Courts of the Netherlands
A chain of civil and criminal courts ending at the Supreme Court, and separate top courts for administrative disputes. Courts cannot strike down Acts of Parliament.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Civil, criminal and tax courts
Supreme Court (Hoge Raad)
Courts of Appeal (gerechtshoven)
District Courts (rechtbanken)Include sectors for administrative and cantonal cases
Administrative courts
Council of State (Raad van State), Administrative Jurisdiction Division
Central Appeals Tribunal and Trade and Industry Appeals Tribunal
Worth knowing
- Courts may not test Acts of Parliament against the Constitution, but may test them against treaties.
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Read the Netherlands profile in the Legal Families Atlas →
Sources
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.
