EU Passport
 

Hello folks,

I have a question about working in the EU. My mother is originally from Holland and she is in the process of re-obtaining her Dutch citizenship. A lot of her family are still in Holland, and my mom has been told that she will qualify to get her passport back.

I am hoping that I will somehow be able to obtain my EU Passport through my mom. At the moment, only my sister qualifies (it has to do with her date of birth). If I can somehow get my EU Passport, will this give me the right to apply for jobs and even work in the EU?

Right now, I have a Canadian CPL/MIFR with +600 hours. I would like to consider working abroad. I speak fluent English/French, but no Dutch unfortunately. I have a University degree too.

If anyone has any advice/comments about this situation, I would love to hear them. I know that my time is very low and that since I do not have JAA licenses I may be out of luck. But this is something that I can come back to in the future, once I am more competitive (and once I am in a better financial position to go through the license conversion :D ).

Thanks a lot!

Macgyver,

Yes, Sir, with a Dutch passport (just like mine!) you will be able to live and work almost anywhere in Europe (in parts of it which are most interesting, anyway) with a few restrictions here ahd there, but nothing major.

If you are serious about flying there though, start cracking on the ATPL Theory asap - 14(!) written exams, NOT easy. There are plenty of Distance Learning Courses out there, and one of them, Naples Air Center (NAC) in Florida, will even allow you to take the exams in the US (it was a major convinience in my case, as I work here). Maybe you guys have some schools in Canada which will allow you to sit the exams there - check them out.

Best of luck to you.
Spektor.

P.S. Can you build a jet engine using just paper and duct tape? I just had to ask...;)

If the Dutch laws are anything like the British laws, as far as I am aware, if your mother gets her Dutch passport back, you should qualify too, and it would give you full rights to work and/or reside anywhere in the EU with almost no restrictions (any that I can think of). Not speaking Dutch is irrelevant. I have found tham an extremely patient people. They do not expect anybody from abroad to speak Dutch at all. They are so well educated and worldly that almost everybody appears to speak English (as well as a basketful of other languages)! It must have been bred out of you- like my Old English Sheepdog who had no idea what sheep were and whether they were to be afraid of!

Thanks guys. The guy from the Dutch Embassy told me that he doesn't think I will be able to qualify because of the year in which I was born. My mom is trying to find some "loopholes" whereby I may be able to get it through my sister (who can qualify) or if necessary, my father (who would have to get sponsored from my mom). It's definetly a long and arduous process, but who knows, it may be worth it down the road!

And Spektor- us canucks sure know how to build our airplanes, even if we do use duct tape and paper ;) CRJs, Global Expresses, and the infamous Avro Arrow! Lots of paper went into that one :p

Macgyver,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the airplanes you build in Canada - great machines. The reason I made that wise crack is because of your screen name - you know, Macgyver, Phoenix Foundation - it sounds like the famous Dean Anderson character from the TV series.

Spektor.

I knew it was a joke all along, and I in no way took it as an insult :) And yes, my name is in dedication to the best tv show of all time. In fact, I completely forgot about the episode where Macgyver used duct tape, bamboo sticks, and a fan to build an ultra-light aircraft to save his friend from south american terrorists! :)