Applying for a Dutch passport or ID card from Portugal

Is your passport or ID card about to expire while you live in Portugal? Good news: you don't have to travel back to the Netherlands. You can simply apply for a new document here. It does take a little more than a trip to your old town hall — here's exactly how it works.

In short

• First create a personal checklist on Nederland Wereldwijd (the Dutch government's abroad service). It tells you exactly which documents you need. Applying for several family members? Make a separate checklist per person.
• Prove that you live in Portugal legally, for example with your CRUE (Certificado de Registo de Cidadão da União Europeia).
• A separate appointment per application. Want both a passport and an ID card? That's two appointments.
• You always appear in person — the application is personal. Appointments go through the Dutch embassy in Lisbon.
• You can also apply in the Netherlands at a border municipality, should you be heading there anyway.

Step by step

1. Create your personal checklist

Start on the Nederland Wereldwijd website. The checklist tool asks about your situation and shows which documents you need — this differs per person and situation. Applying for your partner or children too? Make a separate checklist for each person so you don't miss anything.

2. Prove you live in Portugal legally

When applying abroad you must show that you reside there lawfully. For Dutch nationals in Portugal that's usually the CRUE — the EU-citizen registration certificate you obtain from the câmara municipal. Have it ready.

3. Book an appointment — one per document

You submit the application by appointment at the Dutch embassy in Lisbon. Important: you book a separate appointment for each application. A passport and an ID card are therefore two separate appointments, even if you want to arrange them on the same day.

4. Appear in person

A passport or ID-card application is personal: you must always appear yourself. Bring everyone you're applying for, including children.

5. Prefer the Netherlands? That works too

Heading to the Netherlands soon anyway? You can also apply for your passport or ID card at a border municipality — a number of Dutch municipalities that handle applications from Dutch nationals living abroad.

Mind the passport photo requirements

A Dutch passport photo must meet strict requirements: size, background, posture, lighting and more. A Portuguese photographer won't automatically know them. So bring the official photo matrix from the RvIG (Netherlands' identity agency), or have your photo checked against it. 👉 View the RvIG photo matrix (PDF)

Passport lost or stolen?

Lost your passport or had it stolen — say, right before a trip? You can request an emergency document at the embassy: a temporary travel document so you can still travel. Always report it to the police first.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take and what does it cost? Processing times and fees change and vary per situation. Always check the official Nederland Wereldwijd page for the current details (see below).

Can I arrange it for my whole family at once? You book a separate appointment per person and per document, but you can often schedule them on the same day.

Do I really have to go to Lisbon? The application is personal and goes through the embassy in Lisbon. If you're travelling to the Netherlands anyway, a border municipality is an alternative.

Official source

You'll find all the steps, the checklist tool and how to book an appointment on the official Dutch government website: 👉 Nederland Wereldwijd — Applying for a passport in Portugal

Did you arrange this recently? How long did it take and how did the appointment go? Others' experiences help enormously — feel free to share them with your fellow emigrants.

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Want to know not just what to arrange, but exactly how? In our Portugal guides we work out every official step in detail — with the right order, the pitfalls and lifetime updates.