Living in the Netherlands? Here’s a list of all the Dutch public holidays you need to know in 2022, as well as other important dates to make a note of on your calendar.
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).
- 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 but widely celebrated, as Sinterklaas, and Sint Maarten in Noord-Holland.
Public holidays 2022
- New Year’s Day: Saturday 1 January 2022
- Good Friday: Friday 15 April 2022
- Easter Sunday and Easter Monday: Sunday 17 and Monday 18 April 2022
- King’s Day: Wednesday 27 April 2022
- Liberation Day: Thursday 5 May 2022
- Ascension Day: Thursday 26 May 2022
- Whit Sunday and Whit Monday: Sunday 5 June and Monday 6 June 2022
- Christmas Day and Boxing Day: Sunday 25 and Monday 26 December 2022
Public holidays: do I have the right to a day off?
There is no law that says employees must be given a day off work on certain public holidays. So no one has a legal right to a day off on a public holiday. Dutch holidays are regulated in collective agreements (CAO) and labour agreements so check your employer’s CAO or labour agreement to see if you have the day off on public holidays. If you work on a public holiday, you are (often) entitled to extra pay. Besides, as an employee, you are also entitled to holiday leave.
Extension of periods ending on holidays or weekends
Public holidays may have an impact if you are required to make a payment or submit a response within a certain period (in Dutch). If such a period set by law ends on a Saturday, a Sunday or an official public holiday, the period will be extended until the next day that is not a Saturday, a Sunday or an official public holiday.
School holidays 2022
In the Netherlands, there is a school-free period of six weeks in the summer (zomervakantie) and two in the winter (kerstvakantie). In addition, schools also schedule holidays in:
- Spring (voorjaarsvakantie, carnavalsvakantie or krokusvakantie)
- May (meivakantie)
- Autumn (herfstvakantie).
Find out more about the Dutch school holiday system and the school holidays 2021-2022.
[Source: The Government of the Netherlands]