Kris is ‘the’ Specialist Dutch Nationality Lawyer (jurist) and the founder of this firm. Most of what reaches him is Dutch nationality/citizenship, and the immigration questions that come attached to it. He has a particular love for the repair of a Dutch nationality that was lost, and for EU Freedom of Movement rights and the residence permits that follow from them.
What people bring him
- “I think I may still be Dutch, and nobody will tell me either way.”
- “I lost it without being told, and I want it back.”
- “My application was refused and the letter explains nothing.”
- “My partner is not an EU national and we want to live in the Netherlands.”
- “I am a lawyer, and there is a nationality question in this file I cannot answer.”
Where it comes from
Kris worked for the Dutch government as a consular officer. He was trained the old-fashioned way, by an old consul with a couple of shelves full of law books and people waiting at the counter — a different education from reading the statute at a desk. Other lawyers call him an ervaringsdeskundige, an expert by experience: he has been the migrant and the expat himself, in the Netherlands, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, across Schengen and the EU, and to some extent in Thailand and the United States. He is Dutch, Australian and British, and works between the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
Who asks him
Dutch and foreign lawyers, not-for-profit foundations, government, politicians, a university, and individuals. Over the years others began describing him as a leading expert on Dutch nationality law and its history.
What he is after
“The injustice of it all and my own values and sense of morality”, and a very personal motivation as well. The aim he gave this firm is a plain one: that families and the people they love should not be separated by borders and nationalities, and that we help people towards nationality, liberty and security — the security of a family life across borders.
Passports are now decided centrally in The Hague, and embassies only take the applications in. On what that cost us, read what was lost when consular work moved to The Hague.
Starting with Kris
Write where you were born, where you live now, and what you are trying to achieve. That is usually enough for him to tell you where you stand. Contact Kris and the team here.