In the Netherlands, persons under the age of 18 years are considered minors by law (Burgerlijk Wetboek/Civil Code). From 18 years people are considered adults.

In Dutch youth policy, youth is generally defined as the age group 0-25 years. Within this age group a distinction is made (in policy, not in laws) between Children (0-12 years), Young people (12-18 years) and Young Adults (18-25 years).

In the Netherlands, the term youth is applied to children  and  young  people  from  0  up  to  the  age  of  23  or  27,  depending  on  the  domain;  e.g. preventive local youth policies up to 23 years and youth employment policies until 27 years. (Quelle: http://www.youthpolicy.nl/en/Download-NJi/Country-sheet-the-Netherlands-2016.pdf)

There is no legal restriction for minors to be in public places without parents or legal guardians. A local authority (cities, municipalities) can however issue a local order which allows for young children, who are on the streets in certain areas after a certain time (for instance 21.00) without supervision, to be brought back to their parents by the police.

Restaurants:

Yes, although not all restaurant owners cater for or have specific provisions for (families with) children. There is no formal age limit.

Dance Halls:

From the age of 16 young people are allowed to visit discos and other establishments, however they are not allowed to purchase alcohol or to smoke. Some discos and other establishments have a policy restricting access to people over 18 or older. (https://www.kinderrechten.nl/jeugd/leeftijdsladder/?age=16-jaar)

Access to night clubs, bars etc. is generally restricted to people aged 16 years or older. Unaccompanied children under 16 will not be allowed in night clubs or bars or casinos, most of such establishments have higher age restrictions (mostly 18 or 21 years). These rules also apply to attendance at dance events.

The government has passed laws against underage drinking. Since 1 January 2014, it is a criminal offence for young people under 18 to have alcohol in their possession in public, such as on the street or in a shopping centre. Selling alcohol to minors is illegal. The laws are intended to protect children and teenagers. (https://www.government.nl/topics/alcohol/young-people-and-alcohol und https://nix18.nl/over-nix/ )

There are no legal restrictions for young people to visit cinema’s. It is up to the parents and to cinema-owners to decide which films are suitable for children or not. In the Netherlands there is a system of information, which classifies films for their suitability for certain age-groups. This system, called “Kijkwijzer” (roughly translates as “Look smart”), is jointly operated by the audio-visual branch itself (see http://www.kijkwijzer.nl/index.php for more information)

Based on Article 240a, children under the age of 16 will not be allowed access to a cinematographic film with the age limit “16”. Neither when accompanied by an adult. Identification may be requested. For movies with other age limits, children under the age limit are only allowed under the guidance of an adult.

Since 2014, tobacco may only be sold to people aged 18 and older, instead of 16. The government hopes this will reduce the number of young people who smoke. It can be hard to estimate how old someone is, so shopkeepers selling tobacco may ask anyone who looks younger than 25 to show their ID. Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed public spaces and the hospitality sector (hotels, restaurants, cafés and catering establishments). 

There are no information.

Schools are responsible for the safety of their pupils. In the Netherlands it is not allowed to carry weapons of any kind without a permit. A permit can only be issued to adults.

The age of consent in the Netherlands for voluntary sexual relations is 16 years (Penal Law Code, art. 244 and 245).

You need a work permit to work in the Netherlands and a permit to legally reside in the Netherlands (verblijfsvergunning / residence permit).

From 13 years on young people can do (light) work.

Holiday Work: When you have a work permit and a residence permit.

There are a variety of institutions young people can turn to, such as the Children’s Helpline (Kindertelefoon) or Bureau for Youth Care or Centre for Youth and Families, most of which are organized on a local level (cities, municipalities)

German Embassy

Groot Hertoginnelaan 18-20

2517 EG Den Haag

phone: 0031 70 342 06 00

Fax:0031 70 365 19 57

see: http://www.den-haag.diplo.de/Vertretung/denhaag/de/Startseite.html

https://www.kindertelefoon.nl/

http://www.youthpolicy.nl/eCache/DEF/1/05/803.cmVjbnI9.html

https://www.government.nl/topics/youth-policy

https://nix18.nl/

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source:
embassy Kingdom of the Netherlands (10/2008)