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Have Your Say: help shape the future of the Statelessness Index
Since its launch in 2018, the Statelessness Index has become a vital tool for monitoring how European countries protect stateless people, and track the measures being taken to prevent and reduce statelessness. With data from 34 countries, the Index has evolved significantly as a comparative tool that informs research, advocacy, and policy efforts to end statelessness in Europe.
In order to ensure the continued effectiveness, sustainability and relevance of the Index, we want to make sure that we’re investing capacity where it’s most needed. We have therefore launched an online survey to find out more about our Index users. We want to hear from you regardless of whether you use the Index regularly, have been part of its development, or have accessed it just a couple of times. Your feedback will help us shape the future of the Statelessness Index!
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Positively, the Netherlands is party to most relevant international and regional instruments, but there are some gaps in its domestic legal framework to protect stateless people and prevent statelessness. The definition of a stateless person in Dutch law is narrower than the 1954 Convention. As of 2023, statelessness can be determined by the civil chambers of the courts, or administratively by municipalities or certain government bodies but only in specified cases of ‘obvious statelessness’. Despite the introduction of a procedure to determine statelessness, recognition as stateless does not lead to any residence rights nor a protection status, which contributes to the limited protection available for stateless people in the country. Although the law contains some protections and safeguards against arbitrary detention, immigration detention is used in practice, and stateless people without a right of residence are at risk of detention.

There are safeguards in Dutch nationality law to prevent statelessness in the case of foundlings and adopted children. However, the safeguard for children born stateless in the Netherlands is not automatic. It either requires continuous, lawful residence of at least three years, or ‘uninterrupted stable residence’ for five years and additional stringent criteria. Children born to unmarried Dutch fathers and a foreign mother are also disadvantaged. The law provides for universal, immediate birth registration, and all children are issued with birth certificates; but parents without lawful residence or who lack key documents may face barriers and the procedure for late birth registration is complex.

Senast uppdaterad:

Feb 2024

Landsexpert(er):

Robin van Oene, ASKV

Ytterligare resurser

Bedömningsnyckel

++Positiv

+ Ganska positiv

+-Positiv och negativ

- Ganska negativ

--Negativ

Mer information

Normer och god praxis

Internationella och regionala instrument Beskrivning

Assesses whether countries are State party to the relevant international and regional instruments, including whether reservations have an impact on statelessness, and whether instruments are incorporated into domestic law. The four core statelessness treaties (1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons; 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness; European Convention on Nationality; Council of Europe Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in Relation to State Succession) carry more weight than other relevant human rights instruments in the assessment.

The Netherlands has a strong record on accession to the relevant human rights instruments. It is party to all four of the core statelessness conventions, and in 2023 removed the reservations it had made to the 1954 Convention. It is State party to all other relevant regional and international treaties, except for the Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers. Its reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child do not directly impact on statelessness but may impact on stateless children in the country.

1954 års konvention

The Netherlands is party to the 1954 Convention and it has direct effect. It had made reservations to Articles 8 and 26, which were withdrawn as of 1 October 2023.

1961 års konvention

The Netherlands is State party to the 1961 Convention with no reservations, and the convention has direct effect.

Andra internationella och regionala instrument

The Netherlands is party to most relevant international and regional conventions, though it retains some reservations.
For example, its reservation to Article 7 of the European Convention on Nationality impacts on childhood statelessness. Its reservations to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including in relation to the right to legal representation, age of majority, and access to social security, do not directly affect statelessness but may affect stateless children in The Netherlands.
The Netherlands is not party to the Convention on the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.

Statslöshet Befolkningsdata

Examines the availability and sources of disaggregated population data on statelessness. Provides recent figures and assesses reliability of measures countries have in place to count stateless persons, including in the census, population registries, and migration databases. Notes whether statelessness has been mapped in the country and whether there are sufficient measures in place to count stateless persons in detention.

The Dutch national statistical database contains some data on the stateless population that is disaggregated, but due to inconsistencies in how nationality and statelessness is recorded and the only recent introduction of a procedure to identify stateless people in the country, the size of the stateless population is very likely to be underreported. UNHCR reports government figures for the stateless population in the Netherlands. Mapping studies of statelessness have been undertaken by NGOs and UNHCR.

Tillgänglighet och källor

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There are inconsistencies in how nationality and statelessness are recorded in the Dutch national statistical database (StatLine). The two categories 'stateless' and 'nationality unknown' are sometimes combined and sometimes reported on separately. Data in StatLine is disaggregated by age and sex and updated annually. The total number of people recorded as ‘stateless’ or with ‘unknown nationality’ by the Central Statistics Bureau was 27,637 as of 1 January 2023.
Although it stated that the exact number of stateless people in the Netherlands is not known, UNHCR reports government figures for the stateless population and in 2019 it estimated there are approximately 13,000 people registered as ‘stateless’ and 43,000 as ‘unknown nationality’. There is also an unknown number of stateless people without a residence permit. UNHCR’s Global Trends Report records 4,652 stateless people including forcibly displaced at the end of 2022.
There is inconsistent data about the number of people who are stateless or with unknown nationality across different sources. The use of the category 'unknown nationality' in official data causes significant uncertainty as to the number of stateless people in the country whose statelessness has not been officially determined. The unreliability of data and the only recent introduction of a procedure to determine statelessness means that it is unclear who is included in the reported numbers, and the stateless population is likely to be underreported.
Asylum statistics provide data on applications by stateless people with some disaggregation. In 2022, 39 first-time applications for asylum were made by stateless people, 1,113 by people recorded with ‘unknown nationality’, and 32 by people recorded as ‘Palestinian Occupied Territory’, out of a total of 35,535. The Central Office for Statistics (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek) reports the number of stateless people who obtained a residence permit for the first time, by year, and type of permit. In 2022, 565 stateless people obtained an asylum permit (for comparison, the number in 2015 was 4,390); 195 stateless people obtained a residence permit on other grounds. An additional 470 people registered with an ‘unknown nationality’ have obtained an asylum permit, and 590 obtained a residence permit on other grounds. In 2022, 370 stateless and 140 people with ‘unknown nationality’ arrived in the Netherlands following family reunification. There were 4,916 stateless people/with ‘unknown nationality’ who acquired Dutch nationality in 2021.
Various surveys and mapping studies of statelessness have been carried out by NGOs and UNHCR.

Data om statslösa i förvar

In 2022, 2,732 people entered immigration detention with an average stay of 30 days. Data from the Ministry of Security and Justice shows that 50 people with 'unknown nationality' were in immigration detention in 2023 (rounded to tens). No further data is available on stateless people held in immigration detention.
A report by the Ombudsperson published in 2020 mentions that in practice an (unspecified) number of people are re-detained in immigration detention on a regular basis due to not cooperating or due to the country of origin refusing return of the individual. There is no further information published by the Government on statelessness or un-removability.

Statslöshet Fastställande och Status

Identifies whether countries have a definition of a stateless person in national law that aligns with the 1954 Convention, and whether they have a dedicated statelessness determination procedure (SDP) leading to a dedicated stateless status. If an SDP is not place, it assesses whether there are other procedures in which statelessness can be identified or other routes through which stateless people could regularise their stay or access their rights. Countries are subdivided in three groups to enable comparison between those with an SDP leading to protection, those with other procedures, and those with a statelessness status but no clear mechanism to access protection. The existing procedures and rights granted to stateless persons are examined and assessed against international norms and good practice. Assesses whether stateless people fleeing war have access to temporary protection.

There is a definition of a stateless person in Dutch law, but it is slightly narrower than the 1954 Convention definition. A procedure for determining statelessness is established in law since 2023, but it does not result in any residence rights or other protection once the person has been recognised as stateless. There is no dedicated procedure in place for stateless people to regularise their stay based solely on their statelessness. Statelessness can be determined by the civil chamber of the Court of The Hague, or by administrative authorities in specified cases of ‘obvious statelessness’. Identification as a stateless person does not lead to permission to stay, though a person recognised as stateless who already had a residence permit has access to several economic and social rights.

Definition av en statslös person

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The definition of a stateless person in the Netherlands is slightly narrower than the 1954 Convention: a stateless person is someone not considered a national by any state ‘under its legislation’ rather than ‘under the operation of its law’.

Utbildning

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There is no information available about statelessness courses specifically targeted at government bodies and public officials. General trainings on statelessness are available, which are sometimes also attended by State officials.
ENS members have provided various trainings on statelessness in recent years, which have been attended by civil servants from local and national government (for example, municipality employees, immigration officers, etc.) and lawyers. In 2023, UNHCR has also conducted trainings for authorities (including the Immigration and Naturalisation Service and the Returns and Repatriation Service), and together with ASKV it provided trainings for lawyers, civil society, and the judiciary on the legal reforms.

Förekomsten av en dedikerad SDP

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As of 1 October 2023, the Netherlands has established a procedure to determine statelessness in law, although the procedure does not lead to a dedicated statelessness status. Statelessness can be determined either by administrative authorities, or through a judicial procedure. While a positive step, the procedure does not lead to a dedicated protection status nor any residence rights for those determined to be stateless.

Förfaranden där statslöshet kan identifieras och andra vägar till regularisering

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A procedure for determining statelessness is established in law, but it does not result in any residence rights or other protection once the person has been recognised as stateless. There is no dedicated procedure in place for stateless people to regularise their stay based solely on their statelessness.
The entity responsible for determining statelessness through the judicial procedure is the civil chamber of the Court of the Hague. Statelessness may also be determined in an administrative procedure in cases of ‘obvious statelessness’, by municipalities and certain government bodies, such as the Immigration and Naturalisation Service.
The law specifies in which situations there may be obvious statelessness, such as when statelessness has already been determined by another country, when the person solely holds the nationality of a State not recognised by the Netherlands, or in the case of some children born stateless in the Netherlands (e.g. to stateless parents, with an unknown or stateless father, or whose mother has the nationality of a State where only fathers can pass on nationality). The new legislation does not allow municipalities to have a margin of appreciation in deciding other cases of obvious statelessness that are not listed in the law, even though they had this ability under the previous framework when registering people as stateless in the Dutch Population Register (BRP).
Stateless people can access the available procedures for a residence permit based on other applicable grounds (asylum, family life, medical grounds, no-fault procedure, etc.) but if their statelessness is not identified or determined, doubts about their identity and (lack of a) nationality may undermine the outcome of the procedure to regularise their stay.

Tillgång till förfaranden

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A person may apply for their statelessness to be determined by a court, or in cases of ‘obvious statelessness’ by certain administrative authorities, including municipalities. However, there are no obligations in law on the authorities to consider a claim for statelessness made within an administrative procedure and there is no dedicated protection status. In the judicial procedure, the district court in The Hague has the obligation to consider a claim for statelessness, but only when the applicant submits a petition to the court.
Municipalities had developed expertise on statelessness, as under the previous framework they could register people as stateless in the Dutch Population Register (BRP). Under the new framework, they don’t have a margin of discretion to decide on other cases of ‘obvious statelessness’ that are not listed in the law, which may push individuals to seek lengthy and costly judicial proceedings.
An asylum procedure and statelessness determination may not be assessed in parallel. A statelessness determination request will not be admissible where an asylum procedure is ongoing, and where an asylum request is lodged while statelessness determination is ongoing, the District Court of The Hague will defer the determination of statelessness.
There are some instructions available for stateless people on how to claim statelessness in English and Dutch, but not in other languages.
Municipalities cooperate with non-governmental actors to improve the registration of stateless people and information-sharing.

Bedömning

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According to the law the burden of proof in the determination of statelessness in the judicial procedure is shared, thus applicants must present their available evidence and information, while the judge also takes an investigative approach. There is no specific standard of proof, but preparatory works for the new legislation explain that the judge considers evidence presented by both the applicant and the authority, with written evidence holding more weight than statements, and credibility being an important consideration when the person is undocumented. The judge’s investigation typically focuses on the countries with which the applicant has a relevant link, unless evidence suggests otherwise.
There is currently insufficient information about the burden and standard of proof in practice, as there have not been any judicial decision determining statelessness. In the administrative procedure, as the concept of ‘obvious statelessness’ is restrictively defined and only includes limited categories, the margin of discretion for municipalities to register statelessness themselves has been significantly reduced.
Country-of-origin information relating to statelessness is available, although the latest public report from the Government was published in 2016. For the administrative procedure, there are guidelines on establishing statelessness in cases of Palestinians for cases in which the mother cannot confer her nationality, and a list of countries with an established SDP.

Rättssäkerhetsgarantier

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Free legal aid is available to challenge a decision in the court where the applicant cannot meet legal costs.No interpreter is provided in either the administrative or the judicial procedure, though the individual can bring someone with them to provide language support.General rules of administrative process apply to decisions and right to appeal for determining statelessness in the administrative procedure. Decisions granting registration usually do not provide reasons, but refusals do.
On the judicial procedure, general rules of petition apply. Applicants cannot appeal a decision made by a court, but they can apply for cassation.

Skydd

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Identification and registration as a stateless person do not lead to permission to stay nor an official residence status, since statelessness is merely a category in nationality records in Dutch law, and not an immigration or protection status. If a person with a residence permit is determined as stateless, they can request a travel document and accelerated access to Dutch nationality (following three years' lawful stay).
Stateless people with a residence permit have the right to work, healthcare, social security, education, and to vote in local elections (but Dutch nationality is required to vote in national elections). The right to family reunification and housing depends on the type of residence permit the person holds.
People without a residence document who have been determined to be stateless do not have these rights nor access to a residence permit, but they may apply for an identity document (which mentions that the cardholder does not have any residence rights). Everyone in the Netherlands, including undocumented migrants and stateless people regardless of their residence status, have access to essential healthcare.

Tillfälligt skydd av personer som flyr krig

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Everyone fleeing the war in Ukraine can enter the Netherlands, but the registration procedure depends on whether the person has identification documents. Undocumented people can register but their identity must be established.
Under the EU Temporary Protection Directive, the Netherlands offers temporary protection for people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Protection is provided to stateless people who, on 23 February 2022, had international protection or another form of temporary national protection in Ukraine, or who had a valid residence permit in Ukraine, and their family members.
People with a temporary residence permit were also eligible for temporary protection, provided they had registered at a Dutch town hall before 19 July 2022. However, the law was amended and, as of 4 March 2024, people who held a temporary residence permit in Ukraine are no longer eligible (unless they had international protection or another form of temporary national protection status in Ukraine).
There are no publicly available reports on barriers for stateless people from Ukraine in accessing protection.
Limited cases of stateless people fleeing the war in Ukraine have been reported.

Frihetsberövande

Analyses law, policy and practice relating to immigration detention generally, but focusing on protections in place to prevent the arbitrary detention of stateless people during removal and deportation procedures. Subthemes examine areas such as the identification of statelessness and assessment of whether there is a reasonable prospect of removal, procedural safeguards such as time limits, judicial oversight, and effective remedies, as well as the rights granted to stateless people upon release from detention and protection against re-detention.

Dutch law provides for some procedural safeguards and limited protections against arbitrary detention, but there are significant gaps. Although it is set in law that detention should only be a last resort and there must be a real prospect of removal, statelessness is not considered a juridically relevant fact in decisions to detain and a country of removal is not required to be set prior to detention. Alternatives to detention exist, but reports suggest these are not fully considered prior to detaining. There is a time limit, a right to legal aid, judicial oversight, and rules governing the redocumentation process, but there are barriers to accessing legal assistance in practice and no residence status is granted on release, putting people at risk of immediate re-detention.

Migranter i förvar

Powers for immigration detention are provided for in law. Grounds for detention are far reaching and include not leaving the Netherlands after being ordered to do so; not cooperating with the process to establish identity or nationality; presenting wrong or contradictory information; destroying documentation; and the need to carry out additional inquiries about a person’s identity. It is set out in law that detention should be a measure of last resort. An 'investigative duty' on the authorities to consider alternatives to detention is established in the Law on Return & Immigration Detention, but no further information about what this might entail in practice has been provided and, as of December 2022, the new law remains with the Senate pending approval. A range of alternatives to detention exist in practice though not in law: notice to leave the Netherlands, a duty to report combined with intensive case management, bail to prevent absconding, confiscating documents combined with reporting, freedom restricting measures, and an airport lounge alternative for departures.
These are not subject to statutory time limit nor periodic review.
In practice, reports suggest that detention is currently not only used as a last resort.
Although there is no need to identify a proposed country for removal prior to the decision to detain, detention is only permitted when a real prospect of removal exists and will be terminated if a reasonable prospect for removal no longer exists.
An additional amendment was proposed by the Government in 2020 to increase the permitted use of confinement in detention centres, which has been criticised by Amnesty International and the Ombudsperson.

Identifiering av statslöshet

Statelessness is not considered a juridically relevant fact and there is no referral to the procedure to determine statelessness.
The law provides for detention to be used only as a last resort and requires that attention be paid to vulnerability. However, the term ‘vulnerability’ is not defined in law, and no concrete steps have been taken to improve the assessment of vulnerability in the decision to detain.
The proposed new Law on Return & Immigration Detention, which is pending before the Senate, provides that vulnerability should be taken into account in the decision on detention, and detention will not be decided if it would be unreasonably onerous.
Stateless people are detained in practice, but this must be inferred from general statistics as the data is not fully reliable and until October 2023 there was no procedure to determine statelessness. The use of detention has increased year-on-year since 2015. In 2022, 2, 732 people entered immigration detention and 2,652 people were released. A 2020 report by the Ombudsperson states that some people are re-detained on a regular basis due to not cooperating or due to the country of return refusing to accept an individual.

Rättssäkerhetsgarantier

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The maximum period for detention is 18 months (six months plus 12 months’ extension). Detainees are automatically released at the end of this maximum time limit.
The law provides that individuals must be informed in writing of the reasons for detention, as well as how to challenge the legality of their detention and access free legal aid and assistance.
People may be held in pre-detention at a police station, before being transferred to a detention centre where the removal process is initiated, and the initial decision to detain is then submitted to a court by an assistant public prosecutor (Hulpofficier van Justitie) within four weeks (in practice 10-12 days). The court must make a decision within two weeks, which can be appealed. After six months, another judicial review is mandatory if the detention is to be extended up to a maximum of 12 more months.
The Return and Departure Service is key to the decision to extend detention, which is partially based on their advice, meaning in practice it has significant decision-making power in the detention and return process. Detainees can appeal the decision to extend detention and can ask a judge to re-examine the lawfulness of their detention at any time, for example, to check the continued prospect of deportation.
There are rules and guidelines for the process of re-documentation, which involves a return interview conducted by the authorities and visits to the appropriate embassy arranged and accompanied by an official, but the burden of proof lies on the applicant and is stringent. The process is lengthy, and, in many cases, applicants are released after the maximum detention time limit after which they can be re-detained.
Although free legal aid is available, barriers to access have been reported in practice, including a lack of interpreters and inability to contact lawyers from within detention centres.

Skydd vid frisläppande

There is no protection from re-detention on release, and immediate re-detention is possible.
No residence status is granted on release and people do not have access to any rights, including social services, social housing, welfare, education, or work.
Re-detention regularly occurs, and cumulative time spent in detention is not counted towards the maximum time limit in law, so in practice, detention can be indefinite.
One legal possibility where return has proven impossible is for a stateless person to apply for a “no-fault” residence permit (buitenschuld vergunning), valid for a year and extendable annually. However, the approval rate for this procedure is low, as the burden of proof is on the applicant to prove beyond doubt that return to a country of former habitual residence, or any other country the applicant may have ties to, is impossible and the person are not to blame for this.

Återvändande- och återtagandeavtal

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Most bilateral return agreements with countries of origin include a clause on readmitting former residents who are (presumed) stateless.
There have been cases of people with disputed/unknown nationality being returned under such agreements, including to Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, for example, but not officially recognised stateless people.
In the asylum procedure, before a decision to return a child is made, the child’s right to a nationality, and their enjoyment of other fundamental rights in the country of return, are taken into consideration.

Förebyggande och minskning

Assesses the adequacy of safeguards in nationality laws to prevent and reduce statelessness, including facilitated routes to naturalisation for stateless people, and protections for otherwise stateless children born on the territory or to nationals abroad, foundlings and adopted children. Examines law, policy, and practice on birth registration, including access to late birth registration, and reduction measures taken by States to prevent and reduce in situ statelessness. Analyses provisions on deprivation of nationality and whether there are safeguards related to renunciation and deprivation of nationality to prevent statelessness from occurring.

Full safeguards are in place in the Netherlands to prevent statelessness in the case of foundlings and adopted children, but there are gaps for other stateless children born on the territory. Some aspects of birth registration law and practice are also problematic, with strict deadlines, documentation requirements, and a complex late birth registration procedure. The current provision in Dutch nationality law for children born on the territory who would otherwise be stateless is not automatic. It either requires continuous, lawful residence of at least three years, as well as proof of the child’s statelessness, or ‘uninterrupted stable residence’ for five years and additional stringent criteria. Children born to unmarried Dutch fathers and a foreign mother are also disadvantaged by a requirement that the father officially acknowledges paternity before the child is seven years old. Deprivation of nationality cannot result in statelessness except where nationality was acquired through fraud.

Naturalisation

Stateless people, when officially registered as ‘stateless’, can apply for naturalisation after three years’ lawful stay, which is reduced from the standard five years. They are also exempt from providing a passport, but they do need to provide a birth certificate.
The fees for the naturalisation procedure are also reduced from the standard 1,023 EUR to 760 EUR (2024) for stateless people and refugees.
There are no exemptions for stateless people from the language requirement, but all children under 18 are exempt from this.
There are requirements relating to 'good character' and criminal convictions that could prevent some stateless people from acquiring Dutch nationality. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) will not process an application if the person is suspected of a crime and could receive a sentence; if they have been convicted of a crime in the previous five years; if they are suspected or convicted of a crime under Article 1F of the Refugee Convention; or if they are in a polygamous marriage.
There are reports of indirect discrimination against marginalised groups, such as Romani people, and stateless people, who may have difficulties in proving their statelessness and/or are registered with an ‘unknown nationality’ and may need to prove their identity with identity documents, including a birth certificate, which they may not have.

Statslös född inom landets gränser

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There is a provision in law for otherwise stateless children born in the Netherlands to acquire Dutch nationality, but it is not automatic. A written 'option statement' must be completed and submitted to the local municipality for approval.
If the child has a residence permit, they must have at least three years' continuous, lawful residence in the country and have been stateless since birth. The child's statelessness must be proven, and they must be registered as stateless before acquiring nationality, but the child does not need to demonstrate that they cannot access another nationality. The burden of proof lies on the applicant.
As of October 2023, children without a residence permit who were born in the Netherlands and have been stateless since birth can also acquire Dutch nationalty, but they must prove they have five years’ of ‘uninterrupted stable residence’. In these cases, the child must demonstrate that they have been been stateless since birth, are unable to reasonably obtain another nationality, and that the child and their parents have always remained visible to the authorities and actively cooperated with attempts to remove them from the Netherlands.
There is no age limit for a stateless child born on the territory to acquire nationality if they have a residence permit. For children who do not have a right to reside but can demonstrate uninterrupted stable residence, the age limit is 21 years. The fees for this so-called ‘option procedure’ are 217 EUR.
Children who are born in the Netherlands and have residence as beneficiaries of international protection, Dutch birth certificates or birth certificates from signatories to the Apostille Convention are exempt from the requirement to provide passports and some other documentation in the naturalisation process.
The government provides public information about naturalisation procedures and requirements for children through various resources, including through the Government and public websites. Additional information is available for people who are stateless, do not possess the documentation required, and for children.
There is some flexibility in the documentation that must be presented by refugee children in order to acquire Dutch nationality.

Hittebarn

There is a provision in law to grant nationality automatically to foundlings. There is no explicit age limit, but the legislation uses terms such as 'young age' and 'child', which are interpreted to mean under 18.
The law protects a foundling from statelessness if parents are later identified.

Adoption

The law prevents any loss of Dutch nationality as a result of adoption by foreign parent/s leading to statelessness and enables a Dutch child adopted by foreign parent/s to retain Dutch nationality in certain circumstances.
Dutch law distinguishes between 'strong' and 'weak' adoption. An adoption is 'strong' if the legal ties between the child and the birth parents are broken, or 'weak' if they remain. In the latter case, the adopted child becomes a national when acknowledged by a Dutch judge. Although this process is not automatic and there are conditions, there are no reports of any risk of statelessness during the procedure.

Jus sanguinis ('blodets rätt')

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Children with parents of Dutch nationality have access to nationality by descent, but there are discriminatory elements to the provision.
In the case of a Dutch father and a foreign mother, the father must officially acknowledge the child before they reach seven years-old if they are not married. If the Dutch father acknowledges the child at or after the age of seven, they must present DNA evidence of paternity. In practice, Dutch fathers can face difficulties and delays acknowledging their child when the mother does not have residence rights and official identification documents.
If a parent acquires Dutch nationality after acknowledging the child, the child can only apply for Dutch nationality together with the parent if they hold a permanent residence permit immediately prior to the application. If the child is 16 or 17 years old, they are also required to have lived uninterruptedly in the Netherlands for at least three years. This discriminates against the child based on their residence status.

Födelseregistrering

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The law provides for registration of all births on the territory to take place immediately (legally, within three days), but an identification document must be provided by the parents.
If parents do not have lawful residence or identification documents, there are various options as to who can register the birth. If the child is born in hospital, a medical statement can be provided with the date and time of birth and sex of the child. If the mother has no way of identifying herself to be recorded on the birth certificate, the civil registrar can refer the case to the Public Prosecution Service and the birth certificate with her details is drawn up by order and in accordance with their instructions. The father is mentioned on the birth certificate if he has legally acknowledged the child. If the father is not Dutch, the following documents are required: legalised birth certificate; legalised statement of non-marriage or a copy of the marriage certificate; and an identity document.
All children are issued with either an official copy of the birth certificate or an international extract.
The child’s nationality is not recorded on the birth certificate and is determined when the child is formally registered in the Dutch Population Register if they have lawful residence status. Statelessness can be registered without documentary proof if the mother cannot confer her nationality to the child, but there are no safeguards in place to ensure that a child does not remain registered with ‘undetermined nationality’. In 2020, the Human Rights Committee found that the Netherlands had violated a child's rights by leaving him registered with 'nationality unknown', and requested the Netherlands take immediate steps to remedy the case and avoid similar situations in the future.
There are no reports of children being prevented from registering their birth because of their parents’ sexual or gender identity, or whether they were born through surrogacy.
NGOs and lawyers have noted barriers to birth registration for parents who do not have residence status and lack official identity documents, or who are afraid to approach the authorities due to their irregular residence status.
The municipality may pass on information about any change to a population register (BRP) entry for someone legally residing in the country to the immigration authorities, but there are no mandatory reporting requirements at the civil registry or health authorities relating to people who are undocumented.
There is no information about a clear firewall to prohibit the sharing of information by other entities with immigration authorities.
Late registration is possible in law, but there are practical barriers. It is a long process as proof of where the birth took place is required and a DNA test may be necessary. It is often necessary to go to court, which is expensive and takes time. The public prosecutor will be informed of any late registration and parents may be fined.

Minska in situ ('på platsen') statslöshet

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There is no evidence of any proactive government campaigns to promote birth registration.
There are credible reports of low rates of birth registration among Roma communities in the Netherlands as well as survivors of human trafficking and undocumented migrants, due to the registration system being inadequate for these communities. A 2022 report cites some reasons for lack of registration of children: low literacy, being unaware that reporting is mandatory, parents' lack of documents to confirm their identity, discrimination, and exclusion. There can also be distrust of institutions and the lack of involvement of professionals who can report a birth.
With the introduction in 2023 of a procedure to determine statelessness and a pathway for stateless children born in the Netherlands without a residence permit to acquire a nationality, the Dutch Government began to address the problems surrounding identification of stateless people and ensuring children's nationality rights. However, the legislative amendments do not stand up to international norms and good practice on the protection of stateless people and prevention of statelessness.
Positively, in 2023 the Netherlands has withdrawn its reservations to Articles 8 and 26 of the 1954 Convention.

Återkallande av medborgarskap

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There are safeguards to prevent statelessness in most cases in which deprivation of Dutch nationality is permitted, except where nationality was acquired through fraud. In this case, deprivation could lead to statelessness.
There are also safeguards in law and practice to prevent renunciation of nationality from resulting in statelessness.
Deprivation of nationality provisions are applied in practice. There are provisions for deprivation of nationality on national security grounds, but not if this results in statelessness.
There are provisions on deprivation of nationality that permit deprivation only in the case of dual nationals, leading to unequal treatment between those who hold only Dutch nationality and those who hold dual nationality.
The competent authority for deprivation of nationality is the Minister of Justice and Security and there is a right to appeal and to legal aid to challenge the decision.
Nationality of an adult is not lost on the basis that a spouse has been deprived of that nationality. However, a child may lose their nationality if their parent loses it under certain circumstances. There is no absolute safeguard against statelessness for children where the parent’s loss of nationality is a result of fraud. However, careful consideration must be made of the individual interests of the child and statelessness could be considered a disproportionate consequence of the parent’s action given the impact on the child’s right to a nationality.

Resurser

Library of resources, legal instruments, publications and training materials on statelessness, specifically relevant to this country. More regional and international materials, as well as resources from other countries, are available on the Resources library. Domestic case law can be consulted in the Statelessness Case Law Database (with summaries available in English).

Please note that we are in the process of adding new resources, so check back soon.

International and regional treaties

United Nations - Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons (Jan 1954)

Council of Europe - European Convention on Nationality (Nov 1997)

Council of Europe - Convention on the Avoidance of Statelessness in relation to State Succession (Jan 2006)

United Nations - Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness (Jan 1961)

Publications

UNHCR - Mapping Statelessness in the Netherlands (Nov 2011)

ASKV, Defence for Children, ENS & ISI - Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at UPR27 - Netherlands (Sep 2016)

ENS & ISI - Joint Submission for the 72nd session of the Committee against Torture - Netherlands (Jun 2021)

European Network on Statelessness - Statelessness determination and protection in Europe (Sep 2021)

ENS, ASKV, ISI & others - Joint Submission to Dutch Government consultation on new proposal to determine “evident” statelessness (Apr 2022)

ASKV, ENS & ISI - Stap-voor-stap gids voor hulpverleners in contact met staatlozen (NL) (Nov 2018)

ASKV, ENS & ISI - Step-by-step guide for stateless people in the Netherlands (Nov 2018)

ASKV, ENS & ISI - Step-by-step guide for caseworkers in contact with stateless persons (Nov 2018)

ISI, ASKV, ENS - From Syria to Europe: Experiences of Stateless Kurds and Palestinian Refugees from Syria Seeking Protection in Europe (Jan 2019)

ENS - Situation assessment of statelessness, health, and COVID-19 in Europe (Apr 2021)

ENS - Protecting stateless persons from arbitrary detention in the Netherlands (Nov 2015)

ENS, ASKV & Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion - Country Briefing: Statelessness and refugees in the Netherlands (Jun 2019)

ASKV Refugee Support , ENS and the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion (ISI) - Joint submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – Netherlands (Jul 2021)

ENS & Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion - Submissions to the Human Rights Council at the 41st Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) (Apr 2024)

European Network on Statelessness - Thematic briefing: Birth registration and the prevention of statelessness in Europe (Nov 2024)

ASKV/ Refugee Support & ENS - Consultation submission on the proposed statute law for a statelessness determination procedure in the Netherlands (Nov 2016)