Dual nationality and Tanzania: what happens to your Dutch citizenship
Tanzania does not allow dual nationality. Anyone who wants to become Tanzanian must give up Dutch nationality after living in Tanzania for at least seven years. For Dutch nationals on Zanzibar, a residence permit is therefore the route, not a Tanzanian passport.
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Tanzania does not allow dual nationality. An adult who wants to become Tanzanian must renounce his other nationality. And the Netherlands then lets you go: anyone who voluntarily acquires another nationality loses Dutch citizenship under section 15 of the Netherlands Nationality Act. For anyone moving to Zanzibar, a residence permit is therefore the route, not a Tanzanian passport. With a residence permit you simply remain Dutch.
Tanzania arranges nationality, also for Zanzibar. The rules are in the Tanzania Citizenship Act.
What happens in your situation?
| Situation | Tanzanian side | Dutch side |
|---|---|---|
| You live on Zanzibar with a residence permit | no consequences | you remain Dutch |
| Dutch national who naturalises after years on Zanzibar | renounce, no later than 28 days after approval | you lose Dutch citizenship |
| Dutch woman married to a Tanzanian | naturalisation possible during her husband's lifetime, with renunciation of her other nationality | the exception for partners does not help, because Tanzania demands renunciation |
| Dutch man married to a Tanzanian woman | no separate route, only ordinary naturalisation | you lose Dutch citizenship |
| Child of Dutch parents born on Zanzibar | Tanzanian by birth under the law, until 18 | Dutch by descent |
| Tanzanian who became Dutch | no longer Tanzanian | you remain Dutch |
What does Tanzania require for naturalisation?
A lot of time. Under the Second Schedule of the Citizenship Act you must:
- have lived in Tanzania without interruption for the last twelve months before your application;
- have lived in Tanzania for at least seven years in total in the ten years before that;
- speak adequate Swahili or English;
- be of good character, and contribute to the country;
- intend to stay for good.
On applying you pay USD 1,500, which you do not get back. The Tanzanian embassy in The Hague mentions USD 5,000 in total: USD 1,500 on filing and USD 3,500 after approval. On Zanzibar you file the application through the sheha, the head of your ward. The file then goes through the Commissioner of Immigration Zanzibar to the office of the Second Vice President of Zanzibar.
A woman married to a Tanzanian can naturalise during her husband's lifetime without those years of residence (section 11). For a foreign man with a Tanzanian wife, the law has no such route.
Do you really lose your Dutch citizenship?
Yes. When you apply, you declare in writing that you renounce your other nationality, and you take an oath of allegiance (section 9, subsection 3). After approval you have 28 days to prove that renunciation. If you do not, your application lapses (section 12, subsection 2).
The Dutch Nationality Act has three exceptions to the loss: you were born in the country and live there, you lived there for five years in a row before turning eighteen, or you are married to someone who has that nationality. Without renunciation you would remain Dutch in those cases. But Tanzania itself demands the renunciation, and that is how you lose your Dutch citizenship after all.
For a Dutch national on Zanzibar, naturalising is a choice between two passports, never a second passport on top. Ask the IND for certainty before you file the application.
What applies to the children?
A child with a Dutch father or mother is Dutch, also when born abroad (section 3 of the Nationality Act). On the Tanzanian side, section 5 of the Citizenship Act says that anyone born in Tanzania is Tanzanian. The law only makes an exception for children of diplomats and in case of enemy occupation. How the immigration service applies this to a child of two foreign parents is not in any official explanation. Ask when you register the birth.
If a child has two nationalities, under section 7 of the Citizenship Act it is no longer Tanzanian at eighteen, unless it renounced the other nationality before then. A child with a Tanzanian parent is also Tanzanian when born outside Tanzania (section 6).
If a Dutch parent naturalises and a minor child is included, the child loses Dutch citizenship, but not as long as the other parent is Dutch (section 16 of the Nationality Act).
How do you keep your Dutch passport valid?
With only Dutch nationality, you do not lose it by living on Zanzibar for a long time. You renew your passport or ID card at the Dutch embassy in Dar es Salaam, by appointment. A passport for an adult costs € 169.15 there, for a child € 147.40. Plan the appointment well before your passport expires.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 1 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Zanzibar or look inside the open plan first.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Tanzania Citizenship Act (Cap. 357, revised edition 2023), sections 5 to 12 and the Second Schedule — birth, dual nationality and naturalisation — immigration.go.tz
- Tanzanian embassy in The Hague — permits and naturalisation, with the fees — nl.tzembassy.go.tz
- Netherlands Nationality Act, sections 3, 15 and 16 — child of a Dutch national, loss and minors — wetten.overheid.nl
- IND — dual nationality, and when you lose Dutch citizenship automatically — ind.nl
- IND — losing Dutch nationality, the three exceptions (updated 18 August 2026) — ind.nl
- NederlandWereldwijd — making an appointment in Tanzania, for a passport and ID card at the embassy in Dar es Salaam — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
- NederlandWereldwijd — what a passport or ID card costs if you live abroad — nederlandwereldwijd.nl
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