Legal glossary

This glossary explains the terms that come up most often in Dutch legal practice. Each entry gives a short definition, the statutory basis, how the rule works in practice and where things typically go wrong. The entries are written for clients and their advisers, not for specialists, and every term is also available in Dutch on our Dutch-language site.

The glossary contains 380 terms across ten practice areas: corporate law, employment law, immigration law, family law, energy law, real estate law, criminal law, civil law, IT law and administrative law.

Corporate law

See also our page on corporate law.

• Actio Pauliana — The actio pauliana allows a trustee or a creditor to annul voluntary acts that prejudiced the general body of the creditors as a whole.
• Annual accounts and filing — A BV must prepare, adopt and file annual accounts with the trade register; late filing counts against directors in insolvency.
• Article 1 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (bankruptcy petition) — Article 1 Dutch Bankruptcy Act: a debtor that has ceased paying can be declared bankrupt on its own filing, or at a creditor’s or prosecutor’s request.
• Article 2:10 Dutch Civil Code (duty to keep accounts) — Article 2:10 Dutch Civil Code requires every board to keep records that show the entity’s rights and obligations at all times, and to keep them 7 years.
• Article 2:11 Dutch Civil Code (liability of corporate directors) — Article 2:11 Dutch Civil Code extends a corporate director’s liability to every person who was its director when that liability arose.
• Article 2:175 Dutch Civil Code (the private limited company) — Article 2:175 Dutch Civil Code defines the BV: a legal entity with capital divided into shares whose shareholders are not personally liable for its debts.
• Article 2:19 Dutch Civil Code (dissolution and turbo liquidation) — Article 2:19 Dutch Civil Code lists the grounds for dissolving a legal entity and provides that an entity without assets ceases to exist immediately.
• Article 2:192 Dutch Civil Code (obligations attached to shares) — Article 2:192 Dutch Civil Code allows the articles of a BV to attach obligations and requirements to shares, such as a duty to offer them on leaving.
• Article 2:195 Dutch Civil Code (share transfer restrictions) — Article 2:195 Dutch Civil Code requires a BV shareholder to offer his shares to co-shareholders first, unless the articles provide for another regime.
• Article 2:196 Dutch Civil Code (transfer of shares by notarial deed) — Article 2:196 Dutch Civil Code requires a notarial deed executed before a Dutch civil-law notary for the issue and transfer of shares in a BV.
• Article 2:216 Dutch Civil Code (distribution test and dividend) — Article 2:216 Dutch Civil Code lets a BV pay dividend only if equity allows it and the board approves after testing that debts can still be paid.
• Article 2:227 Dutch Civil Code (advisory vote) — Article 2:227 Dutch Civil Code gives BV directors and supervisory directors an advisory vote, the right to attend and speak at the general meeting.
• Article 2:239 Dutch Civil Code (management duty of the board) — Article 2:239 Dutch Civil Code entrusts the board with managing the BV in the interest of the company and its business and regulates conflicts of interest.
• Article 2:244 Dutch Civil Code (dismissal of a BV director) — Article 2:244 Dutch Civil Code allows the body that appoints a BV director, usually the general meeting, to suspend and dismiss that director at any time.
• Article 2:248 Dutch Civil Code (director liability in bankruptcy) — Article 2:248 Dutch Civil Code makes BV directors personally liable for the bankruptcy deficit if manifestly improper management was an important cause.
• Article 2:336 Dutch Civil Code (scope of the dispute resolution rules) — Article 2:336 Dutch Civil Code defines which BVs and NVs fall under the statutory shareholder dispute rules on expulsion and withdrawal of shareholders.
• Article 2:336a Dutch Civil Code (expulsion of a shareholder) — Article 2:336a Dutch Civil Code lets shareholders holding one third of the capital ask the court to force a harmful co-shareholder to sell his shares.
• Article 2:343 Dutch Civil Code (withdrawal of a shareholder) — Article 2:343 Dutch Civil Code lets a shareholder whose rights or interests have been seriously harmed ask the court to order a buy-out of his shares.
• Article 2:345 Dutch Civil Code (right of inquiry) — Article 2:345 Dutch Civil Code allows the Enterprise Chamber to order an investigation into the policy and conduct of affairs of a legal entity.
• Article 2:394 Dutch Civil Code (filing of annual accounts) — Article 2:394 Dutch Civil Code requires companies to file their annual accounts with the trade register, at the latest 12 months after the financial year.
• Article 2:9 Dutch Civil Code (proper performance of duties) — Article 2:9 Dutch Civil Code obliges every director to perform his duties properly towards the legal entity and makes the board collectively responsible.
• Article 214 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (suspension of payments) — Article 214 Dutch Bankruptcy Act lets a business that foresees it cannot keep paying its due debts apply to the court for a suspension of payments.
• Article 369 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (WHOA restructuring plan) — Article 369 Dutch Bankruptcy Act lets a debtor that will likely be unable to keep paying its debts offer creditors and shareholders a restructuring plan.
• Article 37 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (reciprocal contracts in bankruptcy) — Article 37 Dutch Bankruptcy Act lets the other party to an unfinished contract ask the trustee to confirm in writing whether he will perform it.
• Article 42 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (bankruptcy pauliana) — Article 42 Dutch Bankruptcy Act lets the trustee annul non-obligatory acts of the debtor before bankruptcy that the parties knew would harm creditors.
• Article 47 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (pauliana for payment of a due debt) — Article 47 Dutch Bankruptcy Act lets a bankruptcy trustee reverse payment of a due debt only if the creditor knew of the petition or the parties colluded.
• Article 6 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (bankruptcy order) — Article 6 Dutch Bankruptcy Act requires the court to declare a debtor bankrupt when it is summarily shown that the debtor has ceased paying its debts.
• Article 68 Dutch Bankruptcy Act (the bankruptcy trustee’s task) — Article 68 Dutch Bankruptcy Act charges the bankruptcy trustee with managing and liquidating the bankrupt estate, under the supervision of the court.
• Articles of association (statuten) — The constitutional document of a Dutch company, executed by notarial deed, setting out its name, seat, objects and organisation.
• Asset deal — In an asset deal the individual assets and liabilities of the business are transferred rather than the shares in the company itself.
• Bankruptcy — Bankruptcy is a general attachment of the assets of a debtor who has ceased to pay, declared on petition by the district court.
• Commercial agency agreement — A commercial agent negotiates contracts for a principal against commission and is entitled to a goodwill indemnity when the agency ends.
• Conflict of interest (tegenstrijdig belang) — A director with a personal conflicting interest may not take part in the deliberation or the decision, on pain of voidability.
• Customer due diligence under the Wwft — Under the Wwft, banks, notaries and other institutions must identify their client, its UBO and the purpose of the relationship before doing business.
• Depositary receipts for shares — Depositary receipts separate voting control from economic interest: a foundation holds the shares and issues receipts to the beneficiaries.
• Directors’ liability (bestuurdersaansprakelijkheid) — The personal liability of a director towards the company, the estate in bankruptcy or third parties, which requires a serious personal reproach.
• Dissolution and liquidation (ontbinding en vereffening) — The winding up of a Dutch legal entity: a resolution to dissolve, followed by liquidation of the assets and distribution of any surplus.
• Dividend distribution — A BV may only distribute dividend once the board has confirmed, through a distribution test, that it can continue to pay its debts.
• Drag along and tag along — Drag along obliges minority shareholders to sell along with the majority; tag along gives them the right to join on the same terms.
• Due diligence (boekenonderzoek) — The buyer’s own investigation of a target company before a transaction, and the counterweight to the seller’s duty to disclose.
• Earn-out — An earn-out is part of the purchase price paid only after completion, its amount depending on the results the business achieves.
• Franchise agreement — The Dutch Franchise Act imposes mandatory rules on pre-contractual information, changes to the formula and post-term non-compete clauses.
• General meeting of shareholders (algemene vergadering) — The body in which shareholders exercise their rights; it adopts the annual accounts, appoints and dismisses directors and decides on distributions.
• General partnership (vof) — A vof is a partnership without legal personality in which each of the partners is jointly and severally liable for its debts.
• Goodwill indemnity for commercial agents (Article 7:442 Dutch Civil Code) — The goodwill indemnity under Article 7:442 Dutch Civil Code compensates a commercial agent for the customers he leaves behind when the agency ends.
• Inquiry proceedings (Enterprise Chamber) — Inquiry proceedings before the Enterprise Chamber allow an investigation into a company’s policy, with immediate provisional measures available.
• Legal entity (rechtspersoon) — A legal entity is an organisation with its own rights and obligations under Book 2 Dutch Civil Code, such as a BV, NV, foundation or association.
• Legal merger and demerger — In a legal merger or demerger assets and liabilities pass by universal succession, without separate transfer of each individual item.
• Management and Supervision of Legal Entities Act — Since 1 July 2021 this Act aligns the rules on management and supervision for associations and foundations with those for the BV and NV.
• Private limited company (besloten vennootschap, B.V.) — The standard Dutch company form: a legal entity with shares that are not freely transferable, incorporated by notarial deed with no minimum capital.
• Share transfer — A share transfer in a Dutch BV must be effected by notarial deed; without it the shares do not pass, even if the price has been paid.
• Shareholders’ agreement (aandeelhoudersovereenkomst) — A contract between shareholders governing control, transfer of shares, exit and deadlock, alongside the articles of association.
• Supervisory board — A supervisory board oversees the management board of a company and advises it, with statutory duties and liability of its own.
• Trade register (handelsregister, KVK) — The public register of Dutch businesses kept by the Chamber of Commerce, on whose contents third parties may in principle rely.
• Turbo liquidation (turboliquidatie) — Dissolution of a company without any assets, where the board must file accountability documents and inform the known creditors.
• UBO register — The UBO register records the ultimate beneficial owners of legal entities; registration is mandatory and public access was invalidated in 2022.
• WHOA restructuring plan — The WHOA allows a business to impose a restructuring plan on dissenting creditors outside bankruptcy, confirmed by the court.

Employment law

See also our page on Dutch employment law.

• Birth leave (geboorteverlof) — Birth leave is the Dutch leave for a partner after a birth: one working week on full pay, then up to 5 weeks of additional leave with a UWV benefit.
• Chain rule for fixed-term contracts (ketenregeling) — The rule that a succession of fixed-term contracts converts into a contract of indefinite duration after three contracts or thirty-six months.
• Collective labour agreement (CAO) — A CAO is the collective agreement between employers and trade unions on terms of employment, which overrides conflicting individual clauses.
• Collective redundancy (WMCO) — An employer dismissing twenty or more employees in one region within three months must notify the UWV and consult the trade unions.
• Employer liability for accidents at work — An employer is liable for the loss an employee suffers at work unless it proves that it met its statutory duty of care in full.
• Fair compensation (billijke vergoeding) — Additional compensation awarded on top of the transition payment where the employer has acted in a seriously culpable manner.
• False self-employment — False self-employment arises where a contractor is formally self-employed but in fact works under authority, so that an employment contract exists.
• Fixed-term employment contract — A fixed-term contract ends by operation of law on the agreed date, with a written notification duty one month before that date.
• Gatekeeper Improvement Act — The Gatekeeper Improvement Act prescribes the reintegration steps employer and employee must take during the first two years of illness.
• Holiday entitlement — Statutory holiday lapses six months after the year in which it accrued; contractual holiday is only time-barred after five years.
• Intimidation at work (intimidatie) — Intimidation at work covers bullying, sexual harassment, aggression and discrimination. The Working Conditions Act requires a policy against it.
• Non-compete clause (concurrentiebeding) — A contractual restriction on working for a competitor after the contract ends; it must be in writing and, if temporary, reasoned.
• Non-solicitation clause (relatiebeding) — A clause barring a departing employee from approaching the employer’s own clients; a narrower form of the non-compete clause.
• Notice period (opzegtermijn) — The period to be observed on termination: one month for the employee and one to four months for the employer, by length of service.
• On-call contract — Under an on-call contract the hours are not fixed; the employer must give four days’ notice and after twelve months offer a fixed number of hours.
• Parental and birth leave — Parents are entitled to birth leave, additional birth leave and twenty-six weeks of parental leave, nine of them partly paid.
• Pay Transparency Act (Wet loontransparantie) — The Dutch Pay Transparency Act is a bill implementing EU Directive 2023/970 on pay openness and the gender pay gap; not yet in force in October 2026.
• Payrolling — In payrolling the employee is formally employed by a payroll company but works exclusively for the client, with a right to the same terms as its own staff.
• Permanent contract (vast contract) — A permanent contract has no end date. Ending it requires reasonable grounds plus UWV or court approval, or the employee’s written consent.
• Probationary period (proeftijd) — A short initial period in which either party may end the employment immediately; valid only in writing and only for contracts longer than six months.
• Prohibition on dismissal during illness — During the first two years of illness the employer may not give notice, subject only to a limited number of statutory exceptions.
• Settlement agreement (vaststellingsovereenkomst) — A written agreement in which employer and employee end the employment by mutual consent, subject to a statutory two-week cooling-off period.
• Sick pay obligation — During illness the employer must continue to pay at least seventy per cent of salary for two years, with the minimum wage as a floor in the first year.
• Study costs clause — Since 2022 the cost of compulsory training may not be recovered from the employee; other courses are subject to strict conditions.
• Summary dismissal (ontslag op staande voet) — Immediate termination for an urgent cause, valid only if the dismissal is given without delay and the reason is stated at once.
• Termination by the subdistrict court — Termination by the subdistrict court is the route for dismissal on personal grounds, on one of the statutory grounds listed in the Civil Code.
• Transfer of undertaking — On a transfer of undertaking the employees pass automatically to the transferee, keeping all of their existing terms and conditions.
• Transition payment (transitievergoeding) — The statutory severance an employee is owed when the employer ends the employment: one third of a month of salary per year of service, from the first day.
• Undeclared work (zwart werk) — Undeclared work is paid work kept off the payroll without wage taxes. Once found, six months of wages are presumed (Art. 30a Wage Tax Act 1964).
• Unilateral variation clause — A unilateral variation clause lets an employer change terms of employment, but only where a substantial interest outweighs the employee’s.
• UWV dismissal procedure — The route for dismissal on business-economic grounds or after two years of illness, where the UWV must give permission first.
• Working Hours Act (Arbeidstijdenwet) — The Dutch Working Hours Act limits how long employees may work and sets minimum rest and breaks, enforced by the Netherlands Labour Authority.
• Works council — A works council is compulsory from fifty employees and holds advisory rights on organisational decisions and consent rights on social arrangements.

Immigration law

See also our page on immigration law.

• Article 14 Aliens Act 2000 (temporary residence permit) — Article 14 Aliens Act 2000 governs temporary regular residence permits: granting, extending, changing and withdrawing them, each tied to a purpose.
• Article 16 Aliens Act 2000 (grounds for refusal) — Article 16 Aliens Act 2000 lists the grounds on which the IND may refuse a first application for a temporary regular residence permit in the Netherlands.
• Article 18 Aliens Act 2000 (refusal of extension) — Article 18 Aliens Act 2000 lists the grounds on which the IND may refuse to extend a temporary residence permit, such as lack of income or living abroad.
• Article 2 Foreign Nationals Employment Act (employment ban without permit) — Article 2 Wav bans employers from letting non-EU nationals work in the Netherlands without a work permit (TWV) or single permit (GVVA), on pain of fines.
• Article 20 Aliens Act 2000 (permanent residence permit) — Article 20 Aliens Act 2000 lets the IND grant, refuse or withdraw a regular residence permit for an indefinite period, a permit without a fixed purpose.
• Article 25 Aliens Act 2000 (decision period) — Article 25 Aliens Act 2000 requires the IND to decide on residence permit applications within 90 days, extendable by up to six months in specific cases.
• Article 6 Netherlands Nationality Act (RWN): acquisition by option — Article 6 RWN lists the groups who can become Dutch by option, a written declaration to the municipality, which is faster and simpler than naturalisation.
• Article 69 Aliens Act 2000 (time limit for objection and appeal) — Article 69 Aliens Act 2000 sets a four-week time limit for objection and appeal in immigration cases, instead of the usual six weeks under the Awb.
• Article 8 Netherlands Nationality Act (RWN): conditions for naturalisation — Article 8 RWN sets the conditions for naturalisation: adulthood, permanent residence rights, five years’ residence, integration and a declaration.
• Article 9 Netherlands Nationality Act (RWN): refusal of naturalisation — Article 9 RWN sets the grounds for refusing naturalisation, such as a public order threat or not renouncing another nationality, and the decision period.
• Asylum residence permit — A fixed-term asylum residence permit is granted to those in need of protection; it is valid for five years and has its own procedural rules.
• Chavez-Vilchez residence right — A parent of a Dutch child may hold a derived residence right where the child would otherwise be forced to leave the Union entirely.
• Civic integration — Newcomers subject to the integration requirement must pass the examination within three years, with the municipality directing it.
• Continued residence (voortgezet verblijf) — Continued residence lets a family migrant keep an independent right of residence after the original basis, such as a relationship, has ended.
• Decision period in immigration cases (beslistermijn) — The decision period is the statutory time within which the IND must decide on an application: 90 days for residence permits, one year for naturalisation.
• Dublin procedure — The Dublin Regulation determines which Member State examines an asylum claim; if that is another state, transfer follows without a decision on the merits.
• Entry ban (inreisverbod) — A decision barring a foreign national from the Netherlands and the Schengen area for a set period, usually imposed together with an obligation to leave.
• EU Blue Card (Europese blauwe kaart) — An EU-wide permit for highly qualified employment, requiring a higher education degree and a salary threshold, with mobility rights in other member states.
• EU long-term resident permit (EU-verblijfsvergunning langdurig ingezetene) — The EU long-term resident permit is a permanent residence status based on EU law that also makes it easier to move to another EU Member State.
• Family reunification (gezinshereniging) — Admission of a partner or child to join a sponsor living in the Netherlands, subject to an income and accommodation requirement.
• Family reunification for refugees (nareis) — Nareis is family reunification for the relatives of an asylum status holder, on lighter conditions if applied for within three months.
• Highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) — A foreign employee admitted on the basis of a salary criterion rather than a labour market test, working for a recognised sponsor.
• Humanitarian residence — A humanitarian residence permit can be granted in compelling circumstances, on medical grounds or after domestic violence at home.
• Immigration detention — Immigration detention is deprivation of liberty with a view to removal; it is permitted only where a less intrusive measure will not suffice.
• IND application fees (leges) — IND application fees (leges) are charges for processing immigration and naturalisation applications; they must be paid in advance and are not refunded.
• Naturalisation (naturalisatie) — Naturalisation is acquiring Dutch nationality by application after a period of lawful residence and the civic integration exam.
• Objection and appeal in immigration cases — Ordinary IND decisions are challenged by objection, asylum decisions by direct appeal, with short deadlines and often no suspensive effect.
• Option procedure for Dutch nationality (optieprocedure) — The option procedure lets certain foreign nationals become Dutch by a written declaration to the municipality, faster and simpler than naturalisation.
• Orientation year (zoekjaar) — A one-year residence permit letting recent graduates and researchers look for work here, with free access to the labour market.
• Permanent residence permit — After five years of lawful residence a permanent permit can be applied for, subject to the integration and income requirements.
• Provisional residence permit (mvv) — The entry visa required before a stay of more than ninety days, usually applied for together with the residence permit in one combined procedure.
• Public order test (openbare-orde-toets) — The public order test is the IND’s check of whether a person threatens public order or national security, which can block a permit or naturalisation.
• Recognised sponsor (erkend referent) — An employer or institution in the IND register, which can apply for permits under a fast procedure and carries duties of care.
• Renunciation requirement (afstandseis) — The renunciation requirement obliges a person who naturalises as a Dutch national to give up their other nationality, unless an exemption applies.
• Residence permit (verblijfsvergunning regulier) — The permit allowing a non-EU national to live in the Netherlands for a defined purpose, granted for a set period and renewable.
• Residence rights of EU citizens — Union citizens have a directly effective right of residence in the Netherlands; after five years a permanent right of residence arises.
• Return decision — A return decision requires a foreign national without lawful residence to leave the Netherlands, usually within four weeks’ time.
• Schengen visa — A Schengen visa allows a stay of up to ninety days within any period of one hundred and eighty days anywhere in the Schengen area.
• Single permit (GVVA) — One permit combining residence and work for employment outside the highly skilled migrant route, granted after a labour market test.
• Sponsor (referent) — A sponsor (referent) is the person or organisation with an interest in a foreign national’s stay in the Netherlands, with legal duties towards the IND.
• Start-up visa — The start-up permit gives an entrepreneur one year to build an innovative business with guidance from a recognised facilitator.
• Student residence permit — The student permit is applied for by the educational institution as recognised sponsor; the student must make sufficient academic progress.
• Withdrawal of a residence permit — A residence permit may be withdrawn for incorrect information, for no longer meeting the conditions, or on public order grounds.
• Work permit (TWV) — A work permit is required to employ a foreign national without free access to the labour market; the employer applies to the UWV.

Family law

See also our page on family law.

• Acknowledgement of a child (erkenning) — The legal act by which a person becomes the parent of a child they did not bear; since 2023 it also creates joint parental authority.
• Adoption — Adoption severs the legal family tie with the original parents and creates a new one with the adoptive parents; only a court can grant it.
• Change of a child’s surname — A child’s surname can be changed by application to the Crown, subject to its own conditions and to prescribed periods of care.
• Child maintenance (kinderalimentatie) — The contribution a parent pays towards the cost of a child’s care and upbringing, calculated from the child’s needs and each parent’s capacity to pay.
• Co-parenting — Co-parenting is a roughly equal sharing of care after separation; it is not a statutory term but does have financial consequences.
• Cohabitation agreement — A cohabitation agreement records arrangements between unmarried partners; Dutch law provides them with almost no rights by default.
• Community of property (gemeenschap van goederen) — The statutory matrimonial property regime; since 2018 it is limited, so pre-marital assets, gifts and inheritances stay private.
• Contact arrangement (omgangsregeling) — The agreed or court-ordered arrangement for contact between a child and the parent with whom that child does not actually live.
• Divorce covenant — A divorce covenant records the parties’ arrangements on property, maintenance and pension, and is attached to the court order.
• Divorce mediation — In divorce mediation a neutral mediator guides both partners towards arrangements that are then recorded in a divorce covenant.
• Divorce proceedings — A divorce runs by petition to the district court, with mandatory representation by a lawyer and registration in the civil status registers.
• Family supervision order — A family supervision order appoints a family guardian to supervise a minor, while the parents themselves retain parental authority.
• Guardianship — Guardianship is authority over a minor exercised by someone other than a parent, for instance after death or termination of parental authority.
• International child abduction — The wrongful removal or retention of a child across a border, with return proceedings brought before the district court in The Hague.
• Joint divorce petition (echtscheiding op gemeenschappelijk verzoek) — A divorce applied for by both spouses together through one lawyer, on the ground that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.
• Judicial determination of paternity — Where a father does not acknowledge the child, the court can determine paternity, with retroactive effect to the date of birth.
• Parental authority (ouderlijk gezag) — The legal responsibility for a minor child’s upbringing, property and representation; acknowledgement now also creates joint authority.
• Parenting plan (ouderschapsplan) — The written agreement on care, information exchange and child maintenance that divorcing parents of minor children must file with their petition.
• Pension equalisation — On divorce the former partner is entitled to half the retirement pension built up during the marriage, provided the provider is notified within two years.
• Prenuptial agreement (huwelijkse voorwaarden) — A notarial agreement in which spouses depart from the statutory matrimonial property regime, made before or during the marriage.
• Protective administration — Protective administration is the measure by which the subdistrict court entrusts management of a person’s assets to an administrator.
• Registered partnership — A registered partnership closely resembles marriage, but can be ended without going to court where there are no minor children.
• Relocation with a child — Parents with joint authority need each other’s consent to move house with a child; where consent is refused, the court decides.
• Spousal maintenance (partneralimentatie) — Maintenance paid to a former spouse who cannot provide for themselves; since 2020 the duration is normally half the marriage, capped at five years.
• Termination of parental authority — The court can terminate parental authority where the child’s development is seriously threatened and the parent cannot resume responsibility.
• Variation of maintenance — Maintenance can be varied where circumstances change or where the original order rested on incorrect or incomplete information.

Energy law

See also our page on energy law.

• ACM supervision in the energy sector — The Authority for Consumers and Markets regulates grid tariffs, adopts the codes and resolves disputes between connected parties and grid operators.
• Charging infrastructure — Charging points are subject to their own rules on grid connection, siting in public space, transparent pricing and user rights.
• Collective heat supply (Wet collectieve warmte) — The Collective Heat Act lets municipalities designate heat areas and moves district heating tariffs to a cost-based footing instead.
• Congestion management — Congestion management is the set of measures by which a grid operator allocates scarce transport capacity and frees up additional room on the grid.
• Connection and transport agreement (aansluit- en transportovereenkomst) — The connection and transport agreement governs, between connected party and grid operator, the connection and the contracted capacity.
• Connection capacity — Connection capacity is the capacity for which a connection was built; it determines the tariff and is separate from contracted transport capacity.
• Consumer energy contract — Consumers are entitled to clear contract terms, a model contract and protection on termination and on the supplier’s insolvency.
• Disconnection rules — A small consumer cannot simply be disconnected: warning periods, an offer of debt assistance and a winter moratorium all apply first.
• Emissions trading (ETS) — The EU emissions trading system caps greenhouse gas emissions; participating operators must surrender allowances for their emissions each year.
• Energy Act (Energiewet) — The Energy Act entered into force on 1 January 2026 and replaced the Electricity Act 1998 and the Gas Act as the market framework.
• Energy community — An energy community is a body of citizens or businesses that generates, shares, stores or supplies energy with a social purpose.
• Energy label — The energy label records a building’s energy performance; office buildings have been required to hold at least label C since 2023.
• Energy saving obligation — Businesses with substantial energy use must take every measure that pays for itself within five years and report on it periodically.
• Energy storage — Energy storage such as batteries has its own position on the grid; connection, tariffs and the role as market participant require separate arrangements.
• Feed-in charges for solar power — Suppliers may charge feed-in costs to households with solar panels, provided the charges reflect actual costs and can be explained.
• Grid congestion (netcongestie) — Grid congestion arises where demand for transport capacity exceeds what the network can safely carry, so new requests are refused.
• Grid operator (netbeheerder) — A grid operator is the statutorily appointed operator of an electricity or gas network, separated by law from production and supply.
• Guarantee of origin (garantie van oorsprong) — A guarantee of origin certifies that one megawatt hour came from a renewable source and is tradable separately from the electricity.
• Hydrogen regulation — The European hydrogen and gas decarbonisation package builds a regulated hydrogen market, with designated network operators and unbundling.
• Net metering scheme (salderingsregeling) — Net metering lets owners of solar panels offset the electricity they feed in against what they take out; it ends on 1 January 2027.
• Permits for solar and wind farms — A solar or wind farm needs an environmental permit, often an environmental impact assessment, and a grid connection that is scarce in congestion areas.
• Power purchase agreement (PPA) — A power purchase agreement is a long-term contract under which a buyer takes the output of one installation at an agreed price.
• Programme responsibility — Programme responsibility is the duty to forecast electricity supply and demand in advance and to settle deviations financially.
• SDE++ subsidy — The SDE++ covers the unprofitable component of renewable energy and carbon reduction projects, awarded per round by cost effectiveness.
• Smart meter — The grid operator offers every small consumer a smart meter; the customer may refuse it or have the remote reading switched off.
• Supply licence (leveringsvergunning) — A supply licence from the ACM is required to supply electricity or gas to small consumers and sets demands on the organisation.

Real estate law

See also our page on real estate law.

• Acquisitive prescription — Long possession of land can lead to ownership by prescription; the original owner may then claim compensation in kind from the possessor.
• Age clause — An age clause limits the seller’s liability for defects that are associated with the age of the property that is being sold on.
• Apartment right and owners association (appartementsrecht en VvE) — An apartment right gives a share in a divided building with exclusive use of one unit and membership of the owners association.
• Building Quality Assurance Act — Since 2024 an independent quality assurer checks new build in consequence class 1, and the contractor’s liability after completion is wider.
• Chain clause and qualitative obligation — A chain clause obliges a buyer to pass the obligation on to successors; a qualitative obligation runs with the property automatically.
• Construction contract — Under a construction contract the contractor undertakes to build and deliver a work; completion is the pivot for liability and risk.
• Easement (erfdienstbaarheid) — An easement is a charge on one property for the benefit of another, such as a right of way, and passes with the land on transfer.
• Environment plan — The environment plan replaces the zoning plan and contains all the municipal rules on the physical living environment in the municipality.
• Environmental permit (omgevingsvergunning) — The environmental permit is the single permission the Environment and Planning Act requires for building, demolition and use changes.
• Eviction — Evicting leased premises requires a court judgment; only once that judgment is obtained may a bailiff actually clear the property.
• Financing condition (financieringsvoorbehoud) — A financing condition lets the buyer dissolve the purchase without penalty on showing, in time and with documents, that no mortgage came.
• Ground lease (erfpacht) — Erfpacht is the real right to hold and use another’s land against a periodic ground rent; the deed of grant sets the conditions.
• Housing valuation system — The housing valuation system awards points to a rented home and sets the maximum rent; since 2024 it also covers the mid-market segment.
• Mortgage right — A mortgage is a limited right over registered property giving the creditor priority and the power to sell without a court order.
• Neighbour law — Neighbour law governs relations between owners of adjoining plots, from boundaries and overhanging branches to views and nuisance.
• Non-conformity in a house purchase — A house is non-conforming where it lacks the qualities the buyer was entitled to expect, with normal use as the usual yardstick.
• Other business premises (230a) — Offices, storage and consulting rooms fall under Article 7:230a and enjoy only eviction protection, not any security of tenure.
• Purchase agreement for real estate (koopovereenkomst onroerende zaak) — A purchase agreement for a home bought by a consumer must be in writing and usually contains a deposit and a ten per cent penalty clause.
• Rent increase — Regulated housing is subject to statutory maximum annual rent increases; in the liberalised sector the contract governs, within limits.
• Rent review for business premises — Tenant and landlord of retail business premises may seek a new rent after five years, based on comparable premises in the locality.
• Residential rent protection (huurbescherming woonruimte) — Residential tenants are strongly protected: termination is possible only on statutory grounds and rents up to a threshold are capped.
• Residential tenancy agreement (huurovereenkomst woonruimte) — A residential tenancy agreement is the Dutch contract to rent out a home; since 1 July 2024 it is concluded for an indefinite period as the rule.
• Retail business premises lease (290-bedrijfsruimte) — Leases of retail and hospitality premises fall under article 7:290, giving the tenant five plus five years and termination protection.
• Right of superficies — A right of superficies breaks accession: the holder owns the buildings, works or plantings situated on another person’s land.
• Service charges — Service charges are the payments for supplies and services alongside the bare rent; the landlord must account for them each year.
• Soil contamination — Soil contamination affects the value and usability of land; since the Environment and Planning Act the rules sit in environmental law.
• Statutory cooling-off period (wettelijke bedenktijd) — The statutory cooling-off period gives a consumer buying a home three days to dissolve the purchase without giving any reasons.
• Substitution of tenant — Substitution allows the court to authorise a tenant of business premises to put a third party in their place when the business is sold.
• Temporary tenancy agreement (tijdelijk huurcontract) — Since 1 July 2024, a temporary residential tenancy in the Netherlands is only allowed with groups designated by law, such as students.
• Transfer of title (juridische levering) — Transfer of title to immovable property requires a notarial deed and registration in the public land registers before ownership passes.

Criminal law

See also our page on criminal law.

• Appeal in criminal cases — A district court judgment can be appealed to the court of appeal within fourteen days, and that court rehears the whole case.
• Article 11 WAHV (traffic fines appeal) — Article 11 WAHV requires you to pay security for a traffic fine within two weeks before the subdistrict court will hear your appeal against it.
• Article 12 Code of Criminal Procedure (complaint about non-prosecution) — Article 12 Code of Criminal Procedure lets a directly interested party complain to the court of appeal when the prosecutor decides not to prosecute.
• Article 13b Opium Act (closure of premises) — Article 13b Opium Act lets the mayor close a home or business premises where drugs are dealt or kept for dealing, separately from any criminal case.
• Article 164 Road Traffic Act 1994 (seizure of driving licence) — Article 164 Road Traffic Act 1994 obliges drivers to hand their licence to the police after serious offences; the prosecutor decides on withholding it.
• Article 225 Dutch Criminal Code (forgery of documents) — Article 225 Dutch Criminal Code makes it a crime to forge a document meant as evidence, or to use one, with a maximum penalty of six years in prison.
• Article 257a Code of Criminal Procedure (penal order) — Article 257a Code of Criminal Procedure lets the prosecutor impose a penal order without a judge for minor offences and crimes carrying up to six years.
• Article 257e Code of Criminal Procedure (objection to a penal order) — Article 257e Code of Criminal Procedure lets you object to a penal order within 14 days, after which a criminal court hears your case.
• Article 28c Code of Criminal Procedure (consultation before interview) — Article 28c Code of Criminal Procedure gives an arrested suspect the right to see a lawyer before the first police interview, normally for 30 minutes.
• Article 28d Code of Criminal Procedure (lawyer during police interview) — Article 28d Code of Criminal Procedure gives a suspect the right to have a lawyer present and taking part during a police interview.
• Article 29 Code of Criminal Procedure (right to silence) — Article 29 Code of Criminal Procedure gives a suspect the right not to answer questions, and requires a caution before every interview.
• Article 326 Dutch Criminal Code (fraud) — Article 326 Dutch Criminal Code makes fraud a crime: using deception to make someone hand over goods, money or data, with up to four years in prison.
• Article 36e Dutch Criminal Code (confiscation of criminal proceeds) — Article 36e Dutch Criminal Code lets the court order a convicted person to pay the state the unlawful gains from crime, in separate proceedings.
• Article 408 Code of Criminal Procedure (deadline for criminal appeal) — Article 408 Code of Criminal Procedure sets a 14-day deadline to appeal a criminal judgment, running from the judgment or from when you learn of it.
• Article 420bis Dutch Criminal Code (money laundering) — Article 420bis Dutch Criminal Code makes it a crime to hide the origin of assets from crime or to acquire or use them, with up to six years in prison.
• Article 486 Code of Criminal Procedure (age of criminal responsibility) — Article 486 Code of Criminal Procedure bars prosecution for acts committed before age 12; the police may still take limited steps under Article 487.
• Article 495 Code of Criminal Procedure (juvenile court) — Article 495 Code of Criminal Procedure assigns criminal cases against minors to the juvenile judge, or to a three-judge panel in serious or complex cases.
• Article 5 Road Traffic Act 1994 (dangerous or obstructive behaviour) — Article 5 Road Traffic Act 1994 bans any road behaviour that causes or may cause danger or hinder traffic; it is a minor offence that needs no accident.
• Article 51e Code of Criminal Procedure (victim’s right to speak) — Article 51e Code of Criminal Procedure gives victims of serious crimes, and certain relatives, the right to make a statement at the criminal hearing.
• Article 51f Code of Criminal Procedure (injured party claim) — Article 51f Code of Criminal Procedure lets anyone with direct damage from a crime join the criminal case as an injured party to claim compensation.
• Article 5a Road Traffic Act 1994 (very dangerous driving) — Article 5a Road Traffic Act 1994 makes it a crime to intentionally break traffic rules seriously in a way that endangers the life or health of others.
• Article 77a Dutch Criminal Code (juvenile criminal law) — Article 77a Dutch Criminal Code applies juvenile criminal law to suspects aged 12 to 17 at the time of the offence, with youth sanctions instead.
• Article 77c Dutch Criminal Code (juvenile law for young adults) — Article 77c Dutch Criminal Code lets the court apply juvenile criminal law to offenders aged 18 to 22 at the time of the offence, given their development.
• Article 8 Road Traffic Act 1994 (driving under the influence) — Article 8 Road Traffic Act 1994 bans driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and sets the limits: 220 µg/l breath, 88 µg/l for novice drivers.
• Article 94a Code of Criminal Procedure (conservatory seizure) — Article 94a Code of Criminal Procedure allows seizure of a suspect’s assets to secure a future fine, confiscation order or compensation order.
• Assault (mishandeling) — Assault (mishandeling) is intentionally causing pain or injury to another person under Article 300 Sr; serious assault is covered by Article 302 Sr.
• Cassation appeal (cassatie) — A cassation appeal (cassatie) brings a ruling before the Dutch Supreme Court, which only reviews whether the law was applied correctly.
• Caught in the act (heterdaad) — Caught in the act (heterdaad) means an offence is discovered while being committed or just after (article 128 Sv); anyone may then arrest.
• Certificate of good conduct (VOG) — A VOG certifies that judicial records pose no obstacle to a role; the screening authority looks back over a period that varies by function.
• Co-perpetration and complicity (medeplegen en medeplichtigheid) — Co-perpetration (medeplegen) is committing an offence jointly; complicity (medeplichtigheid) is helping. See Articles 47 to 49 of the Dutch Criminal Code.
• Community service order (taakstraf) — A community service order requires unpaid work of up to two hundred and forty hours; if it is not completed, detention follows.
• Compensation after acquittal — After an acquittal or a dismissal you can claim compensation for time spent in custody and for the costs of your lawyer, within three months.
• Computer intrusion (computervredebreuk) — Computer intrusion (computervredebreuk) is intentionally and unlawfully accessing a computer, network or account, under article 138ab Sr.
• Confiscation of criminal proceeds (ontneming) — A confiscation order requires the convicted person to pay the estimated advantage obtained through crime, in separate proceedings.
• Criminal attempt (poging) — A criminal attempt (poging) is a serious offence that was started but not completed; under Article 45 Dutch Criminal Code the maximum is one third lower.
• Criminal damage (vernieling) — Criminal damage (vernieling) means intentionally and unlawfully destroying, damaging or disabling property belonging to someone else, under Article 350 Sr.
• Criminal record (strafblad) — A criminal record (strafblad) is the entry of your criminal cases in the Dutch judicial records, governed by the Judicial Records Act (Wjsg).
• Criminal threats (bedreiging) — Criminal threats (bedreiging) means threatening someone with a serious crime such as killing, serious assault or arson, an offence under Article 285 Sr.
• Death by negligence (dood door schuld) — Death by negligence is causing a death through considerable carelessness, an offence under Article 307 Criminal Code and Article 6 Road Traffic Act.
• Defamation and libel (smaad en laster) — Defamation (smaad) is deliberately harming a reputation by spreading a specific accusation (art. 261 Sr); libel (laster) is doing so knowing it is untrue.
• Dismissal of a case (sepot) — A dismissal is a decision by the public prosecutor not to prosecute, either for want of evidence or on grounds of policy alone.
• Driving disqualification (rijontzegging) — A driving disqualification (rijontzegging) is a court-imposed ban on driving motor vehicles, for up to 5 years or 10 years on repeat (Article 179 WVW).
• Driving under the influence — Driving with more than the permitted level of alcohol or drugs is an offence carrying a fine, a driving ban and a licence measure from the CBR.
• Driving without a licence (rijden zonder rijbewijs) — Driving without a valid licence is a minor offence (Art. 107 Road Traffic Act). Driving on an invalidated licence is a serious offence (Art. 9).
• Economic criminal law — Economic criminal law covers breaches of regulatory legislation by businesses, from environment to working conditions and financial supervision.
• Embezzlement (verduistering) — Embezzlement (verduistering) is taking as your own property of someone else that you already lawfully held, under Article 321 of the Dutch Criminal Code.
• Evidence in criminal cases — A conviction requires lawful and convincing evidence from at least two sources; a single witness or confession is not enough.
• Extortion and blackmail (afpersing en afdreiging) — Extortion (afpersing) is forcing someone by violence or threats of violence to hand something over; blackmail (afdreiging) uses threats of disclosure.
• Forfeiture (verbeurdverklaring) — Forfeiture (verbeurdverklaring) is an additional penalty by which the court transfers objects linked to an offence to the State (Article 33 Sr).
• Forgery — Forgery is falsifying or falsely drawing up a document intended to serve as evidence, with the intention of using it as genuine.
• Fraud (fraude) — Fraud (fraude) is an umbrella term in Dutch criminal law for deception aimed at financial gain, such as obtaining by deception, forgery and tax fraud.
• Handling stolen goods (heling) — Handling stolen goods (heling) means buying, holding or selling property from a crime when you knew or should have suspected it (Articles 416-417bis Sr).
• Injured party in criminal proceedings — A victim may join the criminal proceedings as an injured party in order to claim his compensation directly from the defendant.
• Insult (belediging) — Insult (belediging) is intentionally attacking someone’s honour or reputation, a criminal offence under Article 266 of the Dutch Criminal Code.
• Lawyer at the police interview — Every suspect is entitled to a lawyer before and during the police interview; that right can only be waived knowingly and freely.
• Life imprisonment (levenslange gevangenisstraf) — Life imprisonment is the heaviest Dutch sentence: in principle the prisoner stays in prison for life, with a formal review starting after 25 years.
• Minor offence (overtreding) — A minor offence (overtreding) is a less serious criminal offence under Dutch law, such as those in Book Three of the Criminal Code.
• Money laundering — Money laundering is concealing or using objects derived from crime; suspicion often arises from unexplained wealth or cash flows.
• Murder and manslaughter (moord en doodslag) — Manslaughter (doodslag) is intentionally killing another person (art. 287 Sr); murder (moord) is manslaughter with premeditation (art. 289 Sr).
• Offence prosecuted on complaint (klachtdelict) — A klachtdelict is an offence the Dutch prosecutor may only prosecute if the victim files a complaint, as a rule within three months.
• Official police report (proces-verbaal) — An official police report (proces-verbaal) is a written record made under oath by an investigating officer of what they saw, heard or did.
• Opium Act and drug offences — The Opium Act splits drugs into List I and List II; possession, dealing and cultivation are punishable, with tolerance only within narrow limits.
• Pardon (gratie) — A pardon (gratie) is a royal decision to remit, reduce or convert a final criminal sentence, under the Dutch Pardon Act and after advice from the court.
• Penal order (strafbeschikking) — A penal order is a sanction imposed by the prosecutor without a trial; the only remedy against it is opposition within fourteen days.
• Police custody (inverzekeringstelling) — Police custody allows a suspect to be held for up to three days in the interest of the investigation, with review by a magistrate.
• Possession of weapons (wapenbezit) — Possession of weapons (wapenbezit) means having, carrying or transporting a weapon or ammunition in breach of the Dutch Weapons and Ammunition Act.
• Pre-trial detention (voorlopige hechtenis) — Pre-trial detention is detention ordered by a court before judgment, on the statutory grounds and for strictly limited periods.
• Procedural defects — A procedural defect is an irreparable flaw in the pre-trial investigation; the court may respond with a sentence reduction or exclusion of evidence.
• Public prosecutor (officier van justitie) — The public prosecutor (officier van justitie) leads the criminal investigation, decides whether to prosecute and demands a sentence at trial.
• Public violence (openlijke geweldpleging) — Public violence (openlijke geweldpleging) is using violence against people or property in public with others, under Article 141 Dutch Criminal Code.
• Reporting a crime — A report is notification of a criminal offence to the police or prosecution service; the prosecutor then decides independently whether to prosecute.
• Right to silence and caution (zwijgrecht en cautie) — A suspect need not answer questions and must be told so before questioning; without that caution a statement is largely unusable.
• Seizure of evidence — Seizure is taking custody of objects for the investigation or for confiscation; return can be sought by filing a formal complaint.
• Self-defence (noodweer) — Self-defence (noodweer) is defending against an immediate, unlawful attack on body, sexual integrity or property. You are not punishable (Article 41 Sr).
• Serious offence (misdrijf) — A misdrijf is a serious criminal offence under Book 2 of the Dutch Criminal Code or a special statute; minor offences are called overtredingen.
• Shoplifting (winkeldiefstal) — Shoplifting is taking goods from a shop without paying. It is theft under Article 310 Dutch Criminal Code, with up to four years in prison.
• Stalking (belaging) — Stalking (belaging) is deliberately and systematically intruding on someone’s private life to coerce or frighten them (article 285b Sr).
• Stop and arrest (staandehouding en aanhouding) — A stop (staandehouding) lets police ask a suspect for their identity; an arrest (aanhouding) means the suspect is taken to the police station.
• Summons (dagvaarding) — A summons brings the defendant before the criminal court; the charge it contains defines the scope of the trial and of a conviction.
• Suspect (verdachte) — A suspect is someone against whom facts give rise to a reasonable suspicion; from that moment the right to silence and to a lawyer apply.
• Suspended sentence and probation period (voorwaardelijke straf en proeftijd) — A suspended sentence is not carried out provided the convicted person complies with the conditions during the probation period.
• TBS order — A TBS order is a measure for defendants with a mental disorder who committed a serious offence and still pose a danger to others.
• Temporary domestic exclusion order — The mayor can bar someone from their own home for ten days, extendable to twenty-eight, where housemates face an immediate risk of harm.
• Theft (diefstal) — Theft (diefstal) is taking property that belongs to someone else with the aim of unlawfully keeping it as your own, an offence under Article 310 Sr.

Civil law

See also our page on civil law.

• Appeal in civil cases — An appeal is a full rehearing of a civil case by the court of appeal, to be lodged within three months of the date of judgment.
• Assignment of claims — Assignment transfers a claim to another creditor; disclosed assignment requires notice to the debtor, undisclosed assignment a registered deed.
• Attributability (toerekenbaarheid) — Attributability determines whether a breach or wrongful act can be charged to a party, through fault, law, contract or common opinion, under Dutch law.
• Breach of contract (wanprestatie) — A failure to perform a contractual obligation that is attributable to the debtor, giving the other party a claim for damages.
• Burden of proof — The party relying on the legal consequences of facts bears the burden of proving them, unless a special rule or fairness requires otherwise.
• Causation (causaal verband) — Causation is the required link between the event that creates liability and the damage claimed; Dutch law applies a two-step test under article 6:98 BW.
• Claim for performance (nakoming) — Performance (nakoming) means carrying out what was agreed; the creditor can ask a Dutch court to order it under article 3:296 BW, often with a penalty.
• Conformity requirement (conformiteit) — Conformity means that goods delivered under a Dutch sale must match the contract and have the properties the buyer could reasonably expect.
• Contributory fault (eigen schuld) — Contributory fault reduces the damages owed when circumstances attributable to the injured party also caused the loss, under article 6:101 BW.
• Court cost rates (liquidatietarief) — The liquidatietarief is the fixed points-based rate Dutch courts use to set the lawyer’s fee that a losing party must pay to the winner.
• Damages — Damages are intended to put the injured party in the position they would have been in had the damaging event not taken place.
• Debt collection costs — An unpaid money claim attracts a statutory scale of collection costs; against consumers a fourteen-day reminder is compulsory.
• Default (verzuim) — The state a debtor enters after a valid notice of default or a missed fixed deadline; it is the precondition for damages and rescission.
• Duty to complain — A party who discovers a defect in performance must protest within a reasonable time; complaining too late forfeits all rights.
• Error (dwaling) — A contract entered into on a mistaken assumption caused by the other party’s statement or silence can be annulled, or adjusted by the court.
• Executory attachment — With an enforceable title a creditor can attach the debtor’s assets and have them sold by a bailiff to satisfy his claim in full.
• Exoneration clause — An exoneration clause limits or excludes liability; it is set aside where reliance on it would be unacceptable by standards of reasonableness and fairness.
• Force majeure — Force majeure exists where a failure cannot be attributed to the debtor; no damages are then payable, though rescission remains open.
• General terms and conditions (algemene voorwaarden) — Standard clauses drafted for repeated use; they bind the other party only if they were made available before or at the moment of contracting.
• Interruption of limitation (stuiting van verjaring) — Interrupting limitation means stopping a running Dutch limitation period in time, by written notice or legal action, so a new period starts.
• Joint and several liability — Under joint and several liability the creditor may claim the whole debt from any one debtor, with recourse between them afterwards.
• Judgment (vonnis) — A judgment (vonnis) is the decision of a Dutch district or subdistrict court in civil proceedings started by writ or in a criminal case.
• Latent defect (verborgen gebrek) — A latent defect is a flaw in a sold item that was not visible at purchase and appears later; Dutch law assesses it under conformity, article 7:17 BW.
• Lifting an attachment (opheffing van beslag) — Lifting an attachment means asking the Dutch interim relief judge to end a prejudgment attachment, for example because the claim is unfounded.
• Limitation period (verjaring) — The period after which a claim can no longer be enforced; five years for most contractual and damages claims, twenty years as the outer limit.
• Notice of default (ingebrekestelling) — A written demand giving a debtor a final reasonable period to perform, and the step that puts the debtor in default under Dutch law.
• Nuisance between neighbours (burenhinder) — Nuisance between neighbours is noise, smells or other disturbance from one property that is unlawful under article 5:37 of the Dutch Civil Code.
• Penalty clause — A penalty clause requires payment of a fixed sum on breach; the court may reduce it where applying it would produce a manifestly excessive result.
• Penalty payment (dwangsom) — A sum a court orders a party to pay for each breach of, or day of non-compliance with, a judgment; it cannot be attached to an obligation to pay money.
• Prejudgment attachment (conservatoir beslag) — Attachment of assets before judgment, with the court’s leave, to secure recovery; proceedings on the merits must follow within a set period.
• Preliminary relief proceedings (kort geding) — Fast civil proceedings before the provisional relief judge for an urgent, provisional order; a judgment usually follows within weeks.
• Procedural costs order (proceskostenveroordeling) — A procedural costs order is the court’s ruling that the losing party in Dutch civil proceedings pays the other side’s legal costs, set at fixed rates.
• Reasonableness and fairness (redelijkheid en billijkheid) — Reasonableness and fairness is the Dutch open standard that adds unwritten duties to a contract or, in exceptional cases, sets aside a clause.
• Rescission of a contract (ontbinding) — Termination of a contract because the other party has failed to perform; it can be done by written declaration and undoes the obligations for the future.
• Retention of title — Under retention of title the seller remains the owner of the goods delivered until the buyer has paid the agreed price in full.
• Right of pledge (pandrecht) — A right of pledge lets a creditor recover a debt with priority from the debtor’s movable goods or receivables, under Book 3 of the Dutch Civil Code.
• Right of retention — The right of retention allows a creditor to withhold delivery of goods in his possession until his claim has been paid in full.
• Right of suspension — The right of suspension allows a debtor to postpone his own performance for as long as the other party fails to perform its part.
• Right to inspect documents (inzagerecht, article 194 Rv) — The right to inspect documents lets a party with sufficient interest claim inspection, a copy or an extract of specific data held by another party.
• Security right (zekerheidsrecht) — A security right gives a creditor extra certainty of payment, through priority on an asset (pledge, mortgage) or a claim against a third party (surety).
• Set-off — Set-off allows two parties who owe each other money to cancel their debts against each other up to the amount of the smaller one.
• Shortcoming in performance (tekortkoming) — A shortcoming is any failure to perform an obligation, whether no, late or defective performance; it is the starting point of article 6:74 BW.
• Statutory commercial interest (wettelijke handelsrente) — Statutory commercial interest is the higher Dutch late-payment interest in business contracts: 10.4% from 1 July 2026, under article 6:119a BW.
• Suretyship — Under a suretyship a third party undertakes to perform another’s obligation; private sureties enjoy extra statutory protection.
• Tort — A tort is an infringement of a right, a breach of a statutory duty or conduct contrary to social standards of care, giving rise to a duty to pay damages.
• Writ of summons proceedings — Writ of summons proceedings are the ordinary civil action, begun by a bailiff’s writ setting out the claim and the grounds for it.

IT law

See also our page on IT law.

• AI Act — The AI Act regulates artificial intelligence by risk level, with prohibited practices, requirements for high-risk systems and transparency obligations.
• Automated decision-making — You may not be subjected to a purely automated decision with significant effects, unless an exception applies and safeguards are in place.
• Cookie consent — Cookie consent is the prior, freely given and unambiguous consent required before non-essential cookies are placed on a visitor’s device.
• Copyright in software — Software is protected by copyright as a work; protection covers the source code and preparatory material, not the underlying ideas and functionality.
• Data Act — The Data Act gives users access to the data from their connected products and makes switching between cloud providers easier.
• Data processing agreement — A data processing agreement is the mandatory written contract setting out the terms on which a processor handles personal data on behalf of a controller.
• Data protection impact assessment — A DPIA is the assessment carried out before processing that is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals.
• Data protection officer — The data protection officer supervises GDPR compliance internally and is mandatory for public bodies and for large-scale processing.
• Data subject rights — The GDPR gives individuals rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, portability and objection, with a one-month response deadline.
• Database right — The database right protects the producer who has made a substantial investment in obtaining, verifying or presenting the contents of a database.
• Digital Services Act — The Digital Services Act imposes duties on online intermediaries on notices, transparency and advertising, heavier for large platforms.
• Direct marketing and the spam rules — Commercial email and telemarketing require prior consent; only a narrow exception applies to existing customers for similar products.
• Distance selling — In distance selling the consumer has fourteen days to withdraw and the seller is subject to extensive duties to inform beforehand.
• Domain name dispute — A domain name dispute can be resolved quickly through the .nl dispute procedure or the UDRP, rather than through the civil courts.
• Dutch Cybersecurity Act (NIS2) — The Dutch Cybersecurity Act requires essential and important entities to take risk management measures and to report incidents.
• Electronic signature — The eIDAS Regulation distinguishes simple, advanced and qualified electronic signatures; only the last is equated with a handwritten signature.
• International data transfers — Transfers outside the European Economic Area require an adequacy decision, standard contractual clauses or another appropriate safeguard.
• IT project dispute — A failed IT project turns on who was responsible for what, and on how far the supplier actually met its duty to warn the client.
• Licence agreement — A licence gives another party permission to use your IP right; scope, exclusivity and duration determine what the licensee may actually do.
• Monitoring of employees — Monitoring staff requires a legitimate interest, a proportionality test and, as a rule, the consent of the works council beforehand.
• Notice and takedown — Notice and takedown is the procedure for reporting unlawful content to a hosting service and having that content taken offline.
• Personal data breach — A personal data breach is a security incident causing loss of or unauthorised access to personal data, notifiable within 72 hours.
• Retention periods — Personal data may be kept no longer than necessary; the seven-year tax retention duty is the best known of the fixed statutory periods.
• SaaS agreement — A SaaS agreement gives the customer online access to software running at the supplier’s end, without any copy being delivered.
• Source code escrow — Source code escrow is an arrangement under which an independent agent holds the source code and releases it to the user if the supplier fails.
• Trade mark law — A trade mark protects a sign that distinguishes your goods or services; the right arises only on registration with BOIP or the EUIPO.
• Trade name law — A trade name right arises through use rather than registration; a later name that causes confusion with an earlier one can be prohibited.

Administrative law

See also our page on administrative law.

• Administrative decision — An administrative decision is a written decision of a public body containing an act under public law; only a decision can be challenged.
• Administrative fine — An administrative fine is a punitive sanction imposed by the body itself, with safeguards such as silence and the presumption of innocence.
• Administrative loop — The administrative loop lets the court give the body an opportunity to repair a defect in the decision during the proceedings.
• Appeal to the administrative court — An appeal to the administrative court is the application to the district court after the decision on objection, to be lodged within six weeks.
• Bibob Act — Under the Bibob Act an authority can refuse or withdraw a permit where there is serious danger it will be misused for criminal purposes.
• Compensation for lawful government action — This is compensation for disproportionate loss caused by lawful government action, with its own regime in the Awb since 2024.
• Costs order in administrative proceedings — A party who succeeds in objection or appeal can receive a fixed-scale contribution towards the cost of professional assistance.
• Damages for an unlawful decision — Once a decision is quashed or withdrawn you can claim your loss, by petition to the administrative court or before the civil court.
• Duty to cooperate with supervision — Everyone must cooperate with an inspector acting within reasonable limits, but the right to silence applies once a fine is in prospect.
• Duty to give reasons — A decision must rest on sound reasoning stated when it is notified; without that reasoning the decision will not survive review.
• Interested party — An interested party is a person whose interest is directly affected by a decision; only an interested party may object and appeal.
• Interim relief in administrative proceedings — Interim relief is the urgent measure by which the administrative court can suspend a decision while an objection or appeal is pending.
• Mandate and delegation — Under a mandate another person decides in the body’s own name; under delegation the power itself passes to a different public body.
• Missing a deadline — Objection and appeal must be lodged within six weeks; being late means inadmissibility, unless the delay can be excused on good grounds.
• Notice of objection — A notice of objection asks the administrative body itself to reconsider its decision and must be filed within six weeks of publication.
• Open Government Act (Woo) — The Dutch Open Government Act gives anyone the right to request public information from administrative bodies, with a four-week decision period.
• Order for administrative enforcement — With administrative enforcement the authority ends the breach itself and recovers the costs from the offender, after a period to comply.
• Order subject to a penalty — An order subject to a penalty is a remedial sanction under which the offender forfeits a sum if the breach is not ended within the compliance period.
• Penalty for late decision — If an administrative body decides late, it forfeits a penalty of up to 1,442 euros over a maximum of 42 days after being given notice of default.
• Policy rule — A policy rule records how an administrative body exercises its power; departure is required where consequences would be disproportionate.
• Principle of legitimate expectations — The principle protects those who justifiably relied on a government assurance; since 2019 the courts apply a three-step test.
• Principle of proportionality — The principle of proportionality requires that the adverse consequences of a decision are not disproportionate to the aim pursued.
• Request for enforcement — A request for enforcement compels an administrative body to take a formal decision on acting against a breach of the applicable rules.
• Subsidy determination — The subsidy determination fixes the final amount of the grant; a lower determination can lead to recovery of sums already paid.
• Tolerance decision — Tolerating a breach means deliberately not enforcing; it is exceptional, should be temporary, and gives the tolerated party little security.
• Uniform public preparatory procedure — Under this procedure a draft decision is published for views first, after which appeal lies directly, without an objection stage.
• Withdrawal of a permit — A permit can be withdrawn for incorrect information, non-use or breach of conditions, but only after the competing interests are weighed.