World Factbook
Netherlands
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of bright red (top), white, and cobalt blue history: the colors come from WILLIAM I, Prince of Orange; originally the upper band was orange, but the dye would turn red over time, so red was eventually made the permanent color
note: similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is wider
Capital
name
Amsterdam
note
note: The Hague is the seat of government
etymology
the name is derived from the Dutch name of the local river, the Amstel, and the Dutch word dam , which has the same meaning in English; the river name is said to derive from the Germanic words ama (current) and stelle (place)
time zone note
time descriptions apply to the continental Netherlands only, for the constituent countries in the Caribbean, the time difference is UTC-4
time difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
daylight saving time
+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
geographic coordinates
52 21 N, 4 55 E
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
citizenship by birth
no
citizenship by descent only
at least one parent must be a citizen of the Netherlands
dual citizenship recognized
no
residency requirement for naturalization
5 years
Constitution
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
Country name
etymology
the English name is derived from the country's Dutch name, which means "the lowlands" and describes the geographic area; only about half the Netherlands is more than 1 meter (3.3 ft) above sea level
abbreviation
NL
local long form
Koninkrijk der Nederlanden
local short form
Nederland
conventional long form
Kingdom of the Netherlands
conventional short form
Netherlands
Independence
26 July 1581
note: the northern provinces of the Low Countries formally declared their independence with an Act of Abjuration in 1581, but, it was not until 30 January 1648 and the Peace of Westphalia that Spain recognized this independence
Legal system
civil law system based on the French system; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy; part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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
subordinate courts
courts of appeal; district courts, each with up to 5 subdistrict courts; Netherlands Commercial Court
judge selection and term of office
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
Executive branch
note
note: Prime Minister Dick SCHOOF resigned on 3 June 2025 after a party withdrew from his governing coalition, but he will continue in a caretaker capacity until new elections are held, probably in the fall of 2025
cabinet
Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
chief of state
King WILLEM-ALEXANDER (since 30 April 2013)
head of government
Caretaker Prime Minister Dick SCHOOF (since 3 June 2025)
election/appointment process
the monarchy is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the monarch usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition as prime minister; deputy prime ministers are also appointed by the monarch
National holiday
King's Day (birthday of King WILLEM-ALEXANDER), 27 April (1967)
note: observed on the ruling monarch's birthday; celebrated on 26 April if 27 April is a Sunday
National color(s)
orange
National heritage
note
note: includes one site in Curacao
total World Heritage Sites
13 (12 cultural, 1 natural)
selected World Heritage Site locales
Schokland and Surroundings (c); Dutch Water Defense Lines (c); Van Nellefabriek (c); Mill Network at Kinderdijk-Elshout (c); Droogmakerij de Beemster (Beemster Polder) (c); Rietveld Schröderhuis (Rietveld Schröder House) (c); Wadden Sea (n); Seventeenth Century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht (c); Colonies of Benevolence (c); Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Lower German Limes (c)
Political parties
Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA Christian Union or CU Correct Answer 2021 or JA21 Democrats 66 or D66 Denk Farmer-Citizen Movement or BBB 50Plus Forum for Democracy or FvD Green Left (GroenLinks) or GL Labor Party or PvdA New Social Contract or NSC Party for Freedom or PVV Party for the Animals or PvdD People's Party for Freedom and Democracy or VVD Reformed Political Party or SGP Socialist Party or SP Together or BIJ1 Volt Netherlands or Volt
Legislative branch
legislature name
States General (Staten-Generaal)
legislative structure
bicameral
National anthem(s)
title
"Het Wilhelmus" (The William)
history
adopted 1932, in use since the 17th century
lyrics/music
Philips VAN MARNIX van Sint Aldegonde (presumed)/unknown
National symbol(s)
lion, daisy
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)
note 1: the Netherlands is one of four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; the other three, Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, are Caribbean islands; all four are considered equal partners, but the Netherlands makes up about 98% of the Kingdom's total land area and population and administers most of the Kingdom's affairs
note 2: although Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are officially incorporated into the country of the Netherlands under the broad designation of "public entities," Dutch government sources often call them "special municipalities;" Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are collectively referred to as the Caribbean Netherlands
Legislative branch - lower chamber
chamber name
House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
150 (all directly elected)
electoral system
proportional representation
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
10/29/2025
expected date of next election
October 2029
percentage of women in chamber
42.7%
parties elected and seats per party
Democrats 66 (D66) (26); Party for Freedom (PVV) (26); People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) (22); Green Left - Labour Party (PvdA) (20); Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) (18); JA21 (9); Other (29)
Legislative branch - upper chamber
chamber name
Senate (Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal)
term in office
4 years
number of seats
75 (all indirectly elected)
scope of elections
full renewal
most recent election date
5/30/2023
expected date of next election
May 2027
percentage of women in chamber
40%
Diplomatic representation in the US
FAX
[1] (202) 362-3430
chancery
4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 244-5300
chief of mission
Ambassador Birgitta TAZELAAR (since 15 September 2023)
consulate(s) general
Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York, San Francisco
email address and website
was@minbuza.nl https://www.netherlandsworldwide.nl/countries/united-states/about-us/embassy-in-washington-dc
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[31] (70) 310-2207
embassy
John Adams Park 1, 2244 BZ Wassenaar
telephone
[31] (70) 310-2209
mailing address
5780 Amsterdam Place, Washington DC 20521-5780
chief of mission
Ambassador Joseph POPOLO (since 29 October 2025)
consulate(s) general
Amsterdam
email address and website
AmsterdamUSC@state.gov https://nl.usembassy.gov/
International organization participation
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CBSS (observer), CD, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI (implementing country), EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SELEC (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UN Security Council (temporary), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction