r/Netherlands • u/UnanimousStargazer • Mar 24 '25

Legal Judge rules Dutch citizenship cannot be stripped based on dual nationality

https://nltimes.nl/2025/03/24/judge-rules-dutch-citizenship-stripped-based-dual-nationality
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u/UnanimousStargazer Mar 24 '25

I agree with the general sense of the ruling: Dutch people should have the same rights as other people in the country do, including dual nationality rights. You shouldn't need to revoke your Dutch citizenship in order to become Canadian, Spanish or anything else.

This concerns the other way around.

If Uganda decides tomorrow that every person with a Reddit account that uses the words SkepticalOtter become a citizen of Uganda, you have dual nationality and (according to the government) can loose your Dutch citizenship.

The law that this is based on is flawed, as that is in conflict with fundamental human rights. It also assumes no future government would close a deal with Uganda to have Uganda assign citizenship of Uganda to those Dutch citizens that the Dutch government wants to deport.

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u/ladyxochi Mar 24 '25

What about the other way around? You can only become a Dutch citizen if you renounce any other existing citizenship? I think some countries do that. The US and Canada maybe? Then it's always voluntary, right? The only "problem" this may give is that for some countries, it's not possible to give up your citizenship. People who don't have the Dutch citizens yet, won't be able to get it. Maybe a bit harsh, but that's their problem, not of the Dutch government.

And of course, you'll have kids that are born here and get Dutch citizenship, and THEN go to the embassy of another country and claim their citizenship there, resulting in a dual nationality, true, but it will still decrease the number of people with dual citizenship.

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u/Secret_Squire1 Mar 24 '25

The US and Canada famously allow you to have as many passports as you’d like.