She had been receiving a widow’s pension since 2015: an anonymous tip uncovers her divorce in Morocco
A Moroccan woman living in Morocco had been receiving a Dutch benefit since October 2015 following the death of her former husband. Four years later, an anonymous tip revealed that they had already been divorced. The courts have just upheld the retroactive withdrawal of the benefit.
It all began on 27 April 2019. The Dutch Social Security Bank (SVB) received an anonymous tip claiming that the beneficiary had divorced in Morocco before the death of the man she had presented as her husband.
The investigation uncovered a translation of the Moroccan document. It indicated that the divorce had been registered on 1 July 2015 in the records of a court of first instance in Morocco. Yet, since October of the same year, the woman had been receiving a survivor’s benefit under the Dutch ANW law.
In September 2019, the SVB therefore cancelled her entitlement from the date it began. After several years of administrative proceedings, her appeal was definitively rejected in April 2024.
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However, the Moroccan woman achieved an initial victory before the Amsterdam court in December 2025. The judges then found that the SVB had not sufficiently demonstrated that the document had indeed been entered in the Moroccan records, a necessary condition for the divorce to produce its full legal effects.
The Moroccan registration changes the course of the case
The highest Dutch court with jurisdiction over social matters has now overturned that decision. In its ruling of 6 August 2026, the Centrale Raad van Beroep held that the entry appearing on the document was already sufficient to prove its registration.
Two additional investigations have since confirmed this information: a report drawn up in March 2025 and a verification carried out in Morocco by the Dutch social attaché in January 2026. In the judges’ view, the divorce had therefore been finalized under Moroccan law before the death of the former husband and must be recognized in the Netherlands.
The woman argued that registration with the civil registry of her place of birth was also necessary. The argument was dismissed, as there was no text or document to support it.
She also claimed that she still formed a household with her ex-husband when he died. But the investigation showed that she had only rarely stayed in the Netherlands since mid-2013.
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A former wife may nevertheless receive the ANW benefit if the deceased was required to pay her alimony. However, the divorce document provided only for a contribution toward the children. No financial obligation was imposed on the ex-husband toward her personally.
The withdrawal of the benefit from October 2015 is therefore confirmed. The SVB has not yet decided whether it will seek repayment of all the sums paid. If such a demand is made, the Moroccan woman may initiate new proceedings.