Prostitution laws in the NetherlandsNederland

There is no offence of selling sex. Protection of minors runs through offences aimed at others: bringing a person under 18 into paid sex or profiting from it is trafficking (art. 273f(1)(5°) and (8°) Sr), and paying a 16- or 17-year-old for sex is an offence under art. 245(1)(d) Sr (Wet seksuele misdrijven, in force 1 July 2024). Where selling takes place still matters: municipal bylaws (APV) prohibit soliciting in the street outside designated zones and may ban unlicensed home-based or window work, enforced with fines or administrative measures.

The government's letter of 13 May 2026 states that the minimum age for prostitution will be raised by law to 21; on 22 September 2026 the Tweede Kamer adopted a motion asking that the higher age apply to 'sex work' generally (the motion's term, wider than prostitution), not only prostitution. By September–October 2026 the government was describing the measure as a stepwise increase of the minimum age for sex work to 21, to be enacted by a separate bill now in preparation (see pending). Amsterdam already applies 21 inside licensed businesses (APV art. 3.30(1)(e)), and the government business portal states that most cities have raised the age to 21, while its page for sex workers says 'some cities'.

Art. 273g Sr was introduced by the Wet strafbaarstelling misbruik prostituees die slachtoffer zijn van mensenhandel (Stb. 2021, 467), in force on the first day of the third month after publication, i.e. 1 January 2022. The Wet modernisering en uitbreiding strafbaarstelling mensenhandel (Stb. 2026, 312) rewrites art. 273g so it also covers persons for whom the sex worker performs sexual acts; it awaits a commencement decree. The EU-directive implementation bill (36 835) passed by the Tweede Kamer on 6 October 2026 would extend art. 273g to anyone who intentionally uses the services of a person while knowing or having serious reason to suspect that those services are the object of trafficking (up to 4 years).

In Amsterdam, APV art. 2.13 prohibits using a sex worker's services, or responding to offers, in or near the street or in a publicly accessible building (outside a licensed business), including letting a sex worker into a vehicle; breach is punishable under APV art. 6.1. The Wrs bill would have criminalised clients of unlicensed sex workers (art. 40, up to 12 months' detention); that bill has been dropped. There is no specific minimum age for clients: clients aged 16–17 buying from an adult commit no offence, as the minister confirmed. A motion asking the government to explore a statutory client minimum of at least 18 (Boomsma/Bikker) was rejected on 22 September 2026.

The Wet opheffing algemeen bordeelverbod (Stb. 1999, 464) repealed art. 250bis Sr, the general ban on brothel-keeping, with effect from 1 October 2000 (Stb. 2000, 38). Art. 151a Gemeentewet lets the council adopt rules on 'the commercial provision of opportunity for sexual acts with or for a third party for payment'. Under the Amsterdam APV, for example, operators need a licence (art. 3.27), must be at least 21 and of good conduct (art. 3.29), must submit a business plan, check that sex workers are not trafficked, are self-reliant, entitled to work and at least 21, and keep records available to inspectors (arts. 3.28–3.31). Breaches are punishable with up to three months' detention or a second-category fine (APV art. 6.1, within the cap of art. 154 Gemeentewet) and can lead to closure or licence withdrawal. Integrity screening under the Wet Bibob is common. In the 2022 WODC baseline study the number of sex-industry licences nationally (including licences issued to individual street sex workers) was estimated at 373.

Whether two or more sex workers sharing a flat amount to a licensable business depends on the local APV definition and on enforcement practice. The Amsterdam APV definition (art. 1.1) is typical; Amsterdam also requires a housing permit for business use of a dwelling (art. 3.32(1)(c)). The government business portal states that home-based reception is prohibited in most municipalities and advises sex workers to ask their municipality. The 2022 WODC study described municipal policy on home-based work as 'very diverse'.

Art. 273f Sr (current version) covers recruiting, transporting, harbouring or receiving a person by coercive means with intent to exploit, any involvement of a person under 18, and profiting from exploitation (art. 273f(1)(6°), (8°), (9°)). The Wet modernisering en uitbreiding strafbaarstelling mensenhandel (Stb. 2026, 312, signed 30 September 2026, commencement by royal decree) replaces art. 273f with a 'means + act + exploitation purpose' structure, adds child trafficking as a separate offence, and adds 'serious disadvantage' (art. 273fa) and knowingly profiting from trafficking or serious disadvantage (art. 273fb), each up to 6 years. It provides that a vulnerable position includes being under 21 where the work is prostitution or other sexual acts (new art. 273f(4)).

The government's letter of 13 May 2026 says the minister is examining how to criminalise 'malafide facilitators' in the illegal sector (a 'pooierverbod'), with the Public Prosecution Service, municipalities and sex workers, and looking at Amsterdam's facilitator approach.

In Amsterdam, operators of prostitution businesses and escort agencies must state the business name and licence number in ads (APV arts. 3.38(1), 3.45(1)); escort agencies may use only the phone numbers listed on the licence, not unregistered prepaid mobiles (art. 3.45(2)). Offering unsafe sex or guaranteeing that sex workers are free of STIs in ads is prohibited (arts. 3.38(2), 3.45(3)); those two prohibitions are punishable offences under APV art. 6.1, whereas the licence-number duty is not listed there and is enforced administratively (e.g. through licence conditions and withdrawal). Because more than 85% of municipalities adopted the VNG model APV largely unchanged (WODC 2022), similar rules are likely in many municipalities.

The abandoned Wrs bill would have required every sex worker to show a national register licence number and phone number in ads (art. 17). Since 1 April 2026, after talks with the Public Prosecution Service, the main ad platforms (including kinky.nl and sexjobs.nl) run an identity check on every new ad; a statutory verification duty for platforms is pending (see platforms).

Art. 273f(1)(6°) Sr penalises intentionally profiting from the exploitation of another; whether an advertising site does so depends on knowledge and intent. The government letter of 13 May 2026 reports that since 1 April 2026 an identity check, covering age and nationality, is carried out on all new ads on platforms including kinky.nl and sexjobs.nl, following talks between the Public Prosecution Service and several platforms; the letter does not cite a statutory basis.

The Implementatiewet herziene Europese richtlijn mensenhandel (36 835), as adopted by the Tweede Kamer on 6 October 2026 but not yet passed by the Eerste Kamer or in force, would insert a new art. 250b Sr: anyone who commercially offers an information-society service evidently aimed at placing or distributing ads for paid sexual acts, established in or targeting the Netherlands, would commit an offence (up to 1 year or a fifth-category fine) unless it (a) verifies the identity and age (18+) of the advertiser and of every person offered, using a valid ID and a same-day facial photo; (b) re-checks the face on every new or changed ad and then deletes the photo; (c) records name, date of birth, phone number, payment reference and connection data, keeps them for two years after the advertiser's last ad and supplies them to investigators on demand; and (d) provides a visible reporting button and takes reported ads offline pending review. The Senate justice committee is to discuss procedure on 3 November 2026; its clerk was asked to check whether the Council of State and the Data Protection Authority can advise on this amendment. EU-wide rules for hosting services under the Digital Services Act also apply.

A WODC study (Dialogic, 2026) found that kinky.nl and sexjobs.nl, both linked to Midhold B.V., account for over 85% of visits to sex-ad platforms; the government promised a plan of action for ad platforms in autumn 2026.

Typical APV wording (Amsterdam arts. 2.12–2.13): it is prohibited to loiter in or near the street or in a publicly accessible building with the evident aim of soliciting clients, to solicit from a building at passers-by (except from a licensed window), and to buy or respond to offers of sexual services in the street, including letting a sex worker into a vehicle. Breaches are minor offences (overtredingen) punishable with up to three months' detention or a second-category fine (APV art. 6.1; art. 154 Gemeentewet). Amsterdam's tippelzone provisions have been repealed. In the 2022 WODC study street prostitution was banned and not tolerated in most municipalities.

Self-employed sex workers must register with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK) like any business. Licensing of individuals is local: the government portal advises checking whether the municipality requires a licence for home-based or escort work. The Amsterdam APV places duties on operators (intake interview, age, right to work, records, compliance with national hygiene guidelines; arts. 3.30–3.31) but contains no medical-examination requirement.

The Wrs bill (35 715, 2021) would have required every sex worker to hold a free personal licence from age 21, obtained after an interview, recorded in a national register. The government letter of 13 May 2026 states that the Wrs will not be continued, citing cabinet priorities and critical advice from, among others, the Council of State and the Data Protection Authority. The Wet gemeentelijk toezicht seksbedrijven (36 948, submitted 21 May 2026) would amend art. 151a Gemeentewet to give municipalities a legal basis to process special categories of personal data in supervising sex businesses.

Self-employed sex workers file VAT returns and may use the small-business scheme (KOR) where annual turnover is at most EUR 20,000, and pay income tax on profits. Operators can work with sex workers in three ways: with self-employed workers (avoiding sham self-employment), under the opting-in scheme, or as employer. Under opting-in the operator withholds wage tax and premiums and pays the sex worker a net amount; the Tax Administration treats this as a fictitious employment relationship; operator and worker sign a joint 'Verklaring Loonheffingen Opting-in'. The 13 May 2026 government letter says next steps on opting-in are still being examined. A motion of 8 September 2026 (Faber) asking the government to require sex workers to be either employees or self-employed was rejected on 22 September 2026.

The government business portal states that the 'self-employed work' endorsement on a residence permit cannot be obtained for sex work ('sekswerk'). Interviewees in the 2026 WODC/Dialogic study said that a considerable share of ads come from people from countries for whose nationals Dutch work permits are not normally granted for prostitution. The Amsterdam APV obliges operators to ensure that only workers entitled to work, holding a valid residence title and (where required) KVK-registered, work in the business (art. 3.30(1)(d)); breach is a ground for licence withdrawal. The 2022 WODC study estimated, from ad analysis, that about 79% of sex workers advertising online were not from the Netherlands.