Notice period Netherlands 2026: the statutory rules for resigning and for being dismissed
How much notice you must give when you resign, and how much your employer must give you. Also what changes for fixed-term contracts, probation, summary dismissal, holiday days and highly skilled migrant permits.
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Rules from the Dutch Civil Code and Rijksoverheid · Checked 14 September 2026
Short answer
Notice period Netherlands, in short: when you resign from a permanent contract, your statutory notice period is 1 month, and notice runs to the end of the month. Your employer’s notice depends on how long you have worked there: 1 month under 5 years, 2 months from 5 years, 3 months from 10 years and 4 months from 15 years. Your contract can lengthen your notice to at most 6 months, but then your employer’s must be twice as long. A fixed-term contract ends on its end date without notice.
Key facts for 2026
- 1 month is your statutory notice period when you resign from a permanent contract.
- 1 to 4 months is your employer’s notice, depending on how many years you have worked there.
- 6 months is the longest notice your contract can give you, and your employer’s must then be double.
- 1 month before a fixed-term contract of 6 months or more ends, your employer must tell you in writing whether it continues.
- 1 month of salary is owed to you if your employer does not tell you at all.
- 1 month of notice always remains after a UWV or court procedure is deducted.
- 3 months is the job search period on a highly skilled migrant permit, counted from the day your contract ends.
This is general information about Dutch law, not legal advice for your situation. Rules change; figures are for 2026. No rights can be derived from this text.
Resigning
Notice period Netherlands when you resign: 1 month
On a permanent contract your opzegtermijn (notice period) is 1 calendar month, and it starts on the 1st of the next month (Rijksoverheid).
- An example: to leave on 1 April, give notice in writing before 1 March. You keep working in March.
- End of the month: notice runs to the end of a month, unless a written agreement or custom sets another day (Civil Code, article 7:672).
- Longer by contract: your contract can set a longer notice period, but never more than 6 months. If yours is longer than 1 month, your employer’s must be twice as long: 5 months for you means 10 for your employer.
- Shorter only by CAO: a shorter notice period is possible if your CAO allows it.
Employer
Your employer’s notice period: 1 to 4 months
Your employer’s statutory notice depends on how long your contract has lasted on the day notice is given (Rijksoverheid).
| Time with your employer | Employer’s notice period |
|---|---|
| Less than 5 years | 1 month |
| 5 to 10 years | 2 months |
| 10 to 15 years | 3 months |
| 15 years or longer | 4 months |
| Past state pension (AOW) age | 1 month |
Statutory periods for a permanent contract, 2026. A CAO can shorten them; your contract can lengthen them.
- Longer: your employer can agree a longer notice period with you in the contract.
- Shorter: only if your CAO allows it, and never shorter than your own.
Dismissal
Your employer needs permission before giving notice
Your employer cannot validly give notice without your written consent, unless UWV gave permission, you are in your probation period or there is an urgent reason (Civil Code, article 7:671).
- Through UWV: an employer asks UWV for a dismissal permit for business-economic reasons or long incapacity for work (Rijksoverheid).
- Time deducted: after a UWV procedure, the employer may deduct the procedure time from the notice period, but at least 1 month of notice must remain.
- Through the court: when the kantonrechter (subdistrict court) dissolves a permanent contract, it sets the end date as if notice had been given and deducts the time of the procedure, unless the employer acted seriously culpably. Here too, at least 1 month remains.
- Asked to agree? With a settlement agreement, check that your employer respects the notice period, and that nothing suggests you resigned yourself, or you may lose unemployment benefit (WW). See our settlement agreement guide and severance pay.
Dismissed, or asked to sign? Talk to an employment lawyer
Need help with this? We match you with an English-speaking Dutch employment lawyer. Free 15-minute matching call first. Lawyer fees are paid to the firm and explained before you proceed.
Fixed-term
Fixed-term contracts: no notice, but a 1-month warning
A fixed-term contract ends by itself on the agreed end date, so neither side has a notice period, unless the contract says it can be ended early (Rijksoverheid).
- The aanzegtermijn (notification period): for a fixed-term contract of 6 months or longer, your employer must tell you in writing, at the latest 1 month before the end, whether the contract continues and on what terms (Rijksoverheid).
- Told at the start: if your employer said in writing when you started that there would be no new contract, that counts.
- Not told: your employer owes you 1 month of salary. Told too late: a proportional amount, such as a week’s salary for a week late. Not owed after bankruptcy, a suspension of payments or statutory debt restructuring.
No notice
Probation and immediate dismissal: no notice at all
During probation, and in a summary dismissal for an urgent reason, the contract ends at once without notice (Rijksoverheid).
- Probation: you and your employer can both end the contract immediately. Whoever ends it must give the reason in writing if the other asks (Rijksoverheid). More in our probation period guide.
- Ontslag op staande voet (summary dismissal): either side may end the contract at once for an urgent reason, telling the other the reason straight away (Civil Code, article 7:677). Your employer needs no UWV permission and may stop paying your salary. See instant dismissal in the Netherlands.
- Resigning at once: if you leave with immediate effect for an urgent reason your employer caused, your employer owes you the wages over your notice period; the court can raise or lower that (Rijksoverheid).
Mistakes
When notice is given wrongly
The side that ends the contract to an earlier date than the notice period allows owes the other the wages over the period the contract should have continued (Civil Code, article 7:672).
- Both ways: this applies to your employer and to you.
- The court: the subdistrict court can lower that compensation.
- Just dismissed? Read what to do right after a dismissal before you sign or agree to anything.
Holiday
Holiday days during your notice period
You can ask for holiday as usual; your employer must in principle agree and may only object for weighty business reasons, in writing within 2 weeks (Rijksoverheid).
- Days you cannot take: when you change jobs, holiday hours you can no longer take are paid out.
- Statutory days: they may not be paid out while you keep working; only at the end of your contract is that allowed.
- Holiday allowance: the amount built up is paid out when the job ends too. See our holiday allowance guide.
Permits
Highly skilled migrants: the search period starts when the contract ends
On a highly skilled migrant permit, your job search period begins on the day your contract ends, not on the day notice is given (IND brochure 3072).
- How long: up to 3 months to find a new job, or up to 6 months if you have had the permit for 2 years or longer.
- Never past your permit: the search period cannot be longer than your residence permit is valid.
How a new employer takes over your permit is in our highly skilled migrant visa guide.
Keep reading
Related guides
More on how a job ends in the Netherlands.
Dutch employment contracts
The clauses to read before you sign.
DismissalInstant dismissal
Urgent cause, investigations and your defence.
DismissalChallenge a dismissal
The 2-month deadline and how to act in time.
DismissalSettlement agreement
What to check before you sign a VSO.
Work permitsHighly skilled migrant visa
Changing employer and losing your job on a permit.
EmploymentEmployment law hub
All our English guides for employees.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the notice period in the Netherlands?
When you resign from a permanent contract, it is 1 month by law. Your employer has to give 1 month if you have worked there less than 5 years, 2 months from 5 years, 3 months from 10 years and 4 months from 15 years. Notice runs to the end of the month, and your contract or CAO can change these periods within limits.
How do I resign in the Netherlands?
Give notice in writing before the 1st of the month before the month you want to leave. To leave on 1 April, you must resign before 1 March and keep working during March. Check your contract first: it can set a longer notice period of up to 6 months, and on a fixed-term contract you can only resign early if the contract allows it.
Can my notice period be longer than 1 month?
Yes, if you agree it in writing, but your notice period can never be longer than 6 months. If yours is longer than 1 month, your employer’s notice must be twice as long: agree on 5 months and your employer must give 10. A shorter notice period for you is only possible if your CAO allows it.
Does a fixed-term contract have a notice period?
No. It ends automatically on the agreed end date, unless your contract says it can be ended early. For a contract of 6 months or longer, your employer must tell you in writing at the latest 1 month before the end whether it will continue. If they do not tell you at all, they owe you 1 month of salary; if they are late, a proportional amount.
Does a UWV or court procedure shorten my notice period?
Yes. After a UWV permit, your employer may deduct the time the procedure took from the notice period. When the court dissolves a permanent contract, it sets the end date as if notice had been given and deducts the time of the procedure, unless the employer acted seriously culpably. In both cases at least 1 month of notice remains.
Can I take holiday during my notice period?
You can ask for it as usual. Your employer must in principle agree and may only object for weighty business reasons, in writing, within 2 weeks of your request. Statutory holiday days you cannot take any more are paid out when your contract ends; that is the only moment statutory days may be paid out instead of taken.
What if my employer does not respect the notice period?
If your employer gives notice to an earlier date than the notice period allows, they owe you compensation equal to your wages over the period the contract should have continued. The same rule applies to you if you leave too early. The subdistrict court can lower that compensation if it considers the full amount unreasonable.
When does my highly skilled migrant search period start?
On the day your employment contract ends, not on the day notice is given. You then have up to 3 months to find a new job, or up to 6 months if you have had the permit for 2 years or longer. The search period can never run past the end date of your residence permit.
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Official sources, checked 14 September 2026
- Rijksoverheid: I want to resign. What is my notice period? (in Dutch)
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Book 7, articles 7:668, 7:671, 7:671b, 7:672 and 7:677 (in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: I am being dismissed. What is my employer’s notice period? (in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: when does my employment contract end? (in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: what is the notification period for a fixed-term contract? (in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: can I end my contract with immediate effect? (in Dutch)
- Rijksoverheid: how do I take my holiday days? (in Dutch)
- IND brochure 3072: residence permit for work as a highly skilled migrant
Final notes and legal disclaimer
- This article provides general information and is not tailored to your personal circumstances.
- It does not cover all situations, exceptions, or recent legal changes.
- Reading this article does not create a lawyer-client relationship with findlawyer.nl or any associated entity.
- No guarantee is given that this information is complete, accurate, or up to date.
- No rights can be derived from this article.
- For decisions about your notice period or dismissal, or your specific situation, always consult a qualified professional.
FindLawyer is a lawyer-matching and case-preparation service, not a law firm. Legal advice comes from the partner lawyer.