SVB refutes reports of Natio players losing Dutch citizenship after legal amendment

According to the football association, the cases currently being discussed in the media concern players who obtained Surinamese nationality before the legislative amendment. The SVB stresses that, so far, no cases are known in which a player has lost Dutch nationality under the new arrangement.

In an official statement on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, the SVB responds to reports on the nationality problems faced by several Surinamese internationals. The issue has again received attention after Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that footballers with both Dutch and Surinamese roots still run the risk of losing their Dutch nationality when they obtain Surinamese nationality.

The SVB states that the reporting makes insufficient distinction between the old and the new nationality arrangements. According to the association, the players currently facing nationality problems were affected by the situation that existed before the legislative amendment.

These players are said to have applied for Surinamese nationality at the time through an earlier procedure and on the basis of what the SVB says was incorrect legal advice. The football association states that these problems were an important reason for amending the law.

SVB points to automatic acquisition of nationality

According to the SVB, the new arrangement differs fundamentally from the earlier procedure. Under the amended law, a player does not have to apply for Surinamese nationality personally or sign documents for it, according to the association.

According to the SVB, Surinamese nationality is acquired by operation of law, by decision of the president and in the national interest. The association says this means there is no voluntary acceptance of another nationality.

This distinction is important because voluntarily obtaining another nationality may, in principle, lead to the loss of Dutch nationality under Dutch legislation, unless a statutory exception applies.

The SVB therefore sees an important legal difference between the new arrangement and the old procedure.

Dutch authorities assess cases individually

However, the SVB’s explanation does not mean that the new arrangement automatically provides protection against the loss of Dutch nationality.

According to earlier NOS reporting, the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security has indicated that the consequences of the Surinamese arrangement for Dutch nationality are assessed on a case-by-case basis under Dutch nationality legislation.

According to the ministry, the mere fact that Surinamese nationality is acquired by operation of law is not sufficient to automatically fall under a statutory exception category.

The SVB, in turn, stresses that so far no court ruling or government decision is known establishing that a player has lost Dutch nationality under the new arrangement.

The football association regards this as an important distinction from the problems that occurred under the earlier procedure.

Legal support for affected players

The SVB says it is providing legal support to players who lost their Dutch nationality under the old arrangement in efforts to regain their Dutch nationality.

According to the association, one of the internationals involved has since also publicly confirmed this legal support.

“We do not abandon anyone who has played for Suriname with pride,” the SVB said.

For new players who choose Natio, now competing under the name The Green Guardians, a different procedure is being followed, according to the football association. This is said to have been carefully designed and to take place under the SVB’s full legal guidance.

The association believes that reporting suggesting that the new arrangement has the same consequences as the old procedure causes unnecessary concern among players considering representing Suriname.

Legal uncertainty not yet fully removed

Although the SVB stresses that no cases of loss of nationality are known under the new arrangement, the question remains how Dutch authorities will legally assess this construction in individual situations.

The absence of known cases in which players have lost their Dutch nationality under the new arrangement does not in itself guarantee that this cannot happen in the future.

The issue therefore remains important for footballers with Dutch nationality who want to represent Suriname, especially as the national squad continues to strengthen with players of Surinamese descent from abroad.

The SVB calls on journalists to handle reporting on the nationality issue carefully, given the potential personal consequences for the players involved. Players and parents with questions can contact the football association directly.

The SVB is thus responding directly to concerns raised earlier in the day in a Key News publication on the passport issue.

According to the Dutch national government, voluntarily obtaining another nationality may lead to the automatic loss of Dutch nationality. The question of whether the new Surinamese arrangement is regarded as voluntary acquisition in individual cases therefore remains legally relevant.