Dutch Government Details Citizenship Loss Conditions

The Dutch government has outlined three specific situations that can lead to the loss of Dutch citizenship for adults, as per the Netherlands Nationality Act (RWN). The first situation involves individuals voluntarily renouncing their Dutch nationality by submitting a declaration at a town hall or Dutch embassy, with the stipulation that those holding only Dutch nationality cannot renounce it to avoid statelessness.

The second situation occurs when a Dutch national voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality, which typically results in the automatic loss of Dutch citizenship, although there are three exceptions: being born in the country of the new nationality, living there for at least five consecutive years before age 18, or acquiring nationality through a spouse or registered partner. The third situation pertains to dual nationals living outside both the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the EU for 13 consecutive years, leading to automatic loss of citizenship unless certain conditions are met, such as working for the Dutch government or returning to the Kingdom or EU for over a year.

The automatic loss threshold was previously 10 years until it changed to 13 years on 1 April 2022.