Any Dutch/American Couples?? [Part II]

[mtempelaar 190]

4 hours ago, Little_Vixen said:

Congrats on the ROC and good luck on the citizenship.

Thank you for dropping in. It's good to be reminded what all were doing this for. 

Good luck to you!  I see you went for the K1.  That means you will be reunited sooner than my husband and I were, but extra steps.   Crossing my fingers for you!

 

A few tips:

1. Remember to keep everything, and for important documents, have multiple copies.   Each step towards citizenship seems to come with the same basic evidence requests:  marriage certificates, tax returns, bank statements/financial docs, passport copies.   I have 2 boxes filled with docs at this point.   When it came time for the N-400, it was easy to pull from my box.
2. Remember to register your marriage in The Netherlands.   My husband took a stack of evidence of marriage to his home town (Zwijndrecht).  A couple of weeks later the marriage was recognized.  You never know what the future holds and that step may make things easier in the future.
3. If going for citizenship in a few years, do NOT let the NL passport expire.  My husband will be a US citizen and a NL citizen.  But if he forgets to renew his NL passport he has told me he may lose Dutch citizenship.  

 

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

3 hours ago, mtempelaar said:

Good luck to you!  I see you went for the K1.  That means you will be reunited sooner than my husband and I were, but extra steps.   Crossing my fingers for you!

 

A few tips:

1. Remember to keep everything, and for important documents, have multiple copies.   Each step towards citizenship seems to come with the same basic evidence requests:  marriage certificates, tax returns, bank statements/financial docs, passport copies.   I have 2 boxes filled with docs at this point.   When it came time for the N-400, it was easy to pull from my box.
2. Remember to register your marriage in The Netherlands.   My husband took a stack of evidence of marriage to his home town (Zwijndrecht).  A couple of weeks later the marriage was recognized.  You never know what the future holds and that step may make things easier in the future.
3. If going for citizenship in a few years, do NOT let the NL passport expire.  My husband will be a US citizen and a NL citizen.  But if he forgets to renew his NL passport he has told me he may lose Dutch citizenship.  

 

Thank you so much! 

I noticed they ask for all the paperwork over and over again, you'd think they'd know my passport number by heart now 

Im sorry you're going through the trouble of keeping his Dutch nationality. I hope things work out for you. I will sure keep that in mind. Thank you!

[Michelle_ 58]

I may be mistaken, but I thought in becoming an American citizen that you automatically give up your'e Dutch nationality. Am I mistaken?

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

23 minutes ago, Michelle_ said:

I may be mistaken, but I thought in becoming an American citizen that you automatically give up your'e Dutch nationality. Am I mistaken?

Not always. You can keep your Dutch nationality under certain conditions. Taking your spouse's nationality is one of them. 

For instance. If you marry on a k1, marry, and go through the whole process  and become a citizen you can choose to keep your Dutch nationality.

But if you divorce sometime before you become a citizen you no longer take on your spouse's nationality and you will give up your Dutch citizenship. 

[Michelle_ 58]

25 minutes ago, Little_Vixen said:

Not always. You can keep your Dutch nationality under certain conditions. Taking your spouse's nationality is one of them. 

For instance. If you marry on a k1, marry, and go through the whole process  and become a citizen you can choose to keep your Dutch nationality.

But if you divorce sometime before you become a citizen you no longer take on your spouse's nationality and you will give up your Dutch citizenship. 

Thanks for your'e reply. My fiance is Dutch, we were planning on him keeping his citizenship if we wanted at a later time to live there. I thought I understood reading quite alot last year about citizenship. I was looking into acquiring a German citizenship,  as my father was born there. But he became a US citizen  before I was born , so not possible.. Do you have a link with youre information? Thanks!!

Edited May 3, 2018 by Michelle_

[Little_Vixen 1,869]

10 minutes ago, Michelle_ said:

Thanks for your'e reply. My fiance is Dutch, we were planning on him keeping his citizenship if we wanted at a later time to live there. I thought I understood reading quite alot last year about citizenship. I was looking into acquiring a German citizenship,  as my father was born there. But he became a US citizen  before I was born , so not possible.. Do you have a link with youre information? Thanks!!

 

I do, but only in Dutch.

 

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/nederlandse-nationaliteit/nederlandse-nationaliteit-verliezen

Quote

Er zijn ook uitzonderingssituaties, waarbij u wel Nederlander blijft. Zo raken Nederlanders hun nationaliteit niet kwijt wanneer zij vrijwillig de nationaliteit van hun huwelijks- of geregistreerde partner aannemen.

 

Transl.: There are exceptions where you keep your Dutch citizenship. Dutch nationals will not lose their nationality when they voluntarily take the nationality of their married or registered partner.

 

More questions and answers on losing your nationality:

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/nederlandse-nationaliteit/documenten/publicaties/2017/10/05/meest-gestelde-vragen-over-verlies-nederlandse-nationaliteit

 

[Michelle_ 58]

21 minutes ago, Little_Vixen said:

 

I do, but only in Dutch.

 

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/nederlandse-nationaliteit/nederlandse-nationaliteit-verliezen

 

More questions and answers on losing your nationality:

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/nederlandse-nationaliteit/documenten/publicaties/2017/10/05/meest-gestelde-vragen-over-verlies-nederlandse-nationaliteit

 

Heel erg bedankt!

[Michelle_ 58]

21 minutes ago, Little_Vixen said:

 

I do, but only in Dutch.

 

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/nederlandse-nationaliteit/nederlandse-nationaliteit-verliezen

 

More questions and answers on losing your nationality:

https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/nederlandse-nationaliteit/documenten/publicaties/2017/10/05/meest-gestelde-vragen-over-verlies-nederlandse-nationaliteit

 

Heel erg bedankt!

[mtempelaar 190]

Some info in English:

 

• Dutch citizen doesn't lose nationality by taking nationality of spouse: https://ind.nl/en/dutch-citizenship/Pages/Loss-and-the-revoking-of-Dutch-nationality.aspx

• Quote

  Loss of Dutch nationality: adults

   You will not lose your Dutch nationality when one of the following situations applies to you:

  you are married to or have a registered partnership with someone who has the nationality you voluntarily take.

   

• USC taking Dutch citizenship does not have to renounce citizenship of US:  https://ind.nl/en/Pages/Renouncing-your-current-nationality.aspx?pk_campaign=funnel-citizenship&pk_kwd=renounce-nationality  

• Quote

  When do I not have to renounce my nationality?

  You are married to or are the registered partner of a Dutch citizen.

  For the US citizens wanting to get Dutch citizenship: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/travel-legal-considerations/Advice-about-Possible-Loss-of-US-Nationality-Dual-Nationality/Dual-Nationality.html

• Quote

  U.S. law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one nationality or another. A U.S. citizen may naturalize in a foreign state without any risk to his or her U.S. citizenship. However, persons who acquire a foreign nationality after age 18 by applying for it may relinquish their U.S. nationality if they wish to do so. 

  Same page about foreign nationals getting US citizenship but keeping dual citizenship:

• Quote

   Or, an individual having one nationality at birth may naturalize at a later date in another country and become a dual national. 

   

Over time these laws could change, but this is what it is right now according to US and Netherlands government websites.

 

Edited May 3, 2018 by mtempelaar

[mtempelaar 190]

Follow up to my last post - before attempting citizenship on either side, I recommend speaking with a lawyer.   For the US: the Immigration and Naturalization Act wording has a contradiction with State Department Guidelines.  That's because the government lost a lawsuit in the Supreme Court in the 60s but still remains relatively adverse to dual citizenship.   With Trump in office, who knows what will happen.   But Netherlands right now doesn't recognize the US Oath of Allegiance to be binding.  That also could change.  

[Michelle_ 58]

4 minutes ago, mtempelaar said:

Follow up to my last post - before attempting citizenship on either side, I recommend speaking with a lawyer.   For the US: the Immigration and Naturalization Act wording has a contradiction with State Department Guidelines.  That's because the government lost a lawsuit in the Supreme Court in the 60s but still remains relatively adverse to dual citizenship.   With Trump in office, who knows what will happen.   But Netherlands right now doesn't recognize the US Oath of Allegiance to be binding.  That also could change.  

Thank you,  I agree with you're statement about speaking with a lawyer in regards to obtaining citizenship. The wording is complicated, also have seen contradictions.  I read as well that the US doesnt recognize a dual ciizenship.

-  Helps enormously getting advice from others that have gone through all this.

 

[mtempelaar 190]

3 hours ago, Michelle_ said:

Thank you,  I agree with you're statement about speaking with a lawyer in regards to obtaining citizenship. The wording is complicated, also have seen contradictions.  I read as well that the US doesnt recognize a dual ciizenship.

-  Helps enormously getting advice from others that have gone through all this.

 

They recognize it under certain conditions, mainly because they lost a court case in 1967, but they discourage it.   I certainly won't be advertising it for us!

[Dutchster 1,106]

I personally don't think a lawyer is needed when gaining American citizenship. I won't be using one, seen enough people successfully keep their Dutch nationality as long as you keep renewing your passport in time. Since 2014, they don't register if you have a double nationality anymore or what you nationality you gained.

Edited May 4, 2018 by Dutchster

[Dutchster 1,106]

I'd also like to add that "with trump in office" is such a well-used sentence in the immigration world to kind of scare where no scare is needed (as of right now). Trump can't do anything to certain rules, the USCIS is not government funded.

[NL-SANDIEGO 11]

Hey everyone!

 

here a dutchie who is going to move to San Diego. I haven't been very active here, since I wasn't that aware of all of the action here. We filed our I-129 in September, got our noa2 on 30-03 and I filled out the DS-160 a few days later. Now I'm still waiting for my package 3. Hopefully everything went well and I'll receive my package very soon. 

 

Nice to mee you,

 

Emmy