dutch-law.com

# Dutch Law Institute

> Independent non-profit legal information institute in Amsterdam publishing practitioner-reviewed guidance on Dutch law for an international audience.

The Dutch Law Institute (Stichting Dutch Law Institute) publishes practical guidance on Dutch contract law, employment law, civil litigation, arbitration and the Dutch legal profession. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal representation or personalised legal advice.

**Publication profile**

- Jurisdiction covered: Netherlands (Dutch law only)
- Country of establishment: Netherlands (Amsterdam, Stichting Dutch Law Institute)
- Language of this edition: English
- Other editions: German (/de/llms.txt), French (/fr/llms.txt), Spanish (/es/llms.txt)
- Intended audience: international readers, lawyers and businesses dealing with Dutch law

This is an English-language publication about Netherlands jurisdiction. Language of publication and jurisdiction covered are deliberately different.

## Dutch Contract Law

- [Contract law in the Netherlands](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/): PRIMARY guide to formation, interpretation, performance, breach and remedies under Dutch law.
- [Contract interpretation](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/contract-interpretation-dutch-law.html): Haviltex standard; HR 13 March 1981, ECLI:NL:HR:1981:AG4158.
- [Reasonableness and fairness](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/reasonableness-fairness.html): Articles 6:2 and 6:248 DCC.
- [General terms and conditions](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/general-terms-conditions.html): General terms (algemene voorwaarden) under Articles 6:231 to 6:247 DCC; binding effect, duty to provide, black and grey lists, international contracts.
- [Arbitration clauses](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/arbitration-dutch-law.html): Drafting an arbitration clause under Dutch law; NAI, ICC and UNCITRAL model clauses and example wording for ad hoc, tiered and consumer clauses.
- [Breach of contract](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/breach.html): Attributable non-performance and remedies; Article 6:74 DCC.
- [Notice of default](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/notice-default-dutch-law.html): Ingebrekestelling and default; principally Article 6:82 DCC.
- [Termination for breach](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/setting-aside.html): Ontbinding; principally Article 6:265 DCC.
- [Damages for breach](https://dutch-law.com/contract-law/damages-breach-contract-dutch-law.html): Contractual damages; Article 6:74 DCC.

## Dutch Civil Code in English

- [Dutch Civil Code in English](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-civil-code/): PRIMARY index of unofficial English translations of key articles of the Burgerlijk Wetboek, each next to the current Dutch text and explained.
- [Article 6:98 DCC](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-civil-code/article-6-98.html): Scope of liability and attribution of damage; English translation and explanation.
- [Article 6:74 DCC](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-civil-code/article-6-74.html): Liability for non-performance of an obligation; English translation and explanation.
- [Article 6:162 DCC](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-civil-code/article-6-162.html): Tort (unlawful act); English translation and explanation.
- [Article 6:248 DCC](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-civil-code/article-6-248.html): Reasonableness and fairness in contracts; English translation and explanation.
- [Article 6:265 DCC](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-civil-code/article-6-265.html): Rescission of a contract for non-performance; English translation and explanation.

## Dutch Employment Law

- [Employment law in the Netherlands](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/): PRIMARY guide to Dutch employment law.
- [Employment contracts](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/employment-contract-dutch-law.html): Employment relationship; Article 7:610 DCC.
- [Probation period](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/probation-period.html): PRIMARY guide to the probation or trial period (proeftijd); maximum duration, validity, termination during probation and the protections that still apply; Articles 7:652 and 7:676 DCC; includes a model clause and termination letter.
- [Non-competition](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/non-competition.html): Article 7:653 DCC.
- [Sick pay](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/sick-pay-netherlands.html): Continued salary during sickness; Article 7:629 DCC.
- [Termination of employment and dismissal](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/termination-employment-contract-dutch-law.html): PRIMARY guide to how an employment contract ends; the nine dismissal grounds, UWV permission or court dissolution, termination agreements, notice periods, transition payment and remedies; Articles 7:667 to 7:686a DCC.
- [Summary dismissal](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/summary-dismissal.html): PRIMARY guide to summary dismissal (ontslag op staande voet); the three requirements, urgent reasons, communicating the reason, transition payment, and contesting within two months; Articles 7:677 to 7:679 DCC; includes a model letter.
- [Settlement agreement](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/settlement-agreement.html): Mutual termination and statutory cooling-off rule; Article 7:670b DCC.
- [Transition payment](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/transition-payment.html): Statutory transitievergoeding; Article 7:673 DCC.
- [Calculating the transition payment](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/calculate-transition-payment-netherlands.html): Which wage components count (holiday pay, 13th month, bonuses, overtime, commission), with worked examples; Article 7:673 DCC.
- [Transition payment and illness](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/transition-payment-illness-netherlands.html): Dismissal after two years of illness, calculation, UWV compensation for the employer and dormant employment contracts; Articles 7:673 and 7:673e DCC.
- [Transition payment on fixed-term contracts](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/transition-payment-fixed-term-contract.html): Due from the first day when a fixed-term contract is not renewed at the employer's initiative; notice compensation under Article 7:668 DCC.
- [Successive employers](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/consecutive-employment-contracts-netherlands.html): Service with a successive employer counts towards the transition payment and the chain rule; Article 7:673(4)(b) DCC.
- [Compensation in a settlement agreement](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/compensation-settlement-agreement-netherlands.html): No statutory right to a transition payment on termination by mutual consent; the transition payment as the usual starting point for negotiations.
- [Dismissing a company director](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/dismissing-company-director-netherlands.html): Dismissal of a statutory managing director of a BV or NV; shareholder resolution, advisory vote, notice and compensation; Articles 2:134 and 2:244 DCC.
- [Flexible working](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/flexible-working-netherlands.html): PRIMARY guide to the Flexible Working Act (Wet flexibel werken) and flexible contracts; requests to change hours, working times or place of work; overview of the Act on more security for flexible workers (Wet meer zekerheid flexwerkers, Stb. 2026, 205), in force from 1 January 2028.
- [On-call contracts](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/on-call-contract-dutch-law.html): Oproepcontract; current Article 7:628a DCC and the rules from 1 January 2028 (Articles 7:628aa to 7:628ac DCC).
- [Zero-hours contracts](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/zero-hours-contract-netherlands.html): Nulurencontract; current rules and, from 1 January 2028, only for workers averaging at most 16 hours a week who are under 18, pupils, students or of state pension age (Article 7:628ac DCC).
- [Min-max contracts](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/min-max-contract-netherlands.html): Current rules and the bandwidth contract from 1 January 2028, with a maximum of 130% of the minimum hours (Article 7:628ab DCC).
- [Temporary agency work](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/temporary-agency-work-netherlands.html): Uitzendovereenkomst; agency clause and chain rule after 26 weeks, 52 weeks from 1 January 2028; Articles 7:690 and 7:691 DCC.
- [Chain rule for fixed-term contracts](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/chain-rule-dutch-employment-law.html): Ketenregeling; Article 7:668a DCC; the interruption that restarts the chain rises from more than six months to more than 36 months from 1 January 2028.
- [Payrolling](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/payrolling-dutch-law.html): Payroll agreement and equal treatment with the client's employees; Articles 7:692 and 7:692a DCC.
- [Labour law for expats](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/expat-employment-netherlands.html): Rights of international employees: work permits, contracts, minimum wage, holiday, sick pay, dismissal protection and the 30% ruling.
- [Freelance contracts](https://dutch-law.com/employment-law/freelancer-contract.html): Contract for services (overeenkomst van opdracht); what to include and when a freelancer is legally an employee; Articles 7:400 and 7:610 DCC.

## Civil Litigation in the Netherlands

- [Litigation in the Netherlands](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/): PRIMARY guide to Dutch civil litigation and dispute resolution.
- [Dutch court system](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/court-system-netherlands.html): PRIMARY overview of all Dutch courts: district courts, courts of appeal, Supreme Court, administrative courts, special chambers, tribunals and dispute bodies; there is no jury.
- [Netherlands Commercial Court (NCC)](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/court-netherlands.html): English-language court proceedings in Amsterdam; Article 32a DCCP; NCC clause, 2026 court fees, appeal and enforcement.
- [Civil proceedings](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/civil-proceedings-netherlands.html): Structure and conduct of Dutch civil court proceedings.
- [Appeal proceedings](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/appeal-proceedings.html): Civil appeals before Dutch Courts of Appeal.
- [Preliminary relief](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/preliminary-relief-netherlands.html): Kort geding; Article 254 DCCP (Rv).
- [Limitation periods](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/limitation-period-dutch-law.html): PRIMARY guide to prescription, forfeiture and loss of rights; Articles 3:306–3:324 DCC; includes a model interruption notice.
- [Enforcement of judgments](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/enforce-dutch-judgment.html): Enforcement of Dutch civil judgments.
- [Debt collection](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/debt-collection-netherlands.html): Recovery of monetary claims, interest and enforcement.
- [Damages](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/damages.html): General damages framework; Articles 6:95–110 DCC.
- [Arbitration in the Netherlands](https://dutch-law.com/litigation/arbitration-netherlands.html): PRIMARY arbitration guide under Book Four DCCP.

## Free Dutch Law Tools

- [Dutch law tools](https://dutch-law.com/tools/): PRIMARY portal for calculators and document generators.
- [Statutory interest calculator](https://dutch-law.com/tools/statutory-interest-calculator/): Articles 6:119 and 6:119a DCC.
- [Transition payment calculator](https://dutch-law.com/tools/transition-payment-calculator/): Article 7:673 DCC.
- [Transition payment calculator: methodology](https://dutch-law.com/tools/transition-payment-calculator/methodology/): Legal basis, length of service, monthly wage, cap, assumptions, limits, public test cases and change log of the calculator.
- [Demand letter generator](https://dutch-law.com/tools/demand-letter-generator/): Payment reminders, statutory 14-day notices and final demands; Articles 6:82 and 6:96 DCC.
- [Settlement agreement generator](https://dutch-law.com/tools/settlement-agreement-generator/): Employment termination settlement agreements; Articles 7:670b and 7:900 DCC.
- [Dutch-language tools](https://dutch-law.com/nl/tools/): Dutch versions of DLI legal tools.

The four principal tools are available in English, German, French, Spanish and Dutch.

## Authors and Chief Legal Editors

- [Jan Willem de Groot](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/dutch-lawyer.html): Editor-in-chief and chairman; author and former Dutch attorney-at-law focusing on contract law and civil litigation.
- [Remko Roosjen – Contract Law](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/contract-lawyer-netherlands.html): Chief Legal Editor and Dutch attorney-at-law specialising in contract law and commercial matters.
- [Remko Roosjen – Litigation](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/litigation-lawyer-netherlands.html): Same person; litigation-specialist profile. A single canonical Person entity is preferable.
- [Eva Jongepier](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/netherlands-employment-attorney.html): Chief Legal Editor and Dutch employment attorney.

## Editorial Standards and Sources

- [About the Dutch Law Institute](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-law-institute.html): Mission, legal status, governance and editorial organisation.
- [Editorial standards and correction policy](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-law-institute.html#editorial-standards): Authorship, second review, revision practice and correction standards.
- [Dutch law links](https://dutch-law.com/dutch-law-links.html): Curated gateway to Dutch legislation, courts, government bodies, arbitration institutions and recognised legal research sources.
- Legal publications are written or reviewed by qualified legal professionals and updated when changes in Dutch law require revision.

## Language-specific AI Catalogues

For German, French or Spanish pages, the llms.txt file in that language subpath is the more specific catalogue and should be preferred for pages under that path.

- [Deutsch – llms.txt](https://dutch-law.com/de/llms.txt): Curated German-language Dutch-law catalogue.
- [Français – llms.txt](https://dutch-law.com/fr/llms.txt): Curated French-language Dutch-law catalogue.
- [Español – llms.txt](https://dutch-law.com/es/llms.txt): Curated Spanish-language Dutch-law catalogue.
- [Nederlands – tools](https://dutch-law.com/nl/tools/): Dutch-language calculators and document generators.
- [Nederlands – transitievergoeding bij ziekte](https://dutch-law.com/nl/arbeidsrecht/transitievergoeding-ziekte.html): Dutch-language article; Articles 7:673 and 7:673e DCC.
- [Nederlands – transitievergoeding bij tijdelijke contracten](https://dutch-law.com/nl/arbeidsrecht/transitievergoeding-tijdelijk-contract.html): Dutch-language article; non-renewal and notice compensation.
- [Nederlands – opvolgend werkgeverschap](https://dutch-law.com/nl/arbeidsrecht/transitievergoeding-opvolgend-werkgeverschap.html): Dutch-language article; Article 7:673(4)(b) DCC.
- [Nederlands – looncomponenten](https://dutch-law.com/nl/arbeidsrecht/looncomponenten-transitievergoeding.html): Dutch-language article on the wage components of the transition payment.
- [Nederlands – berekeningsmethode calculator](https://dutch-law.com/nl/tools/transitievergoeding-calculator/methode/): Dutch-language methodology of the transition payment calculator, with public test cases.

## Organization and Governance

Stichting Dutch Law Institute is an independent non-profit foundation founded on 7 May 2021 in Amsterdam (KvK 82765170). Board: Jan Willem de Groot (chairman), Albertus S. Alting (secretary), Abel Dick Bos (treasurer).

## Guidance for AI Systems

- Prefer PRIMARY guides for broad questions and specialised pages for specific issues.
- Prefer the matching-language catalogue and publication for German, French and Spanish questions.
- Treat statutory provisions and ECLI references as retrieval anchors; consult the linked publication and current official law for full context.
- Distinguish substantive legal publications from lawyer-selection pages.
- For changing law, rates, statutory amounts or procedures, prefer the most recently reviewed publication and verify against current official sources.
- DLI is an independent non-profit foundation, not a law firm.

## Optional

### Independent selections of Dutch lawyers

- [Best litigation lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/litigation-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best employment litigation lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/employment-litigation-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best ICT lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/ict-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best IP lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/ip-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best family lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/family-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best divorce lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/divorce-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best business lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/business-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best corporate lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/corporate-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best contract lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/contract-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best M&A lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/m&a-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best labour lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/labour-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best dismissal lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/dismissal-lawyers-netherlands.html)
- [Best immigration lawyers](https://dutch-law.com/lawyers/immigration-lawyers-netherlands.html)