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Dual citizenship for child?

Last activity 17 October 2017 by Cynic

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amandaelaine

Hi everyone. My daughter was born in Ireland in 2016, where we are still currently living. My husband is Dutch, and I am Canadian. She currently is a Dutch citizen and holds a Dutch passport. However, we plan to move back to Canada next year, and I want to get her Canadian citizenship as soon as I can. Is this possible? I know there are strict rules on dual citizens!

Cynic

Hi and welcome to the Forum. :)

I'm a Brit (actually dual citizen US/UK), my wife is Dutch; all 3 of our kids hold both Dutch and British passports on the basis of our respective nationalities; so it's possible.  I know that people who are applying for Dutch citizenship are required to give up their current nationality, but it's different in your case as your daughter's Dutch citizenship is a right from having a Dutch father.

My advice is to speak to the Canadian Embassy about registering her birth as a Canadian citizen (from having a Canadian mother) and apply for her passport; their phone number in Dublin is 01 234 4000.

My advice regarding her Dutch passport; never give it up (so keep renewing it), you never know when she'll need it.

Hope this helps.

Cynic
Expat Team

WelshMedic

Agree with the above. Never give a passport up, if not required. I've been here in NL for the last 24 years. About 18 years ago I applied for Dutch citizenship. This was in the time that the Dutch government required you to relinquish your own passport in order to gain a Dutch one. I, naively, give up a perfectly good UK passport. I then went on to have children who, because of my actions, were never entitled to a UK passport.

I never thought it would be a problem as I wasn't planning to return anyway.. And then Brexit came along....

RezaKha

Hi Cynic. I posted a very similar query this morning before reading your response. So no questions were asked when you applied for your children's Dutch passports?

Cynic

RezaKha wrote:

Hi Cynic. I posted a very similar query this morning before reading your response. So no questions were asked when you applied for your children's Dutch passports?


No, they've had them since birth.

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