Netherlands expats in UK can now get dual nationality

Dutch citizens living in the UK are now able to apply for dual nationality.

The new rule as regards dual nationality for Dutch expats in the UK is aimed at protecting the rights of the estimated 100,000 Netherlands citizens living and working in Britain in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Sadly, British expats working in the Netherlands are not being offered the same safeguard.

Normally, Dutch citizens are disallowed from holding dual nationality but the exception is being made for Dutch expats who arrived in the UK before the 2016 Brexit referendum and have been living there permanently ever since. Dutch lawmakers have been using social media to justify the decision, saying that Dutch citizens living and working in the UK should not become Brexit hostages, and are urging cross-party cooperation in combating the chaos going down on the opposite side of the English Channel.

In addition, Dutch expats who’ve begun the process of renouncing Dutch citizenship in favour of British nationality will be able to retrospectively have their Dutch passport returned should a no deal Brexit be the final result. The draft legislation itself originally included similar treatment for the estimated 85,000 UK expats in the Netherlands, but it’s now been dropped as it’s felt Britons now have more confidence in being allowed to stay and work in the country. However, the reality of the decision is more likely to have been a lack of cross-party support for the bill if it had included British expats. Some lawmakers are concerned about creating another category of dual nationality as it can be seen as the wedge’s thin end as regards the Brexit effect on various groups of expats.

Since the 2016 referendum, the Netherlands has become a favourite destination for British expat entrepreneurs and tech specialists, with a high number of new arrivals choosing to become Dutch citizens. British children who were born in the Netherlands can take on dual citizenship once they are 18 years old. The 3 Million group has already pointed out that Brits in the country are facing the devastating loss of free movement and has pledged to include wider dual nationality rights in its campaign.