Which Days Are Official Public Holidays?

The official Dutch calendar includes New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, King's Day, Liberation Day, Ascension Day, Whit Sunday and Whit Monday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Several of these observances follow the Christian ecclesiastical calendar and therefore move within the civil calendar from year to year. [1][2]

Not every widely observed Dutch celebration or commemoration is an official public holiday. Government guidance specifically notes that Sinterklaas, Remembrance Day, New Year's Eve and Eid al-Fitr are not official public holidays, although employers can make their own arrangements and collective agreements may allow employees to substitute certain Christian holidays for other religious observances. [2][3]

A Public Holiday Does Not Automatically Mean a Day Off

Dutch law does not give employees a general statutory entitlement to stop work simply because a day is an official public holiday. The applicable CAO or employment contract determines whether a public holiday is a day off and whether the employee continues to be paid. The same sources normally determine whether additional compensation applies when an employee works on the holiday. [1][2]

This distinction is important when comparing the Netherlands with countries where public holidays automatically create statutory paid leave. Many Dutch collective agreements do designate particular public holidays as paid days off, but the entitlement comes from the employment arrangement rather than from a universal public-holiday rule. [2][3]

Liberation Day Has a Distinct Employment Practice

Liberation Day is an official public holiday, but that status does not mean that all employees receive the day off. Government guidance explains that many CAOs grant a paid day off only periodically, while arrangements can differ between sectors and employers. Where no applicable CAO determines the issue, the employer's arrangements are relevant. [1][2][3]

For employees, the practical rule is therefore to check the applicable CAO or employment contract rather than infer entitlement from the holiday's official status. This also avoids treating a periodic paid-leave arrangement used in some sectors as though it were a nationwide rule for every workplace. [2][3]

King's Day and National Celebration

King's Day is one of the Netherlands' official public holidays and the country's principal celebration of the monarch. It is included in the same official calendar as the Christian holidays and Liberation Day. [1]

Because this guide keeps calendar dates separate from evergreen holiday information, readers should consult the applicable official annual calendar for the precise civil date. The same approach is appropriate for movable religious holidays such as Easter, Ascension Day and Whitsun. [1]

Shop Opening Depends Heavily on the Municipality

An official public holiday does not necessarily mean that Dutch shops will be closed. The national trading-hours framework assumes closure on certain public holidays, but municipalities may permit shops to open. Municipalities also determine whether and under what conditions Sunday shopping is allowed. [4][5]

Some categories of shop benefit from national exemptions and may open on Sundays and public holidays without relying on the ordinary municipal permission. Government guidance gives examples including petrol stations, pharmacies, shops in hospitals and care facilities, and shops at railway stations and airports. [4][5]

The result is substantial local variation. A supermarket or other retailer may be open in one municipality while a comparable shop elsewhere follows different holiday hours. Visitors should check the individual business or municipality rather than assuming a single nationwide retail schedule. [4]

Schools and Public Holidays

Schools are closed on official public holidays, although the government advises parents to confirm the school's own calendar. Schools may also decide how to handle certain religious or special days that are not official public holidays. [6]

School holidays such as the summer, autumn and spring breaks are a separate system from public holidays. Their timing can depend on education level and region, so they should not be inferred from the national public-holiday calendar. [6]

Practical Planning for Work and Travel

For employees, the first document to check is the applicable CAO, followed by the employment contract. These determine whether an official holiday actually means a paid day off and can also establish compensation for holiday work. [1][2]

For visitors, holiday effects are less uniform than the label 'public holiday' might suggest. Schools may be closed while shops operate under municipal permissions and exempt businesses remain open. Museums, restaurants, attractions and transport providers should be checked individually because official holiday status alone does not establish their operating hours. [4][5][6]