documents with you.