The flights the week before the school holiday are half the price, and it’s tempting to just pull the kids out for a few days. In the Netherlands, that instinct can cost you hundreds of euros. Dutch leerplicht (compulsory education) is taken seriously. Here is what the Leerplichtwet actually allows.
The rule: no term-time holidays
As the government explains taking your child on holiday outside the school holidays, children of compulsory-school age (5 to 16) must attend school, and you generally may not take them on holiday outside the school holidays. The wish for cheaper flights is not a valid reason.
The narrow exception
There’s one main exception, and it’s strict. As Ouders & Onderwijs explains holidays outside the school holidays, if the nature of your work genuinely prevents you from taking holiday in any school break (think seasonal work in tourism or agriculture), you can request permission in writing from the schooldirecteur. It’s capped (often a maximum of 10 days, not in the first two weeks after summer).
The fine: luxe verzuim
Skip school without permission and it’s luxe verzuim (luxury truancy). As legal guides to leerplicht and absence explain, the leerplichtambtenaar (school attendance officer) can fine parents around 100 euros per child per day (with caps, often cited as up to 600 euros for a week per family, more for longer).
Worse, in serious or repeated cases it can lead to prosecution and a criminal record, which can later affect a VOG application. The school must report unexplained absence.
What does count as a valid reason
Not everything is luxe verzuim. Schools can grant short verlof for genuine circumstances, a wedding or funeral, a religious holiday, or a family event, usually a day or a few, requested in advance from the schooldirecteur (the leerplichtambtenaar is involved for longer than 10 days). The distinction is necessity versus preference: a grandparent’s funeral qualifies; a cheaper flight does not. When unsure, ask the school first and get the verlof in writing, rather than booking and hoping, because the school records every absence and an unapproved one is what triggers the leerplichtambtenaar.
The vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de leerplicht | compulsory education |
| de Leerplichtwet | the Compulsory Education Act |
| luxe verzuim | luxury (unauthorised) absence |
| de leerplichtambtenaar | school attendance officer |
| het verlof | leave (of absence) |
| de schooldirecteur | head teacher |
Where it connects
Leerplicht is the legal backbone of the Dutch school world you’ll navigate as a parent, alongside the group 8 doorstroomtoets, choosing a school type, the school run, and the lunchtime and day-off logistics of overblijven and the studiedag.
The bottom line
The Dutch Leerplichtwet makes school compulsory from 5 to 16, and term-time holidays are not allowed: do it anyway and it’s luxe verzuim, with the leerplichtambtenaar fining about 100 euros per child per day (and worse for repeat offences). A genuine work-based exception exists, requested in writing from the schooldirecteur. Learn leerplicht, luxe verzuim and verlof, check the rules before you book, and you’ll avoid turning a bargain holiday into an expensive lesson.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the school-system Dutch these rules use, leerplicht, luxe verzuim, leerplichtambtenaar, verlof by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can understand the rules before you book, instead of learning them from a fine.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my child on holiday outside the Dutch school holidays?
Generally no. Under the Leerplichtwet, children of compulsory-school age (5 to 16) must attend school, and term-time holidays are not allowed. There’s a narrow exception if the nature of your work genuinely means you can’t take holiday in any school break (for example seasonal work in tourism or agriculture), in which case you request permission in writing from the school director. A wish for cheaper flights does not qualify.
What is the fine for taking a child out of school (luxe verzuim)?
Unauthorised term-time absence is luxe verzuim (luxury truancy). The leerplichtambtenaar (school attendance officer) can fine parents around 100 euros per child per day, with caps (often cited as up to 600 euros for a week per family, more for longer). In serious or repeated cases it can lead to prosecution and a criminal record, which can later affect something like a VOG (certificate of conduct) application.
When does compulsory education start in the Netherlands?
Officially on the first day of the month after your child turns 5, and it runs until 16 (with a qualification-related obligation, the kwalificatieplicht, up to 18 for those without a basic diploma). Many children start school at 4 in practice, but the legal leerplicht begins at 5. From that point, the rules on attendance and term-time holidays apply, and the school must report unexplained absence.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for the school system and parenting?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the school-system Dutch these rules use, leerplicht, luxe verzuim, leerplichtambtenaar, verlof, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you understand the rules before you book, instead of learning them from a fine.
