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A Dutch citizen who is also a citizen of another country will lose Dutch nationality after living outside the Kingdom of the Netherlands or the EU for ten years. The ten-year clock can be reset by, among other things, getting a passport. People in this situation therefore typically have to be certain that they apply for a new passport every ten years, making sure that there is enough time for the new one to be issued before ten years elapse from the date of issue of the previous one.

There is an exception, however, for those who are outside the Kingdom and the EU in the service of the Netherlands or of an international organization to which the Netherlands belongs. This exception also extends to those who are living with a spouse or domestic partner who is in such service.

Someone who is burdened by this requirement might wish to make use of the exception for those in foreign service. My question is about those married to or in a partnership with a staff member of an international organization. To qualify for this exception, are there any requirements regarding the staff member's nationality, or the nature of the position? In particular, must the staff member have some connection to the Kingdom (beyond working for an organization of which the Kingdom is a member)?

For example, would a Dutch/American dual national living in New York be able to retain Dutch nationality without applying for a passport, by virtue of being married to a UN staff member?

Would it matter whether the staff member had American citizenship, some non-Dutch EU citizenship, or some non-EU citizenship?

JonathanReez
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phoog
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  • This might apply: http://www.rsonac.org/dutch-nationality/dual-nationality/dual-nationality.html or this: http://www.dualcitizenship.com/countries/netherlands.html – Karlson Dec 30 '15 at 17:54
  • @Karlson those links do not discuss the exception for those "in the service of the Netherlands or of an internaltional organization...," which is the principal focus of this question. – phoog Dec 30 '15 at 18:09
  • Thus the comments and not an answer. – Karlson Dec 30 '15 at 18:10
  • I found http://www.rsonac.org/dutch-nationality/dual-nationality/living-abroad-with-dual-nationality.html which indeed states that living outside of the EU after ten years you lose your Dutch citizenship unless..., but I did not find anything about the exceptions you mentioned, regarding the UN. Where did you learn about those? – hkBst Feb 11 '16 at 08:10
  • @hkBst they are in the Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap. See http://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0003738/geldigheidsdatum_11-02-2016 – phoog Feb 11 '16 at 09:42
  • In that link in Artikel 15.1c is specified the specific loss of Dutch nationality and exceptions of your question. No further requirement on nationality of your partner are mentioned. It does seem likely that the requirements for proving you fall under this exception would be similar to getting a Verklaring Omtrent het Bezit van het Nederlanderschap. You should probably ask your local Dutch embassy what kind of proof burden you will face after you come to depend on the exception for retaining your Dutch nationality. – hkBst Feb 11 '16 at 11:13
  • How can the Netherlands even know you live outside the country, since there's no EU-wide database of entry and exit? – JonathanReez Oct 27 '16 at 14:35
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    @JonathanReez The Netherlands has a national population registry, which I am not in. When I apply for a passport, I have to prove where I reside. I presume that if I tried to apply for a passport more than 10 years after the previous one, they would want proof that I'd met one condition or another to retain my Dutch nationality. – phoog Oct 27 '16 at 14:55
  • I think only the Dutch embassy can give a reliable answer to this. I'd email them but they probably expect to discuss such matters in Dutch. – JonathanReez Jul 20 '17 at 22:09
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    @JonathanReez my experience with the Dutch consulate in New York and with various offices in the Netherlands is that they are more than happy to conduct business in English, even for matters of nationality. I have actually been in correspondence with them (in Dutch, if I recall correctly, but it is somewhat laborious for me) and they referred me to a government department in the Hague. I never followed through with that but I will do so tomorrow. – phoog Jul 20 '17 at 22:52
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    I think this is an interesting academic question, but think it would be far wiser for anyone in this situation to just keep a Dutch passport at all times. It's best to use such a passport when re-entering the Netherlands anyway (and is superior to a non-EU passport for entering the EU in general, since it grants a right of entry). – Jim MacKenzie Jun 26 '18 at 17:23
  • @JimMacKenzie the situation has changed somewhat because the cost of getting a certificate of nationality from a consulate has been reduced quite a bit (and the cost of passports for nonresidents has been raised to a rather high level, but the passports are now valid for ten years rather than five). The point of the question however is to consider the case of someone who has been unable to apply for a passport or certificate for some reason, or who simply forgot after ten years when the ten-year period was due to expire. – phoog Jun 26 '18 at 17:48
  • @JonathanReez not really. For generally conducting business and discussing more complex subjects English is just fine - for naturalization purposes A1/A2 Dutch is the requirement, so there is no expectation of you speaking fluent ABN when getting in contact with them even if you have citizenship. The official documents and letters, of course will be in Dutch, but the dialogue can be in English for sure. – Juliana Karasawa Souza Sep 05 '19 at 12:11

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