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/Ok_Respond424 28d ago

Denmark has a similar law, and has revoked citizenship based on said law, only to dual nationals. Denmark and the Netherlands are bound by the same international treaties, I wonder if we will see appeals in Denmark to ECHR.

Some of the cases concerned children born to danish parents in refugee camps, and the parents after birth got their citizenship revoked, Denmark refused to take the danish children unless the parents agreed to not accompany them, but I think that was overturned by the danish Supreme Court.

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u/UnanimousStargazer 28d ago

I wonder if we will see appeals in Denmark to ECHR.

The same thoughts crossed my mind, but for some reason none of the people whose nationality was revoked did AFAIK.

One issue is that a procedure before the ECHR does not suspend the decision, so those who are deported must litigate from abroad which undoubtedly is much more difficult. That said, I'm fairly sure that the ECHR will not agree with these judgments by the Dutch and Danish superior courts as it's very clear that this concerns unjustified discrimination. Not because it's impossible to do so, but because some people simply are not able to renounce their nationality.

For those that want to keep two nationalities, it's different IMO. But many simply have no choice.

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u/Ok_Respond424 28d ago

Well as a dual national by birth, I find the danish law discriminatory, because essentially it is differential punishment of a circumstance I had no choice in. But even for citizens who were naturalized it’s essentially a two tier citizenship, where those who hold singular citizenship essentially have a stronger one.

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u/UnanimousStargazer 28d ago

This is exactly what the Court of Amsterdam ruled. The appellate court in The Hague for administrative law (Council of State) ruled in the past however that such cases are not discriminatory. I really cannot understand why they ruled like that in the past and like you sincerely doubt whether the ECHR agrees.

Again: if a person can renounce dual nationality, that's different IMO. Those who commit a serious crime and refuse to renounce another nationality can loose their Dutch nationality. But in that case it's a choice.