When you’ve worked in different countries as an expat you know that immediately adapting to corporate cultures and national habits are the best way to quickly get used to your new environment. Part of a nation’s culture and heritage are the national holidays that are celebrated, the Dutch national holidays are no exception.
As most Dutch national holidays are combined with festivities and celebrations these days are usually labelled as non-working days. When working in the Netherlands as an expat you’ll probably are entitled to having a day off during those Dutch national holidays equal to your Dutch colleagues working for the same company. In addition to national holidays that apply to the Netherlands as a whole, there are some regional celebrations, with carnival in the south as a good example, where employers grant their employees some days off during this period.
For an expat it is good to know when Dutch national holidays take place so they won’t be surprised when they show up at the office and no one is actually there. As most shops are also closed on Dutch national holidays it is also quite practical to know the dates in advance. In order to be well prepared as an expat Dutch Umbrella Company has prepared a list with the most important Dutch national holidays to put in your agenda for the coming year:
Next to aforementioned public Dutch national holidays there are also a few days in the year of national remembrance or celebration that are not labelled as official Dutch national holidays. Those days include:
Liberation Day is an official national holiday once every 5 years, but during the other 4 years employers may be given the day off by their employers, it differs per organisation. On those non-official national holidays management usually allows employees to go home a bit earlier in order to celebrate those days with their families.
Dutch Umbrella Company 2024 ©
