Legal System of Netherlands

Netherlands is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in western europe, bordering the north sea, between belgium and germany. The country achieved independence on 26 july 1581. The capital is Amsterdam.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Chief of State: King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013) Head of Government: Caretaker Prime Minister Dick SCHOOF (since 3 June 2025) Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch Administrative Divisions: 12 provinces (provincies, singular - provincie), 3 public entities* (openbare lichamen, singular - openbaar lichaam (Dutch); entidatnan publiko, singular - entidat publiko (Papiamento)); Bonaire*, Drenthe, Flevoland, Fryslan (Friesland), Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant (North Brabant), Noord-Holland (North Holland), Overijssel, Saba*, Sint Eustatius*, Utrecht, Zeeland (Zealand), Zuid-Holland (South Holland) National Holiday: King’s Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Netherlands is described as civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: many previous to adoption of the “Basic Law of the Kingdom of the Netherlands” on 24 August 1815; revised 8 times, the latest in 1983 Amendment Process: proposed as an Act of Parliament by or on behalf of the king or by the Second Chamber of the States General; the Second Chamber is dissolved after its first reading of the Act; passage requires a second reading by both the First Chamber and the newly elected Second Chamber, followed by at least two-thirds majority vote of both chambers, and ratification by the king

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (consists of 41 judges: the president, 6 vice presidents, 31 justices, and 3 justices in exceptional service); the court is divided into criminal, civil, tax, and ombuds chambers Judge Selection: justices appointed by the monarch from a list provided by the House of Representatives of the States General; justices appointed for life or until mandatory retirement at age 70 Subordinate Courts: courts of appeal; district courts, each with up to 5 subdistrict courts; Netherlands Commercial Court

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal) (150 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): proportional representation Upper Chamber: Senate (Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal)

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Netherlands Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

The Dutch United Provinces declared their independence from Spain in 1581; during the 17th century, they became a leading seafaring and commercial power, with settlements and colonies around the world. After 18 years of French domination, the Netherlands regained its independence in 1813. In 1830, Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I but suffered German invasion and occupation in World War II.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Netherlands based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.