{"id":908696,"date":"2026-05-27T14:14:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/branko-made-a-hard-choice-to-sacrifice-his-citizenship-these-aussies-hope-to-get-theirs-back\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T14:14:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:14:29","slug":"branko-made-a-hard-choice-to-sacrifice-his-citizenship-these-aussies-hope-to-get-theirs-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/27\/branko-made-a-hard-choice-to-sacrifice-his-citizenship-these-aussies-hope-to-get-theirs-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Branko made a hard choice to sacrifice his citizenship. These Aussies hope to get theirs back"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<section>\n<h2>In Brief<\/h2>\n<ul data-testid=\"highlights\">\n<li>Since 1893, the Netherlands has made it very difficult for its citizens to hold two passports.<\/li>\n<li>Thousands of Dutch nationals have automatically lost their citizenship, sometimes without them knowing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<p><b><span>Branko Dijkstra says he&#8217;s &#8220;never looked back&#8221; after moving to Australia from the Netherlands, but he says it was &#8220;emotional&#8221; being forced to give up his Dutch identity.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>He emigrated to Australia with his Dutch wife and two sons in 2005, when the boys were around six months old.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In 2011, he made the difficult choice to &#8220;sacrifice&#8221; his own Dutch citizenship for his children, so that they had the option of a guaranteed future in Australia. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;If you are under the age of 18 when you take on another nationality, you can keep your Dutch citizenship, so they became Australian when I became Australian, and were able to keep their Dutch passports,&#8221; he said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;I know what I&#8217;m doing in my life, while they are young and they have no idea where they&#8217;re gonna end up, so me becoming Australian was a way of opening up the whole world for them, and for giving them a home here.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"embedded-newsletter\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><h2>News that makes sense<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><svg viewBox=\"0 0 141 35\"><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path fill=\"#2E2E2E\" fill-rule=\"nonzero\" d=\"M138.770007,18.6462974 C138.686798,16.4844989 137.034065,15.5145147 135.050578,15.5145147 C133.509137,15.5145147 131.691027,16.1245478 131.691027,17.9808066 C131.691027,19.532572 133.454011,20.0871476 134.637655,20.3874555 L136.951897,20.9106401 C138.935384,21.2161799 141,22.3755569 141,24.8732399 C141,27.9767706 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5.02345678 6.26891191 5.02345678 6.26891191 5.02345678 3.80066463 7.13733475 1.84182795 11.5861005-.116676222 16.0348662.00136604934 19.2590473.00136604934 19.2590473.00136604934 19.2590473 2.00076937 17.5458111 3.82859576 13.9603956 1.7490567 19.2774374 1.8850547 23.0083318 1.8850547 23.0083318 1.8850547 23.0083318 4.66519958 20.6258269 7.15905039 15.6365231 4.24989029 22.9459368 4.43875793 28.0984528 4.43875793 28.0984528 4.43875793 28.0984528 8.29292123 24.7970989 11.6935362 17.8755196 7.64385499 27.9030578 7.90288296 35 7.90288296 35 7.90288296 35 13.9719183 29.8028223 18.787378 18.8656302 23.6028376 7.92810967 23.3122209 0 23.3122209 0\" \/><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n<p>Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>But that didn&#8217;t mean it wasn&#8217;t an emotional choice to renounce his Dutch citizenship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;Doing the paperwork was all very logical, but at the citizenship ceremony I actually felt, that was actually a thing,  a marker in life \u2014 there was a before and an after and it would make a difference,&#8221; Dijkstra said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;It was emotional.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dijkstra&#8217;s story is a common one, of Dutch citizens emigrating but having to sacrifice their connection to their home country in order to stay in their new home. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After more than 130 years, the Netherlands is set to debate its strict approach to dual nationality in parliament next month, giving thousands of former Dutch citizens hope they might one day be able to call their country home. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Unlike other European nations, the Dutch government has held onto colonial-era laws that mean its citizens can automatically lose their passports if they take up a second one. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;It happens by the thousands,&#8221; Eelco Keij, president of the Foundation for Dutch Nationals Abroad, said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Dutch one day, but not the next, without any notification and little chance of appeal. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;People can find out years later they are no longer citizens,&#8221; Keij said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Last year, a Dutch Nobel Prize-winning physicist learned that he was no longer a Dutch citizen after he had taken up British citizenship to receive a knighthood 13 years prior. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Netherlands has also recently been gripped by a so-called &#8216;passportgate&#8217; scandal, after it was revealed a Dutch footballer with Indonesian ancestry had taken up an Indonesian passport to secure himself a spot on the former Dutch colony&#8217;s national squad in 2025. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Unknown to him and his team, this meant that he had automatically forfeited his Dutch citizenship and had therefore become ineligible to play Dutch domestic football without a work permit. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Some 25 players \u2014 who accepted offers to play for Indonesia, Surname and Cape Verde \u2014 were affected by the revelation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A tribunal ruled out 133 games having to be replayed because ineligible players had taken part, in a case brought by opponents hoping to catch other teams out. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure data-testid=\"embeded-image\"><img alt=\"A man with dark, wire-rimmed glasses smiles. You can see bottles of wine and restaurant tables behind him. \" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1173\" height=\"738\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\"   src=\"https:\/\/assets.sbs.com.au\/02\/9d\/1d703fbc445d8a77a96c943e7066\/dutch2-2.jpg?imwidth=1280\"><figcaption>Eelco Keij is a dual American-Dutch citizen who is advocating for the modernisation of the Netherlands&#8217; citizenship laws. Source: SBS News \/ Eelco Keij<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>&#8220;The players will probably be able to get their citizenship back \u2014 they will have to get work permits and then live in the country for a year,&#8221; Keij said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;It&#8217;s annoying but solvable. For many people this happens to though, returning to the Netherlands is much less easy and people can lose their Dutch citizenship for life.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He said there were several exceptions \u2014 marrying someone from another country is one, and being under the age of 18 is another \u2014 but for many people, taking on a new passport means they automatically lose their Dutch passport. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Getting a passport back is also very difficult, with Dutch data showing only 4 per cent of applicants are successful. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-testid=\"embed-heading\">Politics at play<\/h2>\n<p><span>According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 49,000 Australian citizens were born in the Netherlands. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Many of them have had to choose between the country they were born in and the country they now live in, unlike other immigrants who are able to keep their original passport when they become Australian. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Keij \u2014 whose organisation has been advocating for changes to the laws for several years \u2014 said Dijkstra&#8217;s case is typical. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;They don&#8217;t want to come back but for them it&#8217;s an identity issue and we think thing they owe something to people who involuntarily lost their Dutch citizenship.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He said in the 19th century the Dutch approach was common across European colonisers, who prioritised loyalty to nation states above all else.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But while other countries neighbouring the Netherlands \u2014 including Germany, Denmark and Belgium \u2014 have updated their laws, he said there had been &#8220;strong resistance&#8221; in the Netherlands. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Of the 195 countries recognised by the UN, 120 allow for multiple citizenships. In Europe, only the Netherlands and Austria are holdouts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>He said the country&#8217;s parties were divided, and like most European countries, the Netherlands had <\/span><a data-variant=\"textBodyLink\" data-clickevent=\"{\"elementType\":\"LinkEmbed\",\"clickURL\":\"\/news\/article\/dutch-centrist-rob-jetten-claims-knife-edge-election-win\/le15z50rl\",\"clickType\":\"clickSource\"}\" target=\"_self\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/article\/dutch-centrist-rob-jetten-claims-knife-edge-election-win\/le15z50rl\"><span>seen surge in far-right parties<\/span><\/a><span>, making any changes to immigration politically difficult, but he was nonetheless hopeful. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;We are not there yet, but for the first time it will be discussed in parliament next month, which is a huge step forward,&#8221; Keij said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;The parties are still divided but it&#8217;s a big step forward.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>His hope is that any changes to Dutch citizenship laws would make it easier for people who have lost their passports to get them back. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In 2025, Canada and South Africa both restored citizenship status to those who had lost it. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2 data-testid=\"embed-heading\">Feeling left out<\/h2>\n<p><span>For Adriana van Bockel, giving up her Dutch citizenship wasn&#8217;t a choice. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure data-testid=\"embeded-image\"><img alt=\"dutch 3.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"799\" height=\"599\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\"   src=\"https:\/\/assets.sbs.com.au\/ff\/4a\/8e4f5b0c4f1ba52b51d3fe495943\/dutch-3.jpg?imwidth=1280\"><figcaption>Source: SBS News \/ Andrea Van Bockel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>She was two when her family emigrated to Australia and 11 when she became an Australian citizen, losing her Dutch passport under legislation at the time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;We didn&#8217;t think much about it then, but losing my Dutch citizenship has been quite sad,&#8221; she said. <\/span><\/p>\n<figure data-testid=\"embeded-image\"><img alt=\"A grainy black and white photo showing four adults and three babies on the steps of an aeroplane. \" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"351\" height=\"269\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\"   src=\"https:\/\/assets.sbs.com.au\/d9\/1b\/94a36fa64e06a20fa5f9470b6f1a\/dutch-2.jpg?imwidth=1280\"><figcaption>Adriana van Bockel arrived in Australia in 1952 at the age of two. Source: SBS News \/ Adriana van Bockel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span>She ended up marrying a fellow Dutch immigrant, and they have had three children. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Everyone in her immediate family \u2014 including her grandchildren \u2014 is Dutch, except for her. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;I&#8217;m culturally Dutch, I can be understood in Dutch, we eat Dutch foods \u2014 but I feel a bit left out,&#8221; she said. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;It would really mean a lot to me if I could be a Dutch citizen again.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span>This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Dutch.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><b><i><span>For the latest from SBS News, <\/span><\/i><\/b><a data-variant=\"textBodyLink\" data-clickevent=\"{\"elementType\":\"LinkEmbed\",\"clickURL\":\"https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/sbs-news-app?cid=sbsnews:cm:editorial:aw:election2025:appush:hi\",\"clickType\":\"clickSource\"}\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/sbs-news-app?cid=sbsnews:cm:editorial:aw:election2025:appush:hi\"><span><b><i>download our app<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><span> <\/span><b><i><span>and <\/span><\/i><\/b><a data-variant=\"textBodyLink\" data-clickevent=\"{\"elementType\":\"LinkEmbed\",\"clickURL\":\"https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/news-newsletter-sign-up?cid=sbsnews:cm:editorial:aw:election2025:newsletterpush:hi\",\"clickType\":\"clickSource\"}\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/news-newsletter-sign-up?cid=sbsnews:cm:editorial:aw:election2025:newsletterpush:hi\"><span><b><i>subscribe to our newsletter<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/a><b><i><span>.<\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> Jeanice Stoval <br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbs.com.au\/news\/article\/dutch-passports-rule-catching-out-australians\/1y74iljof\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Brief Since 1893, the Netherlands has made it very difficult for its citizens to hold two passports. Thousands of Dutch nationals have automatically lost their citizenship, sometimes without them knowing. Branko Dijkstra says he&#8217;s &#8220;never looked back&#8221; after moving to Australia from the Netherlands, but he says it was &#8220;emotional&#8221; being forced to give<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":908697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[149796,22811],"tags":[149795,11865],"class_list":["post-908696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-branko","category-choice","tag-branko","tag-choice"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=908696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/908696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/908697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=908696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=908696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=908696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}