News item | 17-12-2025 | 06:00
The cabinet wants all employees of municipalities and public bodies Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba who work with passports and identity cards to have a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG). The Council of Ministers has therefore decided to put the amendment to the Passport Decree out for consultation. The measure should help prevent fraud with travel documents and is scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2027
In the past it has been shown that criminals succeed in obtaining Dutch passports from various municipalities. Corrupt employees supplied passports to order in exchange for money. With such a passport, a criminal can, for example, cross the border and continue with criminal activities outside the reach of the police and the judiciary. This damages confidence in the Dutch travel document and creates unsafe situations.
“There is no place for fraud and corruption within the government,” says State Secretary Eddie van Marum. “Citizens must be able to trust that a passport or identity card is issued safely and carefully. By regularly screening employees who do this work, we reduce the risk of abuse and increase the safety of our employees and society.”
Duty of care for biennial VOG inspection
A Certificate of Good Conduct is an official statement that a citizen can request. It shows that the applicant has not committed any criminal offenses that pose a risk to the position. The Certificate of Good Conduct obligation will apply to employees with permanent or temporary employment, including hired staff, who are involved in the application and issuance of travel documents. Municipalities and public bodies will have a duty of care to have every employee screened at the start of employment and then again every two years. The biennial repetition also reveals any problems during the employment relationship.
No extra costs for citizens and municipalities
The annual costs for the VOG obligation are compensated through the fee system: the government part of the fees is reduced, so that applicants for a travel document, municipalities and public bodies no longer pay.
Consultation
The proposed change will go out for consultation on Tuesday, December 16, until February. Anyone can then respond to the proposal. The proposal will then be put into further procedure. The change is expected to take effect on January 1, 2027. Municipalities and public bodies then have 1 year to comply with the new obligation.