I'm a Dutch citizen with a passport and also an Iranian citizen. I would like to visit the USA. I have not been in iran for 5 years. Can I enter the USA?
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I thought the Netherlands didn't recognise dual nationality. So in case you are Iranian and became a Dutch citizen, you'd have ceased to be a citizen of Iran. I don't know in case you are Dutch and became a citizen of Iran, but I think your Dutch passport would no longer be valid. Or is this incorrect?– P VargaMay 6, 2019 at 6:05
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6@ᆼᆺᆼ Netherlands does recognise dual nationality, but it's complicated. They want their citizens to have 1 nationality, so you have to lose the 'old' nationality upon becoming Dutch, but there are exceptions, like being born in Netherlands with multiple nationalities, or being Iranian before naturalization, two situations that could have applied to the question-asker. See: rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/nederlandse-nationaliteit/… and ind.nl/paginas/afstand-nationaliteit.aspx– BelleMay 6, 2019 at 7:01
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2@ᆼᆺᆼ there are countries that don't allow giving up their citizenship, like Morocco and indeed Iran. Hence the exceptions.– jwentingMay 6, 2019 at 11:16
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2@ᆼᆺᆼ People can lose their nationality automatically by naturalizing somewhere only if the law of the old nationality provides for that to happen. The new country's law can only require people to renounce the old nationality as a requirement for naturalizing. The Netherlands has both rules, though both have exceptions. But it's also possible to be a dual national from birth, in which case none of this applies; the Netherlands does not prohibit that, though people in that situation can lose their Dutch nationality under certain circumstances.– phoogMay 6, 2019 at 15:17
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1@Belle-Sophie being born with multiple nationalities does not depend on the place of birth in Dutch law. A child of a Dutch citizen born in Canada or the US, for example, is a dual national from birth (unless the parent has diplomatic immunity in the country of birth). The child of an Iranian father and Dutch mother born in one of those countries would have three nationalities.– phoogMay 6, 2019 at 15:18
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2 Answers
In general, Dutch citizens are able to use the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to enter the US, which would require obtaining an ESTA before travel.
However under the "Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015", the US added additional restrictions to the VWP program, and people that are nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria are no longer eligible to enter the US under the VWP - regardless of any other citizenship they hold.
If you do apply for an ESTA, you will be required to state your additional citizenship, and as a result your ESTA will be denied. Without an ESTA, you can not travel to the US using the VWP.
The only alternative that is available to you is to apply for a US Visa at a US Consulate. If a visa is approved, then you will be able to travel to the US.
Yes, you can travel to the US with your Dutch passport. You cannot use the visa waiver program, however, and therefore you should not apply for ESTA. Instead, you need a visa.
