On 20 May 2020, the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council of State determined that the consequences of the automatic loss of Dutch citizenship due to the acquisition of another nationality must also be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

In an earlier case, the Council of State ruled that Dutch citizens with dual nationality who automatically lost their Dutch citizenship after having resided abroad for ten years, may regain their Dutch citizenship with retroactive effect, if the consequences of the loss are disproportionate from the point of view of EU law at the time of loss.

This proportionality test now also applies to those who have lost their Dutch citizenship by acquiring another non-EU nationality. Read more about the proportionality test in our blog.