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Employment in The Hague
The Hague's labour market is built around international institutions, NGOs, diplomatic missions, national government and the consultancies that serve them. The defining feature is project-based employment: staff engaged for the duration of a mandate, a grant or a programme, on successive fixed-term contracts. That produces relatively few classic dismissals and a great many non-renewals - which look like nothing happening, and are frequently the point at which rights are quietly lost.
Common employment problems in The Hague
Fixed-term contracts that have already converted
Three successive contracts, or 24 months in total, and the next one is permanent by operation of law. The 24-month figure is widely misremembered as three years. If the chain has tipped, letting an end date pass was not a lawful way to end the employment.
Non-renewal used in place of dismissal
Declining to renew is the standard route here because it avoids any procedure. Whether that is lawful depends entirely on whether the contract was still genuinely fixed-term at the time.
Secondment and applicable law
Staff posted from a foreign parent or a home government often hold contracts governed by another country's law. A choice of foreign law is valid but cannot strip you of Dutch protections you would otherwise have had.
Agency and payroll intermediaries
Where you have moved between an agency, a payroll company and the organisation itself, the contract chain may still be running. It follows the work, not the employer's name on the paperwork.
Contracts spanning several employers in one group
Transfers between a project entity and its parent do not necessarily restart the count. Reconstruct every contract, date and gap before accepting that the chain is short.
Where a case would be heard
The Hague District Court
Rechtbank Den Haag
Sits at: Prins Clauslaan 60, The Hague
The Hague District Court sits for subdistrict matters in The Hague, Leiden and Gouda.
How finding a lawyer in The Hague works
FindLawyer is a matching service operated by Leadvise Legal B.V., which is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. You send your situation and documents, FindLawyer reviews them and tells you honestly whether involving a lawyer is worth it, and if it is, introduces an independent English-speaking employment lawyer.
The lawyer decides whether to accept the matter, confirms their own fees and provides all legal advice. Any FindLawyer fee is explained before you decide anything, and the initial 15-minute matching call is free.
Read this first
Fixed-term contract not renewed in The Hague
After three contracts or 24 months, the next one is permanent by operation of law - whatever the paperwork says.
Read the full explanationEmployment law in The Hague: common questions
Is the fixed-term limit three years or two?
Two. The maximum total duration is 24 months, alongside a separate maximum of three contracts. The 36-month figure is pre-2015 law and is the most common error in this area.
My contract just expired. Do I have any claim?
Possibly. If the chain rule had already converted your contract into a permanent one, it could not simply expire - ending it required a ground, a procedure and a notice period. Reconstructing the contract history is the first step.
My contract says it is governed by another country's law.
That choice is valid but limited. Under Article 8 of the Rome I Regulation it cannot deprive you of protections that cannot be contracted away under the law that would otherwise have applied.
Can I find an English-speaking employment lawyer in The Hague?
Yes, and the city has particular depth in lawyers used to international organisations and cross-border employment. FindLawyer introduces an independent lawyer; they decide whether to take the matter and give all the advice.
Need an employment lawyer in The Hague?
FindLawyer reviews your documents, tells you honestly whether involving a lawyer is worth it, and selects a suitable independent lawyer if it is. The 15-minute matching call is free.
No obligation. Any FindLawyer fee is explained before you decide. The lawyer decides whether to accept the matter, confirms their own fees and provides all legal advice.
Employment law in other cities
Last reviewed 14 August 2026.