WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao has submitted a concrete proposal aimed at helping people who lost their Dutch nationality while they were minors as a result of decisions made by their parents. The Netherlands, Aruba and Sint Maarten must now determine whether Curaçao’s proposed solution is legally and practically feasible.
The issue has been under discussion within the Kingdom since Curaçao formally raised it during the Four-Country Justice Consultation (JVO) held in Sint Maarten in January 2026.
At the time, Curaçao drew attention to people who lost their Dutch citizenship through actions taken by their parents while they were still children. The Curaçao government argued that these individuals were left to bear significant legal consequences for decisions over which they had no control.
The four countries agreed in January to jointly examine possible solutions and continue discussions at the administrative level.
The matter returned to the JVO agenda at Curaçao’s request during the September 3 meeting. It was subsequently discussed separately with the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security.
Those discussions have now resulted in Curaçao presenting its own proposed way forward.
The Curaçao Ministry of Justice has not disclosed the details of the proposal because the other countries have not yet formally taken a position on it.
Existing Dutch nationality legislation already contains procedures through which Dutch citizenship can be regained under certain circumstances. It is therefore possible that a special or expanded restoration procedure could form part of a solution, although Curaçao’s Ministry of Justice has not confirmed that this is what it has proposed.
There is also no final agreement yet.
The Netherlands in particular must assess whether Curaçao’s proposal can be implemented in practice. The Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) is expected to play an important role in that assessment.
The countries are also examining the scale and nature of the problem elsewhere in the Kingdom.
According to Curaçao’s Justice Ministry, there is broad agreement that a solution should be found as soon as possible because the people affected suffered the consequences of decisions taken by their parents when they were minors.
The loss of Dutch nationality can have far-reaching legal consequences, making the matter more than simply an administrative issue.
With a concrete Curaçao proposal now on the table, the next step will be for the other Kingdom countries to determine whether it can provide a workable route for restoring the position of those affected.