Dutch passport

Dutch / Netherlands passport
The front cover of a contemporary Dutch ePassport
Issued by	Kingdom of the Netherlands
Type of document	Passport
Eligibility requirements	Citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Expiration	10 years after acquisition for adults and 5 years after acquisition for minors (since 9 March 2014)

Dutch passports are issued to citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden) for the purpose of international travel. As the Netherlands only distinguish one category of citizen (Nederlandse (Dutch), NLD), for all countries in the Kingdom, passports are the same for all four countries. The passport also serves as a means of identification as required by the Dutch law since 1 January 2005 for all persons over the age of fourteen. Dutch passports are valid for a period of ten years from issuing date. The passport complies with the rules (EU 2252/04) for European Union passports. Since 26 August 2006 all passports are issued as a biometric passport with an embedded contactless smartcard RFID chip for storing biometric data. Every Dutch citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The nationality allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, other European Economic Area states as well as Switzerland.

Dutch passports are burgundy, with the Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of the Netherlands emblazoned on the front cover. The words "EUROPESE UNIE" (European Union) and "KONINKRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN" (Kingdom of the Netherlands) are inscribed above the coat of arms as well as "PASPOORT" (passport), consistent with the design standards as set forth by the European Union. The Model 2011 biometric passport also features the ICAO biometric passport symbol at the bottom of the cover. The regular passport contains 34 pages, 28 of which may be used for visas. Each chip contains a digital record of the person's fingerprints