My father was born in Heemstede on 8th June 1924, he became a South African on 10/9/1952, my mother was born in Haarlem on 6th September 1925, she became a South African on 6/12/1955. I was born on 1/11/1952 in South Africa, am I eligible for a Dutch passport?

  • For security, I would recommend not putting actual birth dates and towns in posts in a public forum -- just the years are probably sufficient. Especially if your username is your actual name, as it appears to be. – Mike Harris Aug 13 '18 at 11:23
  • 1
    @MikeHarris The degree to which that is risky varies a lot between countries. – gerrit Aug 13 '18 at 11:49

Yes, but how easy it will be depends on when your father naturalized.

The relevant Dutch law is: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0003738/2018-08-01#Hoofdstuk3

If "1 / 11 / 1952" means November 1st, 1952, then Artikel 6.1.i applies as your mother was Dutch when you were born but your father was not.

If, however, "1 / 11 / 1952" means January 11, 1952, then Artike 6.1.f applies as you inherited Dutch citizenship at birth from your father but lost it on your birthday in 1983 (thanks @phoog).

In both cases, you can follow the so-called "Option Procedure" to get your Dutch citizenship.

For 6.1.i (the November 1, 1952 case), you can initiate the option procedure abroad at your local Dutch embassy or consulate following the instructions here: https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/living-working/becoming-a-dutch-citizen/option-procedure

For the 6.1.f case (the January 11, 1952 case), you must first legally reside in the Netherlands for a period of one year prior to starting the option procedure. You can find instructions for that here: https://ind.nl/en/dutch-citizenship/Pages/Option.aspx

In both cases, the Netherlands will not require you to give up your current nationality. However, it seems South Africa requires you to first apply to retain your South African citizenship before acquiring a second nationality so you should check carefully on this.

  • If 1/11 means the eleventh of January, however, and if Gloria always lived in South Africa, she would be a former Dutch citizen, having lost her Dutch nationality on her birthday in 1983. – phoog Jan 14 at 19:10
  • @phoog Thanks. I finally found the text of the relevant law so I think it is correct now. The requirement to be resident for 1 year in the Netherlands is for people who have lost their Dutch citizenship. Pretty much everyone else who qualifies can start the process abroad. – Eric Jan 14 at 20:34

Your Answer

