Make your online presence fit in with the Dutch market

We’ve created this guide to help you get closer to your Dutch customers. A web presence that is in tune with the Netherland’s culture will make your customers feel well disposed to you, and give them the confidence to do business with you. By understanding these little yet important details, you'll be in a good position right from the start in the Dutch market.

Dutch is the main spoken and written language in the Netherlands.

Should you be formal or informal when addressing your customers?

The way you address your Dutch customers depends on who your audience is, what your brand voice is, and the context of your communication.

In general, use “u” for more formal texts or when addressing an older audience or for a formal business purpose.

Use “je” for more informal texts and a younger audience.

Numerals

Decimal separator

• This is a comma (,) – e.g. 1,5 hours.

Thousand separator

• The thousand separator is a full stop (.)
  • e.g. 1.524 people.

Telephone numbers

• The country code is +31. For international numbers, the Dutch replace the 00 with a plus sign, e.g. +31.

• There is no uniform way to write phone numbers in the Netherlands. However, all landline numbers have a nine digit format and all landline domestic calls must be preceded by a 0.

Area codes

• Dutch area codes are of two or three digits.

• The larger cities and areas have two digit area codes followed by a subscriber number of seven digits, and smaller towns have up to three digit area codes followed by six digits.

  • e.g. The large city Rotterdam has a two digit area code and a mandatory 0 trunk access code: 010-1234567, while the smaller town of Goor has a four digit area code including the mandatory 0 trunk access code: 0547-123456

• The area code is separated from the other numbers by a dash (-).

  • e.g. 0547-123456.

• Freephone numbers have the prefix 0800

The Euro. This is represented by the euro sign €. Its trading three letter code is EUR. Its coin denomination is cents represented by a c.

The Dutch write out financial amounts with the euro sign before the figure, and a comma to separate the cents, e.g. € 99,95

The note denominations are € 500 € 200 € 100 € 50 € 20 € 10 € 5 .

There are eight coin denominations: € 2 , € 1, 50 cents 20 cents 10 cents 5 cents, 2 cents, 1 cent.

In all contracts it is compulsory to write a financial amount in the following format: 200 EUR, e.g. “the amount owed is 200 EUR".

In the Netherlands the date format is DD-MM-YYYY, e.g. 24-03-2017.

Both the 24-hour clock and the 12-hour clock are used in the Netherlands.

The 12-hour clock is used in everyday speech. The Dutch never say “a.m” or “p.m” instead they would say “8 uur ‘s avonds” to mean “8 o’clock in the evening.”

The 24-hour format is favored in writing and on digital devices like PCs, phones, tablets, etc.

The separator is a colon and is often written followed by the word “hour”, e.g. 14:24 uur.

Standard working days are Monday to Friday.

Every culture has different superstitions and traditions which are always worth noting, especially when entering a new market.

The Dutch consider the number 13 to be unlucky.

Here are the top five translation tips that will make you sound like a local in Dutch market in no time:

1. When translating, be careful not to stay too close to the English source by being to literal in word choice, sentence format and word order.

2. Stay clear of colloquialisms and expressions used in your language, as they may not translate in the Dutch market. For example, local slang.

3. Use the right tone for your Dutch customers. English source texts can be very enthusiastic, or apologetic. Dutch is a more down to earth, straightforward language.

4. Try not to use old fashioned terms, for example, using 'koppeling' instead of 'link’. Also, be careful not to use too many English terms that have perfectly fine Dutch translations.

5. Give your translators as much context as possible about the pieces that are to be translated. Let them know who the intended audience is and what the purpose of the piece is. Give them a glossary of terms your brand uses, and provide them with key phrases and terminology.

• Planning to recruit your team in Netherlands? Discover more about recruitment processes in the Dutch market.

• Discover how to ensure your website is local in tone and language in our localization guide.