Maternity leave ends, and you’re back at the office, but you’re still breastfeeding. Many expat mothers assume they’ll have to stop, or sneak off to a toilet. You don’t. Dutch law gives you genuinely strong kolfrecht (the right to pump at work): paid time, and a proper private room. Here is what you’re entitled to and how to ask for it.
The core right
As the government explains breastfeeding during working hours, in the first 9 months after giving birth you have the right to breastfeed or pump (kolven) during working hours, as often and as long as you need, up to a maximum of one quarter of your working day or shift. Crucially, this time is paid by your employer.
It’s grounded in the Arbeidstijdenwet (Working Hours Act, Article 4:8), as the FNV union sets out on pumping at work. This is a legal right, not a favour you’re asking for.
The room your employer must provide
This is the part many don’t know. As Arboportaal explains the rules on breastfeeding and pumping, your employer is obliged to provide a suitable space: hygienic, lockable from the inside, with enough privacy, and quiet. A toilet does not count. If there’s no permanent kolfruimte, the employer must arrange a suitable private space when you need it.
It’s paid, and on top of breaks
Two reassurances:
- The pumping time is paid working time, you don’t make it up or dock your lunch.
- It’s in addition to your normal breaks, not instead of them.
- You decide the timing and length of the pauses, in overleg (in consultation) with your employer.
How to raise it with HR
Be matter-of-fact, it’s your right. A clear line:
“Ik kom net terug van mijn verlof en geef nog borstvoeding. Ik wil graag gebruikmaken van mijn recht om te kolven onder werktijd. Kunnen we een geschikte kolfruimte en de tijden afspreken?”
This is the same calm, direct register as defending your weekend or sending a clean ziekmelding.
The vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| kolven / het kolfrecht | to pump / pumping rights |
| de kolfruimte | pumping room |
| de borstvoeding | breastfeeding |
| de Arbeidstijdenwet | Working Hours Act |
| in overleg | in consultation |
| het ouderschapsverlof | parental leave |
Where it connects
Kolfrecht is the return-to-work bookend of the Dutch family-and-work system, following the verloskundige and the birth and your parental-leave entitlements, and running alongside your child’s own early steps like a VVE indicatie.
The bottom line
Dutch kolfrecht is real and generous: for the first 9 months, you may kolven during working hours, up to a quarter of your day, paid, and your employer must give you a hygienic, lockable, private kolfruimte (not a toilet). You set the timing in overleg. It’s written into the Arbeidstijdenwet. Learn kolven, kolfruimte and in overleg, raise it plainly with HR, and you can keep breastfeeding without quietly sacrificing your rights.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the workplace-rights Dutch you need, kolfrecht, kolfruimte, Arbeidstijdenwet, in overleg by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can claim your pumping rights clearly with HR instead of quietly giving them up.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have the right to pump at work in the Netherlands?
Yes. Under the Arbeidstijdenwet (Working Hours Act, Article 4:8), during the first 9 months after giving birth you have the right to breastfeed or pump (kolven) during working hours. You may do so as often and as long as you need, up to a maximum of one quarter of your working day or shift, and this time is paid by your employer. It’s a legal right, not a favour.
Does my employer have to provide a room for pumping?
Yes. The employer is legally obliged to provide a suitable space for breastfeeding or pumping: hygienic, lockable from the inside, offering enough privacy, and quiet and secluded. A toilet does not count. If there’s no permanent room, the employer must arrange a suitable private space when you need it. These requirements come from the Arbobesluit alongside the Working Hours Act.
Is pumping time at work paid, and does it count as a break?
It’s paid, and it’s on top of your normal breaks, not instead of them. The pumping/breastfeeding time (up to a quarter of your working day in the first 9 months) is paid working time. You determine when and how long you pause, in consultation with your employer. So you don’t have to use your lunch break or make up the time; the law treats it as paid work time.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for workplace rights and HR?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the workplace-rights Dutch you need, kolfrecht, kolfruimte, Arbeidstijdenwet, in overleg, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you can claim your pumping rights clearly with HR instead of quietly giving them up.
