She had been receiving a widow’s pension since 2015: an anonymous tip uncovers her divorce in Morocco

It all began on April 27, 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 stated that the divorce had been registered on July 1, 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 retroactively 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 District Court in December 2025. The judges found at the time that the SVB had not sufficiently demonstrated that the document had indeed been entered in the Moroccan records, a condition necessary 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 August 6, 2026, the Centrale Raad van Beroep held that the notation 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 former husband’s death and must be recognized in the Netherlands.

The woman argued that registration with the civil registry in her place of birth was also necessary. The argument was rejected, as there was no legal text or document supporting it.

She also claimed that she was still living as part of a household with her ex-husband when he died. But the investigation showed that she had been staying in the Netherlands only very rarely 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 toward her personally had been imposed on the ex-husband.

The withdrawal of the benefit from October 2015 is therefore upheld. However, the SVB has not yet decided whether it will seek repayment of all the amounts paid. If such a claim is made, the Moroccan woman may initiate new proceedings.