Last Wednesday I attended my Dutch naturalisation ceremony where the mayor bestowed Dutch nationality upon me. First, it was an amazing experience. Secondly, it’s why this blog name changed from Expat Life with a Double Buggy. There is no longer a double buggy involved in my  life, and I have been uncomfortable with the work expat for a while now. So the blog name is now Turning Dutch.
First things first, a couple of photos from the naturalisation ceremony that took place. I was incredibly stressed about the ceremony but I am happy to report that it was actually a fantastic experience – even fun! I was particularly worried about the oath that we had to read out.
Verklaring voor gelovigen
“Ik zweer dat ik de grondwettelijke orde van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden, haar vrijheden en rechten respecteer. En zweer de plichten die het staatsburgerschap met zich meebrengt getrouw te vervullen”. Gevolgd door: “Zo waarlijk helpe mij God almachtig”.
But it was a group activity, and het viel mee! In the end, it was an honour to be there.
So, I am now Dutch (at least on paper). I am lucky enough to have dual citizenship, because I could use the optie procedure. Which also means I could hold two passports.
Over to You
If you have been through this process, what did you make of your Dutch naturalisation ceremony? Did you enjoy it or see it as something you had to do?
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