SNBN Newsletter May 30: Update on dual nationality

May 30

6 min read

Dear Dutch nationals abroad and interested parties!

Welcome to this (full) newsletter from the Foundation for Dutch People Abroad.

This time with the following topics:

Consideration of private member's bill on dual nationality postponed again
Save the date: September 3, Day of the Dutch Abroad
Questions about ETIAS
Abuses at VFS Global
Passport renewal waiting times
DigiD not in American hands.
Various information meetings

Consideration of dual nationality bill postponed again

We have lost count of how many times the consideration of the bill on the modernization of Dutch citizenship (read: opening up dual nationality ) has been postponed over the past few months, in an otherwise empty-looking agenda, but we are going to try again in the week of September 1st .

The signal the House of Representatives is sending to Dutch citizens abroad with this is once again one of second-class, insignificant citizenship for the more than 1 million fellow citizens abroad, let alone the many thousands who have involuntarily lost their Dutch citizenship over the past decades. This is an urgent appeal to the Standing Committee on Justice and Security to allow the debate to proceed in early September – accompanied by an invitation to the celebration of the Day of the Dutch Abroad on September 3rd at Nieuwspoort!

Save the date: September 3, Day of the Dutch Abroad

We couldn't have wished for a better segue than the one above. For not only politicians, but everyone is warmly welcome (after registration) to the Day of the Dutch Abroad, on Thursday morning, September 3, in Nieuwspoort, The Hague. Coincidentally in the Netherlands? Come along! A family member of and supporter of the SNBN? Come along! Professionally interested? Come along! You can register for personal participation in The Hague here . The event will also be broadcast live via the website. More details to follow!

It should come as no surprise that this edition focuses on the legislative proposal for the modernization of Dutch citizenship , or the opening up of dual nationality . We are delighted to be able to organize this wonderful day again this year, in collaboration with, among others, Stichting Nederlands Onderwijs in het Buitenland , Nederlandse Wereldwijde Studenten , Stichting Goed , and Vereniging Belangenbehartiging Nederlands Gepensioneerden in het Buitenland . Would you like to participate as well? Register your organization with us!

Questions about ETIAS

With the introduction of ETIAS for the Netherlands and the Schengen area, a number of practical matters change for people travelling to the Schengen zone on a non-Schengen passport.

ETIAS in a nutshell

The ETIAS travel authorization is a condition of entry for visa-free nationals travelling to one of these thirty European countries . The authorization is linked to the relevant traveller's passport and expires after a maximum of three years, or when the passport expires, whichever is sooner. If you obtain a new passport, you must also apply for a new ETIAS travel authorization.

With a valid ETIAS travel authorisation, you may visit the territory of these European countries as often as you wish for a short stay – normally a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. However, the travel authorisation does not guarantee admission to the territory of these countries. Upon arrival, a border guard will ask you for your passport and other documents and verify whether you meet the entry requirements.

From now on, an ETIAS must be applied for. This is comparable to an ESTA for travel to the United States.

The length of stay in the Schengen zone (maximum 90 days in every 180-day period) will henceforth be tracked digitally rather than via the stamps in your passport. This means that this length of stay will be recorded much more precisely, and any exceeding of this limit will stand out. We ask the Dutch government for the possibility to also gain insight into this recorded length of stay ourselves.

ETIAS is unclear regarding entry as a Dutch national with dual nationality on a non-Schengen passport. Even within ETIAS, officials are unaware that applying for a Dutch passport is sometimes difficult, expensive, and time-consuming, and that it is sometimes easier to travel with a foreign passport with ETIAS. As far as we know, it remains possible to enter as a Dutch national on a foreign passport with ETIAS – just do not mention in the ETIAS application that you are also a Dutch national; otherwise, the system will assume you will be traveling on a Dutch passport, and the ETIAS application will likely be automatically cancelled.

Abuses at VFS Global

On May 28, an article appeared on Politico regarding misconduct at VFS Global . Customers were allegedly pressured to purchase expensive additional “premium” services. According to the article, VFS Global is making substantial profits from this, even though these services are by no means always necessary. There are also questions regarding the safe and proper handling of data at VFS.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded upon request: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs attaches great value to an accessible, customer-friendly, and thorough visa process. Reports of potential abuses are taken seriously and discussed in our structural dialogue with external service providers. We will do the same in this case, possibly in consultation with other Schengen countries working with the same service provider. We welcome the investigation announced by the European Commission into the outsourcing of visa services and we will incorporate the findings into the same dialogue with our external visa partners.”

Naturally, the SNBN will closely monitor these developments and, if necessary, approach Dutch politicians for a response and measures.

Passport renewal waiting times

The SNBN continues to regularly receive reports that waiting times for renewing a Dutch passport at a number of locations are getting out of hand. We have once again emphasized to Nederland Wereldwijd that it is virtually impossible to get an appointment in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Switzerland, among other places. From Nederland Wereldwijd, we get the impression that they are primarily bound by the budgets and austerity measures established by the Dutch government. Since we unfortunately see too little structural improvement in this regard, the SNBN will approach Dutch politicians about this again .

In the meantime: pay close attention to the expiry date of your own Dutch passport (and where applicable, your family's), with the advice to start the renewal process well in advance, at least six months!

DigiD not in American hands

SNBN is pleased that the Dutch government has decided that the company behind DigiD must not fall into American hands . This prevents DigiD data from falling into American hands at the request of the US government. At the same time, commentaries in de Volkskrant (link accessible only for a fee) point out that DigiD is not just about digital sovereignty, but also about reliability, accessibility, and user-friendliness. SNBN will continue to call attention to this as well.

Various information meetings

Support for parents of gifted children. The Onderwijs Versterkers team is investigating whether there is a need for Dutch-language support for expat families with (presumably) gifted children aged 2 to 18. You can find more information and a link to the survey for this study on our website.

Raising children bilingually abroad. Bilingual upbringing is valuable and offers many benefits, but it also sometimes raises questions: how do you keep the Dutch language alive? And what does and doesn't work when raising children bilingually? That is why NOB (Foundation for Dutch Education Abroad) is organizing an online parent meeting on June 18, with inspiration and practical ideas for at home, on the road, and during the summer holidays. More information and registration via the NOB website.

Webinar Inheritance Law Belgium-Netherlands. On Thursday, June 11, from 18:00 to 19:00, the Border Information Points are once again organizing a webinar on inheritance law BE-NL (for “Dutch-Belgians”) in collaboration with Lexquire Notarissen. More information and registration via the Border Information Points website.

Without you, there would be no SNBN:

Help out!

The Foundation for Dutch People Abroad (SNBN) works daily, entirely on a voluntary basis, for the interests of Dutch people abroad .

Whether it concerns nationality issues, voting rights, pensions, or other practical and political obstacles: we ensure that your voice is heard in The Hague. But we cannot do this alone. Our activities depend on support from stakeholders like you. With your contribution — large or small, one-off or recurring — we can continue to stand up for the rights of Dutch citizens abroad. Every donation makes a difference . Together, we make policy fairer, more understandable, and more accessible for everyone with a Dutch passport, wherever in the world you live.

Thank you for your support!

Published date: 29-May-2026