5.1    Family members forming part of the household

The following persons qualify as members of a staff member’s family and as part of the staff member’s household: 
•    the spouse (one only) or registered partner (one only) who is living continuously with the staff member of the mission; an unmarried partner can be registered on the condition that proof is given of the existence of a registered partnership or of an official cohabitation agreement made by a notarial deed from the country of origin in or the Netherlands; 
•    the children of staff members of diplomatic missions, consular posts or international organisations based in the Netherlands and forming part of the household upon arrival can be registered and issued an identity card up to and including the age of 24, provided that they:
1.    are unmarried,
2.    are financially dependent on their parent(s),
3.    are not in possession of a permanent Dutch residence permit,
4.    are not Dutch nationals,
5.    and live continuously in the Netherlands with their parents during the posting of their parents.

Children aged from 25 up to and including 27 years can only be registered and issued an identity card (renewable yearly) if the Ministry receives proof of admission to an educational institution through Studielink/Mijn DUO, and provided that they fulfil the above conditions.
•    Please note: children studying abroad will not be recognised as forming part of the household (see Note Verbale BZ2401779 dated 16 July 2024).

Children are considered to be ‘financially dependent’ if they do not engage in gainful employment. 

Gainful employment for children is allowed on condition that this is explicitly formalised in an agreement, treaty or memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the sending state and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. In the case of gainful employment the family member concerned should have health insurance. A child that engages in full-time gainful employment cannot be considered to be financially dependent.

5.2     Parents

In exceptional cases, privileged staff members of diplomatic missions may request the Ministry to register their parents or parents-in-law as family members forming part of their household. The Ministry will only permit the registration of parents or parents-in-law of privileged staff members of diplomatic missions who wish to live with the staff member in the Netherlands if the requirements set out below are met. The Ministry’s Protocol and Host Country Affairs Department must receive a detailed statement of the reasons justifying the registration, in a Note Verbale from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the sending state, including all of the following information:
•    formal proof (a diplomatic registration from the previous posting abroad or an extract from the population register in the sending state) that a parent or parent-in-law was physically and principally living with the staff member as a dependant for a period of at least one year prior to arrival in the Netherlands;
•    a statement of recognition as a dependent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the sending state; 
•    a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the sending state that the parent or parent-in-law will not seek remunerated employment in the Netherlands during the accreditation period.

A parent or parent-in-law can only be registered if the Ministry has given explicit approval prior to arrival. Applications made after a parent or parent-in-law’s arrival in the Netherlands will not be considered. The parent or parent-in-law, once registered, will not enjoy the privileges and immunities normally granted to ‘members of the family forming part of the household’ under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations or the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

With respect to the above, the Ministry does not consider it to be appropriate for diplomatic missions to seek accreditation for parents and parents-in-law who are simply intent on travelling to the Netherlands for the purpose of visiting the staff member. For such cases, the Ministry would refer the diplomatic missions to the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) for the entry procedures that apply to regular travellers (see Note Verbale DPG Min-BuZa.2023.14946-27 dated 17 May 2023). 

5.3     Unmarried partners

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will issue identity cards to unmarried partners on condition that proof is given of the existence of a registered partnership or official cohabitation agreement made by notarial deed, and the registered partnership is recognised by the Netherlands. The status of a recognised partner is equivalent to that of a spouse. A copy of the notarial deed or other proof of registered partnership must be submitted with the application for an identity card. 

If the registered partnership is not recognised in the Netherlands, the partner may apply for a three-month visa that allows them to travel to the Netherlands on condition that the partner is recognised as such by the diplomatic mission or consular post and that the staff member and partner enter into a registered partnership within 90 days. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the sending state must submit a Note Verbale to the Dutch mission in the partner’s country and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands declaring that the person in question is the staff member’s current or future partner. For a specimen Note Verbale see Annexe D. 

5.4     Children studying abroad

Children of staff members of diplomatic missions or consular posts based in the Netherlands are not issued with an identity card from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs if they are not themselves permanently resident in the Netherlands. If these children are nationals of an EU member state or of a country whose citizens are exempt from the visa requirement, they are free to visit their parents in the Netherlands without a visa. 

To facilitate visits to their parents by children from countries whose citizens require a visa to enter the Netherlands, a multiple entry visa with a maximum validity of five years will be issued free of charge if the following conditions are satisfied:
•    the child is between the ages of 18 and 24 (the validity of the visa may not exceed the maximum age);
•    the child is studying in a non-Schengen country and is a national of a non-Schengen country.

The visa’s period of validity will depend on the child’s age, the remaining validity period of the child’s passport and the remaining validity period of the parent’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs identity card. 

Students must apply for a visa at a Dutch diplomatic mission or consular post in their country of origin or of habitual residence.

Summer pass
A temporary identity card (‘summer pass’) may be issued to children of staff members of diplomatic missions or consular posts based in the Netherlands when the children wish to reside in the Netherlands during their summer holidays from a school or university abroad. This summer pass is valid for a maximum of four months. The Ministry will review applications for summer passes before granting them to ensure that the application meets certain conditions.

As part of the application, the Ministry will require:
•    proof of enrolment in a school or university abroad;
•    proof of the duration of the summer holidays at the school or university abroad. 

Prior to the child’s arrival and approval of the application, the diplomatic mission or consular post must send these documents to the Ministry (DPG-Service@minbuza.nl) for review.  

Besides the required personal information, the pass will indicate the start and end dates of the student’s stay in the Netherlands. After the end date this temporary identity card is no longer valid, and the student must therefore leave the Netherlands and return the card to the Ministry. 

The possibility of obtaining this summer pass is an additional privilege, not a right. Abuse of this privilege may lead to its revocation for the entire mission or post.

5.5    Work permits for household members

Persons forming part of the household (see section 5.1) staff of diplomatic missions or consular posts may not engage in gainful employment in the Netherlands and retain their diplomatic status. There are, however, a number of exceptions to this rule:

•    Under EU legislation, if the person concerned is a national of one of the countries of the European Union or the European Economic Area (EEA) or is married to an EU national, it is possible for them to work. In such cases, they may retain their diplomatic status. The diplomatic mission or consular post should inform the Ministry of the person’s intention to work, following which the Ministry will issue a declaration of no objection (verklaring van geen bezwaar). 
•    Moreover, the Netherlands has concluded agreements or MoUs with many countries, enabling family members of staff of diplomatic missions or consular posts to engage in gainful employment (see Annexe E).

The following words may appear on the back of the identity card of the person in question:
•    arbeid is toegestaan (employment permitted)
•    arbeid is beperkt toegestaan (employment of limited scope permitted)
•    arbeid is in het kader van MoU toegestaan (employment permitted under MoU)
•    arbeid is in het kader van MoU onder strikte voorwaarden toegestaan (employment permitted under MoU subject to strict conditions)
•    arbeid is in het kader van een Verdrag toegestaan (employment permitted under Treaty).