Dutch holidays are regulated in collective agreements (CAO) and labour agreements so check your employer’s CAO or labour agreement to see what holidays are considered to be free days. If you work on a public holiday, you are (often) entitled to extra pay. Finally, as an employee, you are also entitled to holiday leave.

Types of Dutch holidays
Holidays in the Netherlands can be divided into three categories:

Dutch national holidays
There are two national holidays in the Netherlands: King’s Day (Koningsdag) and Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag). 

While Liberation Day is a national holiday, not everyone may be free that day. This will depend on your employer or school. This day is only a free day for most every five years.  

Dutch public holidays
The commonly recognised public holidays in the Netherlands are the Dutch national holidays, New Year’s Day, and a few Christian holidays.

Other holidays in the Netherlands
Additionally, the Netherlands also has a number of holidays that are not legally recognised (e.g. Sinterklaas).

This topic is relevant for all internationals in the Netherlands, not only for international academics. To give you the most complete and up-to-date practical information about public holidays, FactCards refers you to ACCESS Living. FactCards remains focused on academic and research careers in the Netherlands.

Continue to ACCESS Living.