Legal and administrative Dutch: how to read an official letter
Understand Dutch official letters, from ingevolge, krachtens and onverminderd to beschikking, bezwaar maken, termijn and ter inzage.
Sooner or later a letter arrives from the Belastingdienst, the gemeente or another government body, and it's written in a Dutch you don't hear anywhere else. Sentences start with Ingevolge artikel 4, refer to voornoemde termijn and end by telling you that you can bezwaar maken against the beschikking. Even native speakers groan at this style, but they can read it, and with a handful of key words, so can you.
This guide is about the language of official and legal Dutch: the prepositions, formulas and key terms, and a strategy to read such a letter quickly. It is not legal advice. Rules and deadlines depend on the type of decision, and the letter itself always tells you what applies. When in doubt, contact the sender or a legal adviser.
For the basics of formal register (indien, derhalve, reeds), start with the formal register lesson and Dutch emails.
The legal basis: op grond van, ingevolge, krachtens
Official decisions always say on what basis they were taken. Three prepositions do most of this work.
| Preposition | Meaning | Register |
|---|---|---|
| op grond van | on the basis of | most common, neutral-formal |
| ingevolge | pursuant to, under | formal, legal |
| krachtens | by virtue of, under | formal, legal |
| volgens | according to | everyday |
| conform | in accordance with | formal, also in business |
- Op grond van artikel 3 van de verordening heeft u geen recht op een vergunning. — On the basis of article 3 of the bylaw, you are not entitled to a permit.
- Ingevolge artikel 4 is een vergunning vereist. — Under article 4 a permit is required.
- Krachtens deze regeling heeft u recht op een vergoeding. — Under this scheme you are entitled to compensation.
For reading purposes, these three mean roughly the same: "this is the rule we're applying". The everyday paraphrase is volgens.
Onverminderd and het bepaalde in
Onverminderd is one of the hardest words in official Dutch, because its everyday meaning ("undiminished": met onverminderde inzet — with undiminished commitment) seems unrelated. In legal texts it means without prejudice to: the rule that follows doesn't cancel the one that's mentioned.
- Onverminderd het bepaalde in artikel 2 geldt het volgende. — Without prejudice to the provisions of article 2, the following applies.
In plain Dutch: article 2 still applies in full, and on top of that, here is another rule.
Het bepaalde in literally means "what is determined in", so: the provisions of. You'll see it in gelet op het bepaalde in artikel 5 (having regard to the provisions of article 5) and in afwijking van het bepaalde in… (by way of derogation from…).
Key nouns: beschikking, belanghebbende, termijn
These nouns are the backbone of almost every letter from a government body.
| Term | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| de beschikking | a formal decision about you | e.g. about an allowance, a permit or a tax assessment |
| het besluit | decision | the general word; a beschikking is one type |
| de belanghebbende | interested party | someone whose interests are directly affected |
| de termijn | time limit, period | the letter states how long |
| de aanvrager | applicant | the person who asked for the decision |
| de bezwaartermijn | objection period | the period for lodging an objection |
A few examples:
- In deze beschikking leest u hoeveel toeslag u ontvangt. — In this decision you can read how much allowance you will receive.
- Als belanghebbende ontvangt u een kopie van het besluit. — As an interested party you will receive a copy of the decision.
- De termijn voor betaling is verstreken. — The time limit for payment has expired.
Don't confuse de beschikking with ter beschikking, which means "available": Wij stellen u een laptop ter beschikking. — We provide you with a laptop. And beschikken over means "to have at one's disposal": U beschikt over een geldige verblijfsvergunning. — You hold a valid residence permit.
Bezwaar maken and the bezwaarschrift
If you disagree with a decision by a Dutch government body, the letter will usually explain how to bezwaar maken (lodge an objection). You do this by sending a bezwaarschrift (notice of objection) within the termijn stated in the letter; for many government decisions this is six weeks. After the objection procedure, you may be able to go to court: that's called in beroep gaan or beroep instellen (to appeal).
- U kunt binnen zes weken bezwaar maken tegen dit besluit. — You can lodge an objection to this decision within six weeks.
- Stuur uw bezwaarschrift naar het adres bovenaan deze brief. — Send your notice of objection to the address at the top of this letter.
Pay attention to the collocations: bezwaar maken tegen (to object to), een bezwaarschrift indienen (to submit a notice of objection), beroep instellen (to lodge an appeal). Wrong: beroep maken.
The section at the end of a decision that explains your options is often headed Bent u het niet eens met dit besluit? or, in older style, Rechtsmiddelen. That's always the part to read carefully.
Formulas you'll see again and again
| Formula | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ter inzage liggen | be available for inspection | Het ontwerpbesluit ligt zes weken ter inzage. — The draft decision is available for inspection for six weeks. |
| voornoemd | aforementioned | De voornoemde termijn kan niet worden verlengd. — The aforementioned time limit cannot be extended. |
| ondergetekende | the undersigned | Ondergetekende verklaart het formulier naar waarheid te hebben ingevuld. — The undersigned declares that the form has been filled in truthfully. |
| hieronder valt / vallen | this includes | Hieronder vallen ook uitkeringen. — This also includes benefits. |
| dient te | must | Het formulier dient volledig te worden ingevuld. — The form must be filled in completely. |
| ten behoeve van | for the benefit / purpose of | ten behoeve van uw aanvraag — for your application |
| met ingang van | as of, with effect from | met ingang van 1 januari — as of 1 January |
Note the two meanings of hieronder: in a letter, hieronder can simply mean "below" (Hieronder leest u… — Below you can read…), but in Hieronder valt… it means "under this heading, this category includes".
Dient te is the official way of saying moet. It doesn't express a recommendation; it's an obligation.
Why official Dutch sounds like this
Three style features make these texts hard, and recognising them makes them much easier:
- Nominalisation: verbs become nouns. Na ontvangst van uw aanvraag (after receipt of your application) instead of nadat we uw aanvraag hebben ontvangen. Bij niet-tijdige betaling (in case of late payment) instead of als u niet op tijd betaalt.
- The passive: the government body hides behind the action. Uw aanvraag is afgewezen. — Your application has been rejected. See the passive voice.
- Old forms: ten behoeve van, ter inzage, te allen tijde. These are the case forms explained in old case forms, and some formulas share the solemn tone of the subjunctive.
Many Dutch government bodies are actively trying to write in plainer language (heldere taal), so you'll increasingly see letters that say Bent u het niet eens met dit besluit? Dan kunt u bezwaar maken. instead of Tegen dit besluit kan bezwaar worden gemaakt. Both mean the same thing.
A reading strategy
Faced with a dense letter, look for three things in this order:
- Wat is er besloten? — What has been decided? Look for words like besluit, beschikking, toegekend (granted), afgewezen (rejected), vastgesteld (set, determined).
- Op grond waarvan? — On what basis? Find op grond van, ingevolge, krachtens, gelet op.
- Wat kan ik doen, en wanneer? — What can I do, and by when? Find bezwaar, beroep, termijn, binnen … weken, uiterlijk (at the latest).
Underline every date and every termijn. Everything else is detail.
Quick summary
- Op grond van, ingevolge and krachtens name the legal basis; everyday Dutch says volgens.
- Onverminderd het bepaalde in = without prejudice to the provisions of: the other rule still applies.
- A beschikking is a formal decision about you; a belanghebbende is an interested party; the termijn is the time limit stated in the letter.
- You can bezwaar maken by sending a bezwaarschrift; in beroep gaan (to court) is usually the next step.
- Learn the formulas: ter inzage, voornoemd, ondergetekende, hieronder valt, dient te, met ingang van.
- This is about language, not legal advice: the letter states what applies to you.
Practise it
Work through the key terms in Legal & administrative Dutch, review the basics of official style in Formal vs informal Dutch, and see the same old-fashioned flavour in Subjunctive & archaic forms.