Family migrants and partners

Did you come to the Netherlands to live with your partner? If so, we refer to you as a family migrant. The same integration rules apply to religious ministers who are required to complete the integration program as they do to family migrants.

Residence Permit Effective January 1, 2022

If you come to the Netherlands as a family migrant, you have already taken the A1-level exam in your country of origin. The municipality will then offer you a program to help you integrate into Dutch society. Werkplein Hart van West-Brabant carries this out on our behalf. A coordinator from Werkplein will contact you. You can read more about this on the Werkplein Hart van West-Brabant website.

You are responsible for paying the costs of your integration program.

Residence Permit Between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2022

Did you receive your residence permit between January 1, 2013, and January 1, 2022? And are you required to complete the integration program? If so, you will receive a letter from the Education Executive Agency (DUO). This letter will state how much time you have to pass the integration exam: 3 years from the date you received your residence permit. This is your “integration period.”

• You are personally responsible for your integration.
• You must find an integration course on your own.
• You must pass the integration exam within the 3-year integration period. If you do not cooperate, you may be fined by DUO. Failure to cooperate may affect your residence permit.

You can find more information onthe Inburgeren website.

You are responsible for paying the costs of your integration program.

Turkish family immigrants

The integration rules for Turkish family migrants have changed as of January 1, 2022. If you arrived in the Netherlands on or after January 1, 2022, you are required to complete the integration program.

You arrived in the Netherlands on or after January 1, 2022

You must first take a basic Dutch language exam in Turkey. Once you are in the Netherlands, you must complete the integration program within three years. Integration means that you will learn the Dutch language. You will learn about working in the Netherlands and how we interact with one another here.

You are responsible for your own integration, but the municipality will assist you in this process. After arriving in the municipality of Moerdijk, you will receive a letter inviting you to an initial meeting. The Werkplein Hart van West-Brabant handles this on our behalf. A coordinator from the Werkplein will contact you. You can read more about this onthe Werkplein Hart van West-Brabant website.

You arrived in the Netherlands before January 1, 2022

If you came to the Netherlands as a Turkish family migrant before January 1, 2022, you are not required to complete the integration program.

Change Name Usage

Are you married, in a registered partnership, or divorced? You can let us know which last name you would like government agencies to use when corresponding with you.

You can choose from:

Your own last name.

• Your partner's last name.
• Your own last name, followed by your partner's last name.
• Your partner's last name, followed by your own last name.

To change your name online, you'll need a DigiD.

Requests

In writing

You can also download the “Change of Name” application form, print it out, fill it in, and send it to the municipality. You must also include a copy of your identification. Please send it to the following address:

Municipality of Moerdijk
P.O. Box 4
4760 AA Zevenbergen

You can also mail your request to the mailbox at City Hall, located at the entrance on Pastoor van Kessellaan 15, or drop it off at the service counters.

At the counter in City Hall

You can also apply in person at the counter in City Hall. You can make an appointment for this. You must bring a valid original form of identification with you.

Terms and Conditions

If you are (or have been) married or are (or have been) in a registered partnership, you may use your spouse’s or partner’s last name. Your last name will not change.

By specifying your preferred name, you indicate which name “the government” should use when corresponding with you. The municipality will forward your preferred name to other government agencies, such as the Tax and Customs Administration, the Social Insurance Bank, and so on.

Official documents such as passports, Dutch ID cards, or driver's licenses will always retain the person's birth surname.

The municipality will determine whether you are entitled to use the other name. Once the municipality has processed your request in the Basic Registration of Persons (BRP), you will receive written confirmation.

Costs

There are no costs associated with this product or service.

Getting Married Abroad

You would like to get married abroad. In some countries, you will need a certificate of eligibility to marry or a certificate of single status. First, contact the foreign authority where you plan to get married. Then, make an appointment with your local municipality.

Bring along

You and your partner should bring the following:

• A valid, original form of identification;
• A copy of your birth certificate. You can request this from the municipality where you were born;
• Extract from the Basic Register of Persons. This document must list your nationality, marital status, and any previous marriages or civil partnerships. You can request this extract from the municipality where you live;
• If you have been married before: a divorce decree, death certificate, or certificate of dissolution of a registered partnership;
• If applicable: Do you live abroad? If so, you will also need proof that you live there, as well as proof of your nationality and marital status, issued by the authorities of that country.

If the requested extracts or documents are available at the Moerdijk municipal office, you do not need to bring them with you.

Translation

Are the documents listed above not written in Dutch, English, French, or German? If so, a certified translator in the Netherlands must first translate the documents into Dutch before you can use them.

Legalization

Sometimes, the documents must be legalized. This depends on the country of origin of the documents. Please check with your local municipality.

You can find more information about the legalization of documents on the Dutch government's website.

Terms and Conditions

If you wish to get married abroad, you must meet the requirements set by the foreign authorities. These requirements may differ from those in the Netherlands. You can obtain information about the documents you need from:

• The Dutch embassy in the country where you plan to get married;
• The foreign authority that will perform your marriage ceremony.

Authority to Perform Marriages

If you plan to get married abroad, you may be asked to provide a certificate of no impediment to marriage. This certificate is an international document stating that you are not married and that you and your partner are permitted to marry under Dutch law.

When someone in the Netherlands applies for a certificate of no impediment to marriage, they must meet at least two conditions:

• The person in question must be a Dutch citizen;
• The person in question must be registered in a municipality in the Netherlands or reside abroad and have last resided in the Netherlands.

Sometimes a statement confirming that, according to the records in the civil registry, a person is unmarried is sufficient. Check with the foreign authorities to find out exactly which documents you need to submit.

Issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility to Marry

This statement is issued:

• To the person residing in the Netherlands, by the registrar of his or her place of residence;
• To the person who is not currently residing in the Netherlands but has resided there in the past, by the civil registrar of the last place of residence in the Netherlands;
• To a person who does not reside in the Netherlands and has never resided there, by the head of the Dutch diplomatic or consular mission in the country where the marriage is to be solemnized.

Costs

• A certificate of eligibility to marry : €31.10

Change Name

Change First Name

• You must file a petition to change your first name with the court;
• You need a lawyer to file the application.

Change Last Name

• You can submit a request to change your last name to Justis at the Ministry of Security and Justice;
• You can have your own last name changed, or that of your children;
• You must be a Dutch citizen.

Requests

Change First Name

Consult a lawyer for more information about filing a petition with the court to change your first name. You can ask a lawyer to explain the procedure for changing your first name or visit the Dutch government’s website.

Change Last Name

You can find information about the application process on the Justis website.

Costs

Change First Name

There is no fee for processing the change to your first name on your birth certificate and in the municipal registry.

To file a petition with the court to change your first name, you must pay your lawyer’s fees and the court’s fees (court filing fees). Your lawyer can tell you how much these fees will be.

Change Last Name

Justis charges a fee for the application.

Divorce or Termination of a Registered Partnership

A marriage or registered partnership can be dissolved through divorce or termination of the partnership registration. Your attorney or notary will ensure that the documents are sent to the municipality for registration in the civil registry.

Certified copy of the civil registry

Your attorney or notary will notify you as soon as your divorce or termination of registered partnership has been processed by the civil registry. You may then request a copy of your marriage or civil partnership certificate, subject to a fee. This document will include the subsequent notation of the divorce or dissolution of the civil partnership. You can request this document online via the “Civil Registry Extract” page.

Change Name Usage

You can change your name at any time through your local municipality. Residents of the municipality of Moerdijk can do so via the “Change Name” page.

Divorce or Dissolution of a Domestic Partnership Abroad

If you wish to submit a foreign document for registration in the Basic Register of Persons (BRP), you can schedule an appointment via the “Submit/Pick Up Foreign Documents” page.

More information

The Dutch government’s website provides information about the procedures for divorce and the dissolution of a civil partnership. Do you have any questions? If so, please contact the Civil Affairs Department at 14 0168.