Dutch urged to renew passports early for holiday season; Longer waiting times expected

Netherlands residents planning a holiday abroad should renew their passports well ahead of time this year. Municipalities are bracing themselves for a big wave of passport and ID card applications this year and worry that waiting times may end up longer than usual, AD reports.

In 2014, the Netherlands adjusted the validity period for ID cards and passports from five to ten years. That resulted in few renewal applications between 2019 and 2023, but many passports and ID cards expiring at the same time this year.

The Ministry of Home Affairs estimates that 1.6 to 1.7 million passports and 1.2 to 1.3 million ID cards need to be renewed this year, a spokesperson told AD. As municipalities are already struggling with staff shortages, there are some concerns that new passports won’t be ready within the five-day deadline. The Ministry monitors crowds at the municipalities “every week” and has “intensive contact” with them.

Last week, the municipality of Nijmegen warned residents to apply for passport renewals early this year. At peak times, the municipality may not be able to achieve the intended processing time of five working days, it warned. Don’t risk your holiday on that. Utrecht, Haarlem, Zandvoort, and others issued similar warnings, according to the newspaper.