Dutch Citizenship - Naturalisation

Clarity on the following would be much appreciated!

I am an American who has been living with my Dutch partner since 2009, first in Ireland and now in the UK. We have been resident in UK for 3 years now under EU law. We recently got married in Amsterdam (Aug 2013).

In regards to the following:
"You are married to a Dutch citizen. If you are married and you have been living together for an uninterrupted period of 3 years you can then apply for naturalisation (this is also possible when living abroad). The 3-year term also applies when you are an unmarried partner of a Dutch citizen and you have lived together for at least 3 years continuously."

Whilst we have been looking at moving to the Netherlands, current work and study commitments are keeping us in London. Am I right in assuming, that after 3 years of marriage, even if we haven't resided within the Netherlands, that I am eligible to apply for Naturalisation? Does it have to be 3 years of marriage, or does the time as unmarried partners living together count as well? Or does the unmarried partner rule only apply within the Netherlands? If the unmarried time does count, would the 6 month contract work my partner did in Belgium, whilst maintaining a residence in both countries (paying taxes in the UK and being paid via her UK agency), require us to start counting from the end of that contract?

In regards to the Civic Integration Certificate or similar diploma: I understand that the test abroad is not required for US nationals; however, is it required at all before applying for Naturalisation? Is there an exemption through marriage? If a certificate is required, would the NT2 qualify?

Thank you for all the help in advance. We just want to make sure that all of my documents are in place for the application when the time comes. We travel to the Netherlands 2-3 times a year, so I have been working on my Dutch, and have been given many history lesson from my father-in-law as we visit places all over the country.

I hope we are able to move there in the future, as I hope to complete a PhD there. Obtaining a good working knowledge of the language is important to me, but I just want to clarify the paperwork side of things so I can organise any language or exam prep that I would need. Thanks.

you have another thread on this matter:http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=49383