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Dual citizenship in the Netherlands

In addition to your Dutch nationality you might have one or more other nationalities. Depending on the situation you might have to choose between your Dutch and other nationality.

How does it work?

Dual citizenship has been a hot topic in the Netherlands for quite a number of years. Dutch nationality law is essence based on the principle of Jus Sanguinis (‘right of blood’), which means that citizenship is determined by the nationality or ethnicity of one or both parents. But in more recent years, the government has changed its stance on dual citizenship because of the possible conflict of interest that might occur. It has therefore become a requirement to renounce other nationalities when applying for Dutch citizenship. There are some exceptions to this rule, however. In this article we’ll offer you a bird’s eye view of the main exceptions and the requirements to obtain dual citizenship.

Exceptions

You might not have to renounce your old nationality when applying for the Dutch nationality if:
You are married to or in a registered partnership with a Dutch national.

You are younger than 18 years.
You are in possession of an asylum residence permit.
Your current country of nationality doesn’t allow you to renounce your nationality. There are 23 nationalities worldwide that do not allow the renouncement of citizenship.
Renunciation is not possible due to special and objectively verifiable reasons.

The citizenship legislation does contain some ways of reclaiming your old nationality after you have become a Dutch citizen. You might be able to become a dual national if one of these conditions applies:

You are married to someone who holds your lost nationality.
Your lost nationality is that of your birth country and you are living there again at the moment of reclaiming said nationality.
You have lived in the country of your lost nationality for over 5 years before you turned 18.

Requirements to obtain citizenship
Whether it is Dutch or dual citizenship you are after, there are some requirements that need to be met in order for you to be able to apply for naturalisation, such as the passing of language exams and civic integration tests, proof of residency, etc. Read all about the procedure for becoming a Dutch citizen here!