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Memphis Depay has had his passport stolen in Brazil and will miss Holland's game against Malta.
The former Man United flop, who now plays for Corinthians, was unable to get on his flight to join up with team-mates.
Manager Ronald Koeman says Depay tried to board the flight without his passport and explain the situation but was not allowed to travel.
Depay is the country's all-time top scorer and the KNVB (Dutch FA) insist he is doing everything possible to travel as soon as possible.
The 31-year-old is now anticipated to land at Schiphol Airport on Tuesday morning having been issued a temporary passport.
Koeman said: 'This is unfortunate, primarily for Memphis, but also for us.
Memphis Depay, pictured ahead of a Corinthians game last month, lost his passport and will be late joining up with his international team-mates
Depay, pictured here confronting Kyle Walker in 2016, had an unsuccessful time at Man United
'You naturally want to start preparing for an international break with a full squad. At the same time, there's a case of force majeure.'
The Dutch have games against Malta on October 9 and then Finland on October 12 as part of the World Cup qualifying campaign.
Depay has scored 52 goals for his country, a brilliant return from a player who has experienced a mixed career at club level.
The forward signed for Man United in 2015 off the back of blistering form for PSV but having joined for £25million, he scored only two goals in 33 games.
Ryan Giggs blamed Depay's poor form on his 'flashy lifestyle', while the player himself argued: 'There are a lot of games in Manchester. There are very few rest days and on training days you are mainly concerned with recovering.
'It's heavy, two games a week, always at a high level, and my body has to get used to that.'
Eventually, Depay left after two underwhelming seasons before rediscovering his mojo for Lyon and earning a move to Barcelona.
He was in and out of the side for the Catalan giants over a couple of seasons, netting 13 times in 30 matches before one season at Atletico Madrid.
Depay joined Corinthians last year and has settled in well at the Brazilian club, with a return of 13 goals in 38 games so far.
If he manages to play a part in the game against Finland, he'll be looking to consolidate The Netherlands' top qualifying position on Group G ahead of Poland, with a game in hand.
