Dutch motivational speaker Emile Ratelband may feel like a 49-year-old but according to Dutch law he is still 69.
A Dutch court on Monday rejected Ratelband's request to shave 20 years off his age in a case that drew worldwide attention.
"Ratelband is at liberty to feel 20 years younger than his real age and to act accordingly," Arnhem court said in a press statement.
"But amending his date of birth would cause 20 years of records to vanish from the register of births, deaths, marriages and registered partnerships. This would have a variety of undesirable legal and societal implications."
The court rejected that argument, saying that unlike in the case of a name or gender, Dutch law assigns rights and obligations based on age "such as the right to vote and the duty to attend school. If Ratelband's request was allowed, those age requirements would become meaningless."
"This is great!" he said. "The rejection of (the) court is great ... because they give all kinds of angles where we can connect when we go in appeal."
He said he was the first of "thousands of people who want to change their age." The court said it acknowledged "a trend in society for people to feel fit and healthy for longer, but did not regard that as a valid argument for amending a person's date of birth."