Netherlands

• The Constitution and Acts of Parliament
• The Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), the Criminal Code and other codes
• European Union law and treaties such as the European Convention on Human Rights, which take priority over ordinary national law
• Decisions of the Supreme Court (Hoge Raad), which are influential

• The Supreme Court (Hoge Raad) is the top court for civil, criminal and tax cases
• The Council of State and other top administrative courts for disputes with the government
• Courts of appeal and district courts, which also handle smaller cases in separate sectors

A law degree, then a period of professional training under supervision and bar courses, and registration as an advocaat with the Netherlands Bar.

• Courts may not test Acts of Parliament against the Constitution, but may test them against treaties.
• The Netherlands has been influential in modern civil-code design and in international law, with The Hague as a centre for international courts.
• Dutch law is the source of Roman-Dutch law, which still applies in South Africa and parts of Southern Africa.
• Mediation and settlement are strongly encouraged.

Germany, France, South Africa, Indonesia, Belgium

The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Netherlands as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.

The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.

Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria.

• The Judiciary of the Netherlands (English)
• Supreme Court of the Netherlands (Hoge Raad)

Sources last reviewed: October 2026.