Dutch backpay scheme for wartime officials’ spouses opens in February 2027

From 1 February 2027, widows and widowers of former Dutch East Indies government officials and military personnel who did not receive their full salaries during the Second World War will be able to apply for a backpay payment, the Dutch government says. The cabinet approved the scheme on 16 October. [1]

The new scheme extends a 2015 payment programme, which was aimed at the officials and military personnel themselves. Applications will be handled by the Social Insurance Bank (SVB); information on how to apply is due to be published on its website and the government’s website from 1 December 2026. [1]

The government says there is no archive or register identifying everyone who may qualify, so each case will require individual archival research. The scheme will not cover heirs of widows and widowers who have already died, a possibility raised by organisations representing the Indische community but judged impractical to administer. [1]

The scheme follows calls from parliament and Indische and Moluccan communities for individual redress for surviving spouses. Minister for Long-Term Care, Youth and Sport Mirjam Sterk said full redress was impossible because the suffering experienced during and after the war could not be undone. [1]