Article 15
in forceLoss of Dutch nationality
Dutch nationality is lost by an adult:
by voluntarily acquiring another nationality;
by making a declaration of renunciation;
if he also possesses a foreign nationality and, during his majority, has his principal residence outside the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, and outside the territories to which the Treaty on European Union applies, for an uninterrupted period of thirteen years while in possession of both nationalities, other than in an employment relationship with the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten, or with an international body in which the Kingdom is represented, or as the spouse (echtgenoot) of or as an unmarried person living together in a lasting relationship with a person in such an employment relationship;
by revocation by Our Minister of the decree whereby Netherlands citizenship was granted, which may take place if the person concerned has failed to do everything possible after the completion of his naturalisation to lose his original nationality;
by withdrawal by Our Minister of the decree whereby the acquisition of Netherlands citizenship was confirmed, which may take place if the foreign national as referred to in Article 6, paragraph 1, under (e), has failed to do everything possible after the acquisition of Netherlands citizenship to lose his original nationality.
Paragraph 1, opening words and under (a), is not applicable to the acquirer.
who was born in the country of that other nationality and has his principal residence there at the time of acquisition;
who, prior to reaching the age of majority, has had his habitual residence in the country of that other nationality for a continuous period of at least five years; or
who is married to a person possessing that other nationality.
The period referred to in paragraph 1, under (c), shall be deemed not to have been interrupted if the person concerned has his habitual residence in the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten, or in the territories to which the Treaty on European Union applies, for a period of less than one year.
The period referred to in the first paragraph, under (c), shall be interrupted by the issuance of a declaration regarding the possession of Dutch nationality or of a travel document, Dutch identity card or replacement Dutch identity card within the meaning of the Passport Act. From the day of issuance, a new period of thirteen years shall begin to run. If Dutch nationality has been reacquired on the basis of Article 6, paragraph 1, opening words and under (p), the period shall begin to run on the day that the option is confirmed.
Het Nederlanderschap gaat voor een meerderjarige verloren:
door het vrijwillig verkrijgen van een andere nationaliteit;
door het afleggen van een verklaring van afstand;
indien hij tevens een vreemde nationaliteit bezit en tijdens zijn meerderjarigheid gedurende een ononderbroken periode van dertien jaar in het bezit van beide nationaliteiten zijn hoofdverblijf heeft buiten Nederland, Aruba, Curaçao en Sint Maarten, en buiten de gebieden waarop het Verdrag betreffende de Europese Unie van toepassing is, anders dan in een dienstverband met Nederland, Aruba, Curaçao of Sint Maarten dan wel met een internationaal orgaan waarin het Koninkrijk is vertegenwoordigd, of als echtgenoot van of als ongehuwde in een duurzame relatie samenlevend met een persoon in een zodanig dienstverband;
door intrekking door Onze Minister van het besluit waarbij het Nederlanderschap is verleend, welke kan plaatsvinden, indien de betrokkene heeft nagelaten na de totstandkoming van zijn naturalisatie al het mogelijke te doen om zijn oorspronkelijke nationaliteit te verliezen;
door intrekking door Onze Minister van het besluit waarbij de verkrijging van het Nederlanderschap is bevestigd, welke kan plaatsvinden, indien de vreemdeling als bedoeld in artikel 6, eerste lid, onder e, heeft nagelaten na de verkrijging van het Nederlanderschap het mogelijke te doen om zijn oorspronkelijke nationaliteit te verliezen.
Het eerste lid, aanhef en onder a, is niet van toepassing op de verkrijger
die in het land van die andere nationaliteit is geboren en daar ten tijde van de verkrijging zijn hoofdverblijf heeft;
die voor het bereiken van de meerderjarige leeftijd gedurende een onafgebroken periode van tenminste vijf jaren in het land van die andere nationaliteit zijn hoofdverblijf heeft gehad; of
die gehuwd is met een persoon die die andere nationaliteit bezit.
De periode bedoeld in het eerste lid, onder c, wordt geacht niet te zijn onderbroken indien de betrokkene gedurende een periode korter dan één jaar zijn hoofdverblijf in Nederland, Aruba, Curaçao of Sint Maarten heeft, dan wel in de gebieden waarop het Verdrag betreffende de Europese Unie van toepassing is.
De periode, bedoeld in het eerste lid, onder c, wordt gestuit door de verstrekking van een verklaring omtrent het bezit van het Nederlanderschap dan wel van een reisdocument, Nederlandse identiteitskaart of vervangende Nederlandse identiteitskaart in de zin van de Paspoortwet. Vanaf de dag der verstrekking begint een nieuwe periode van dertien jaren te lopen. Indien het Nederlanderschap is herkregen op grond van artikel 6, eerste lid, aanhef en onder p, begint de periode te lopen op de dag dat de optie is bevestigd.
Decisions of the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State (ABRvS) — the highest court in immigration cases — applying this article. Annotations are unofficial translations.
By decision of 24 July 2019, the Minister of Foreign Affairs informed [appellant] that his application for a Dutch passport would not be processed. [appellant] was born on [date of birth] 1968 in [place] (Iraq) and acquired Iraqi nationality by birth. It is recorded in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen, hereinafter: the BRP) that he married [person A], of Iraqi nationality and born on [date of birth] 1971 in [place], on [date] 1995. [appellant] settled in the Netherlands on 11 June 1997 and acquired Dutch nationality on 13 June 2002. On [date] 2007, [appellant] married [person B], of Iraqi nationality and born on [date of birth] 1973 in [place] (Iraq), in Jordan. On 19 July 2011, [person B] acquired Canadian nationality through naturalisation. On 3 March 2011, [appellant] was deregistered from the municipality of Amsterdam due to emigration to Canada. Subsequently, on 22 February 2016, [appellant] also voluntarily acquired Canadian nationality through naturalisation. A Dutch passport was last issued to [appellant] on 11 October 2011. On 14 June 2019, [appellant] applied for a Dutch passport at the Dutch consulate in Toronto.
Decision on rechtspraak.nlBy decision of 15 February 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to confirm the option declaration of [appellant]. By decision of 6 July 2023, the Minister declared the objection lodged by [appellant] against that decision unfounded. [appellant] was born in the Netherlands. [appellant] lived in Australia from 1990 to 1996 and from 2008 to the present. On 19 January 2001, he acquired Australian nationality through naturalisation. As a result, he lost his Dutch nationality by operation of law at that time pursuant to Article 15, opening words and under (a), of the Kingdom Act on Dutch Nationality. Reacquisition of Dutch nationality is only possible if the loss of Union citizenship occurred alongside that loss and it was reasonably foreseeable at that time that this would lead to disproportionate consequences from the perspective of Union law. Therefore, in this case, the Minister assessed whether the loss of Dutch nationality by [appellant] on 19 January 2001 is in accordance with the principle of proportionality regarding its consequences from the perspective of Union law. At the request of the Minister, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) issued an advisory opinion on 6 February 2023 in the context of the Union law proportionality assessment. Therein, the IND concludes that the loss of Union citizenship on the reference date cannot be considered disproportionate. Based on this advisory opinion, the Minister refused to confirm the option declaration of [appellant]. [appellant] disagrees with the Minister and asserts that the loss of Dutch nationality and Union citizenship is disproportionate for him, as a result of which he should reacquire his Dutch nationality.
Decision on rechtspraak.nlBy decision of 18 June 2018, the Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to process the application of [appellant] for a Dutch passport. [appellant] was born on [geboortedatum] 1987 in Suriname and was last issued a Dutch passport on 7 March 2008. On 24 May 2018, he submitted an application for a new Dutch passport at the Dutch embassy in Suriname. The Minister refused to process this application. The statements from the Surinamese Central Bureau for Civil Affairs of 14 June 2018 and 12 August 2021 state that [appellant], pursuant to Article 5, paragraph 1, of the Surinamese Law on Nationality and Residency, has possessed Surinamese nationality since 22 January 2005. From that moment, according to the Minister, [appellant] possessed both Dutch and Surinamese nationality.
Decision on rechtspraak.nlBy decision of 14 February 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs refused to confirm the declaration made by [appellant] for the acquisition of Dutch nationality. [appellant] was born on [date of birth] 1989 in [place of birth], South Africa. At birth, he acquired Dutch nationality in addition to South African nationality, because his mother possessed Dutch nationality at that time. She was born in South Africa to Dutch parents, who emigrated to South Africa in 1952. The father of [appellant] was in possession of South African nationality. On 1 January 1995, the mother of [appellant] lost her Dutch nationality by operation of law pursuant to Article 15, paragraph 1, opening words and under (c), of the Kingdom Act on Dutch Nationality, as that Act read between 1 January 1985 and 1 April 2003 (hereinafter: the RWN (old)), because she had her principal residence continuously in South Africa from 1 January 1985 to 1 January 1995. She possessed, in addition to Dutch nationality, also South African nationality.
Decision on rechtspraak.nlBy decision of 23 November 2020, the Minister of Foreign Affairs did not process the application of [appellant] for a Dutch passport. [appellant] was born on [date of birth] 1998 in the United States. At birth, she acquired Dutch and Canadian nationality through her father and American nationality through her mother. Her father lost his Dutch nationality by operation of law on 1 April 2013 pursuant to Article 15, paragraph 1, opening words and under (c), of the Kingdom Act on Dutch Nationality (Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap, hereinafter: RWN). As a consequence thereof, according to the Minister, [appellant] as a minor also lost her Dutch nationality pursuant to Article 16, paragraph 1, opening words and under (d), of the RWN. On 20 December 2019, [appellant] applied for a Dutch passport at the Dutch embassy in Washington D.C. [appellant] contends that the court misinterpreted the statutory text of Article 16, paragraph 2, opening words and under (e), of the RWN.
Decision on rechtspraak.nl