The Netherlands continues to attract the attention of many economic migrants. In 2021, a large part of the offers published on europa.jobs concerned employment in the Netherlands. Every employee has the right to know when they are entitled to a day off. Check the days off and holidays in the Netherlands in 2022.
Days off and Holidays in the Netherlands 2022
Below you can see a list of the days off and public holidays in the Netherlands that are valid in 2022:
| Holiday | Date |
| New Year’s Day (Nieuwjaar) | 1.01 (Saturday) |
| Easter (Eerste Pasdag) | 17.04 (Sunday) |
| Easter Monday (Tweede Paasdag) | 18.04 |
| King’s Day (Koningsdag) | 27.04 (Wednesday) |
| Liberation Day (Bevrijdingsdag) | 5.05 (Thursday) |
| Ascension of the Lord (Hemelvaartsdag) | 26.05 (Thursday) |
| Pentecost (Eerste Pinkstersdag) | 5.06 (Sunday) |
| Pentecostal Monday (Tweede Pinkstersdag) | 6.06 (Sunday) |
| Christmas (Kerstdag) | 25.12.-26.12 (Sunday-Monday) |
The Netherlands is one of the most secularized countries in Europe. According to recent data, more than half of the inhabitants of the Netherlands do not belong to any religious group. On the other hand, the largest group of the faithful are Catholics (approx. 26%), therefore a large part of the catholic holidays are celebrated in the Netherlands. However, most often these will not be non-working days.
Important! There is no Labor Day in the Netherlands (1.05).
King’s Day and Liberation Day
King’s Day is a public holiday that is celebrated on the birthday of the King of the Netherlands, Wilhelm-Alexander (27.04.2022). It is a statutory non-working day. On this day, usually various types of festivals and concerts are organized. During the celebration of this day, residents should wear an orange suit, as it is the color of the ruling family in the Netherlands.
Liberation Day is celebrated on 5.05, it commemorates the end of the Nazi occupation. Interestingly, on this day, employees of the state administration are free, and the rest – only every 5 years.
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Popular Holidays in the Netherlands 2022
As mentioned at the beginning, the Netherlands has far fewer non-working days compared to the rest of the EU countries. Below you can check the popular holidays in the Netherlands that are normal working days.
| Holiday | Date |
| Valentine’s Day (Valentijnsdag) | 14.02 (Monday) |
| Good Friday (Goede Vrijdag) | 15.04 |
| Day of Memory (Dodenherdenking) | 4.05 (Środa) |
| Mother’s Day (Moederdag) | 8.05 (Sunday) |
| Father’s Day (Vaderdag) | 19.06 (Sunday) |
| All Saints Day (Allerheiligen) | 1.11 (Tuesday) |
| St. Nicholas (Sinterklaasdag) | 5.12.- 6.12 (Monday-Tuesday) |
| Christmas Eve (Kerstavond) | 24.12 (Saturday) |
| New Year’s Eve (Oudejaarsavond) | 31.12 (Saturday) |
When to go on vacation when working in the Netherlands?
Despite the fact that the Dutch definitely have fewer days off, you can easily plan a longer vacation, using as few vacation days as possible.
· Easter (15.04.-18.04)
· Liberation Day (5.05.-8.05)
· Ascension of the Lord (26.05.-29.05)
· Pentecost (3.06.-6.06)
· Christmas (23.12.-26.12)
Are you thinking about going to work in the Netherlands?
