The 8 Official Dutch National Holidays in 2026
The Netherlands recognises eight national public holidays (nationale feestdagen) at which employment law grants workers a day off — subject to the terms of their collective agreement.
| Date | Day | Holiday | Dutch Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Thursday | New Year's Day | Nieuwjaarsdag |
| April 6 | Monday | Easter Monday | Tweede Paasdag |
| April 27 | Monday | King's Day | Koningsdag |
| May 5 | Tuesday | Liberation Day* | Bevrijdingsdag |
| May 14 | Thursday | Ascension Day | Hemelvaartsdag |
| May 25 | Monday | Whit Monday | Tweede Pinksterdag |
| December 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | Eerste Kerstdag |
| December 26 | Saturday | Second Christmas Day | Tweede Kerstdag |
*Liberation Day is mandated only in lustrum years. 2026 is not a lustrum year; the next is 2030.
Two important dates that are not official national holidays: Good Friday (April 3) and Easter Sunday (April 5). Both are widely observed by employers, particularly in sectors with religious collective agreements, but no statutory entitlement exists.
Liberation Day 2026: Not an Official Holiday for Most Workers
Bevrijdingsdag commemorates the end of Nazi occupation on May 5, 1945. Under the Working Hours Decree (Arbeidstijdenbesluit), it is a recognised public holiday only in lustrum years. For 2026, private-sector employees cannot claim it as a mandatory day off unless their CAO explicitly grants it.
The Dutch central government, educational institutions, and many publicly funded bodies treat Liberation Day as a regular day off regardless of the lustrum cycle. Large employers in banking, insurance, and professional services vary — check the applicable CAO or your employment contract.
Bridge Day (Brugdag) Opportunities in 2026
A brugdag is a self-explanatory Dutch concept: a day taken to bridge a midweek holiday to the nearest weekend. Employers are not legally required to grant them, but many do through CAO provisions or operational norms.
| Holiday | Date & Day | Bridge Day | Combined Break |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | Jan 1 (Thu) | Jan 2 (Fri) | 4-day weekend |
| Ascension Day | May 14 (Thu) | May 15 (Fri) | 4-day weekend |
| Second Christmas Day | Dec 26 (Sat) | Dec 28 (Mon) | 9-day Christmas break |
No bridge day needed for Koningsdag (April 27, Monday), Whit Monday (May 25, Monday), or Easter Monday (April 6, Monday) — all three fall on Mondays, giving automatic three-day weekends.
The Christmas–New Year window deserves special attention. If an employer grants December 28 off and closes the week of December 29–31 for the year-end, plus the New Year public holiday on January 1, 2027 (Friday), employees may be off from December 25 through January 4, 2027 using only three or four days of annual leave.
How Dutch Businesses Handle Holiday Weeks
Dutch business culture operates with predictable holiday patterns that foreign counterparties must account for.
Q2 compression: The April 6–May 25 window contains four public holidays (Easter Monday, Koningsdag, Ascension, Whit Monday) and at least one major bridge day opportunity. This compresses effective working weeks and slows approval cycles, contract negotiations, and payment processing.
August: Not a statutory holiday month, but the Netherlands has the highest holiday uptake of any EU country in August. Skeleton staffing at many SMEs from late July through mid-August is the norm, not the exception.
December: Most Dutch companies enter a de facto shutdown between December 24 and January 2, regardless of whether staff are formally on holiday.
Best practice for non-Dutch counterparties: send time-sensitive invoices and contracts no later than five business days before a holiday cluster begins. Chase outstanding payments before April 22 and before May 8 to avoid the Q2 compression window.
Impact on SEPA Payments and Invoice Deadlines
Dutch payment terms typically run 30 calendar days net. When calculating deadlines:
- Identify the invoice date or delivery confirmation date (whichever triggers the term)
- Count forward 30 calendar days
- If day 30 falls on a Dutch public holiday, the payment is legally due on the next banking day
- SEPA Credit Transfers submitted on a TARGET2 banking holiday are settled the next TARGET2 business day — which may not coincide with the Dutch holiday date
The TARGET2 calendar (the ECB's interbank settlement system) recognises only six fixed holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, May 1, December 25, and December 26. Koningsdag and Ascension Day are not TARGET2 holidays, meaning cross-border SEPA transfers can technically be processed on those days even though Dutch domestic banks are closed for retail operations.
Public Sector vs Private Sector: Key Differences
| Aspect | Public Sector | Private Sector |
|---|---|---|
| Liberation Day 2026 | Day off (most bodies) | Depends on CAO |
| Good Friday | Often granted | CAO-dependent |
| Bridge days | Frequently formal | Varies by employer |
| Christmas shutdown | Dec 25–Jan 1 standard | Varies |
| Statutory annual leave | 22–27 days typical | Minimum 20 days |
Public-sector employees under central government agreements (Rijksoverheid CAO) enjoy more generous provisions than the statutory 20-day minimum. Comparing contracts across sectors on the basis of headline salary alone ignores this gap.
Planning Your 2026 Workflow Around Dutch Holidays
Flag the following periods in your project management and accounts-receivable systems:
- January 1–2: New Year cluster; low response rates through January 4
- April 3–6: Good Friday to Easter Monday; informal four-day closure for many businesses
- April 27: Koningsdag; full public holiday, no bridge day needed
- May 5–15: Liberation Day (reduced capacity) through Ascension bridge day
- May 23–25: Weekend before Whit Monday; limited activity Friday May 22
- December 24–January 1, 2027: Extended Christmas shutdown
For payment-critical work, move every deadline in these windows to at least two business days earlier than the nominal due date.
Use the EU Biz Tools Working Days Calculator to count exact business days between any two dates, automatically excluding Dutch public holidays and weekends. Enter your invoice date and payment term, and the tool flags which 2026 holiday clusters fall within the period so you can plan your follow-up schedule in advance.