Researching the Law of the Netherlands  

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

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This research guide focuses primarily on basic English-language sources of Dutch law. The law library does not own current repositories of the law of the Netherlands in Dutch: Burgerlijk Wetboek (civil code); Wetboek van Koophandel (commercial code); Wetboek van Burgerlijke Rechtsvordering (civil procedure code); Wetboek van Strafvordering (criminal procedure code); Wetboek van Strafrecht (criminal code). A compilation of these codes, with commentary, is Nederlandse Wetboeken (De Nederlandse Wetboeken (Zwolle: Tjeenk Willink, 1990.) KKM 13 1990x). The official gazette, Staatsblad voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (Staatsblad; choose Officiële Publicaties), contains new statutes and administrative orders as enacted. Treaties are published in the Tractatenblad van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (Tractatenblad; choose Officiële Publicaties). However, this guide deals primarily with legal research for non-Dutch readers. Below is a select list of English-language sources.  Some of these sources are relatively old.

Research Guides

For more detailed information on sources of Dutch law, check the following research guides:

Law Library of Congress guide, http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/nations/netherlands.html.

O. Jansen & G. Middeldorp, Researching Dutch Law.
This guide, like the Library of Congress one listed above, has links to web sources.

Database Access Note: access to certain databases linked to in this guide may be restricted to members affiliated with the U of M Law School or the U of M Twin Cities campus. Please see our Databases Directory for further information on access privileges.