Health and safety rules for children and young people

• In the Netherlands, children aged up to 12 are not allowed to work at all; this is a general ban - the ban on child labour. Only if cultural work (artistic work) is involved can an exemption be obtained for a child aged up to 12. This kind of work includes productions of a cultural, scientific, educational or artistic nature, such as fashion shows, audio, visual or audiovisual recordings and similar productions, both online and offline.
• Children aged between 13 and 15 are allowed to work on a limited basis, but strict rules apply here.
• Young people aged 16 to 17 are allowed to work more and are subject to less strict rules than children.

Different rules apply to children and young people. For children aged up to 15, the Working Hours Act and the Working Conditions Act are further elaborated in the Further Regulations on Child Labour (Dutch). These regulations describe what activities children are allowed to perform in the workplace.

Children aged 13 to 15 are allowed to do light, non-industrial work such as cleaning, babysitting, stacking shelves and peeling flower bulbs.

Young people aged 16 and 17 are allowed to do all kinds of work, as long as it is not dangerous or harmful to health. Work should not interfere with school work.

Read more on the website Arboportaal (Dutch).

The minimum (young people's) wage applies to children and young people aged 15 to 23. The amount depends on age. The minimum wage increases with each birthday.

Government - Minimum wage

Children aged up to 12 are allowed to do cultural work (artistic work). This includes taking part in productions of a cultural, scientific, educational or artistic nature, such as fashion shows, audio, visual or audiovisual recordings and similar productions, both online and offline. We call these children 'art children'.

This requires an exemption and clear rules and arrangements apply. For example, the child must be accompanied, take regular breaks and may only perform a limited number of times a year.

From their 13th birthday, children aged 13 to 15 are subject to the Further Regulations on Child Labour, which prescribes the conditions under which they may work.

Read more on the website Arboportaal (Dutch).

If you have any questions about exemption, please contact the Netherlands Labour Authority.

Exemption is possible in some cases. For example, exemption from the ban on child labour for so-called 'art children'. Read more about child labour exemption (Dutch).

If you have any questions about exemption options, please contact the Netherlands Labour Authority.