You might think that having Dutch nationality is self-evident if you were born in the Netherlands and received a Dutch passport at birth. However, you can also lose your nationality, for example if you live abroad for years without renewing your passport and if you adopt another nationality, causing the Dutch one to lapse. How does this work and what can you do to prevent losing your Dutch nationality?
Loss of Dutch nationality
- Losing Dutch nationality
- Different rules for minors
- Loss of nationality due to fraud
- Loss of Dutch nationality for people living abroad
Losing Dutch nationality
You can voluntarily ‘give up’ Dutch nationality, but you can also lose it involuntarily. The most common reason for this is to adopt another nationality through naturalization. In addition, there is also the possibility of losing your Dutch passport if it turns out that you have committed fraud when applying for it or have been living abroad for a long time.
In the event of loss of nationality, a distinction is made in rules between adults and children. As an adult you can lose your Dutch nationality for the following reasons:
- You voluntarily adopt another nationality
- You make a waiver
- You voluntarily serve in the army of a country that is fighting against the Netherlands or one of the allies of the Dutch state
- You have lived outside the Netherlands with dual nationality for more than ten years
to the first and last rule for persons who adopt the nationality of their spouse or the person with whom they enter into a registered partnership. If you want to know whether you meet the above requirements, you can read the exact rules in the document ‘ Exceptions and explanations for losing Dutch nationality’ .
Different rules for minors
If you are a minor, different rules apply. As a child you can lose your Dutch passport in the following situations:
- Your father denies his paternity
- Your adoption is revoked
- In the event of annulment of the recognition
More information and exceptions to the above rule can be found in the document published by the central government ‘ Regulations on the loss of Dutch nationality by minors ‘.
Loss of nationality due to fraud
If you are originally a non-Dutch citizen but have been naturalized here, the government can deprive you of your Dutch passport if it turns out that you have committed fraud during the application process. This falls under the powers of the Minister of the Interior. This may be related to a false statement, deception or concealment of important facts that contributed to the granting of Dutch nationality. This option expires after 12 years, with the only exception being revocation as a result of a conviction for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
In the event of fraud during the option or naturalization procedure, you can lose your Dutch nationality. The Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations is authorized to revoke Dutch citizenship in the event of fraud. Fraud occurs if you have made a false statement, committed fraud or concealed relevant facts and on that basis have become a Dutch citizen.
You can only lose your Dutch nationality if you have another nationality (except in the case of fraud). This prevents someone from becoming stateless.
Loss of Dutch nationality for people living abroad
If you have had dual nationality for more than ten years which is not the result of a marriage and you live outside the European Union, you may lose your Dutch passport. These ten years started in 2013. You can prevent this from happening by living in the Netherlands for at least a year between 2003 and 2013 and therefore having your main residence here. The ten years then start again. You can also retain your Dutch nationality by ensuring that you are continuously in possession of a valid passport. You must therefore always renew this in a timely manner. This is also important if you want to continue to retain your voting rights. This is, for example, important for people who have only applied for a second passport because they work abroad for the government or in education.
Many people who emigrated to countries such as America, Canada and Australia shortly after the Second World War are severely affected by these regulations. They have often already lost their passports and experience many problems in recovering them, if this is possible.