To launch Google Ads in the Netherlands, target the country, then write ads, keywords and landing page in Dutch: Google Ads recognizes that language, but not Frisian, which is official in the province of Friesland only. Do not reuse a Belgian keyword list as it stands. The sourced, dated facts are in the table at the top of the page.
Key takeaway: Launch a Dutch campaign written for the audience of the country, add your VAT ID before the first invoice, and read the rules for your sector before writing a single ad.
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Official languages | Dutch, the official language of the country. Frisian is an official language alongside Dutch in the province of Friesland only. On Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, Papiamento and English are also recognized as official languages | Government of the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid), “Recognized languages in the Netherlands” |
| Languages Google Ads supports | Dutch: Google Ads recognizes it. Frisian and Papiamento are not in its list of recognized languages; English is | Google Ads API, language codes |
| Currency | Euro (EUR): the Netherlands, an EU founding member in 1957, has used the euro since 1999 (cash since 2002) | European Central Bank, “Our money” (euro area) |
| Search engines (share of searches) | Google 89.14%, Bing 4.57%, Yandex 2.57%, Yahoo! 1.53%, DuckDuckGo 1.48% (September 2026) | StatCounter Global Stats |
| Mobile vs desktop | Mobile 64.97%, desktop 33.16%, tablet 1.87% of page views (September 2026) | StatCounter Global Stats |
| Google Ads billing entity | Google Ireland Limited | Google Ads Help, “Taxes in your country” |
| VAT on Google Ads | Google asks for the VAT ID and does not add VAT, except for an “eligible non-business” purpose (political, charitable or non-profit): the advertiser self-assesses VAT at the rate of its member state (Article 44 of Directive 2006/112/EC) | Google Ads Help, “Taxes in your country” |
| Country VAT rate | 21% (general Dutch VAT rate, for any goods or services that are neither exempt nor at the reduced or zero rate); reduced rate of 9% for certain goods and services | Dutch Tax Administration (Belastingdienst), “VAT rates” |
| Country-specific Google surcharge | No country-specific surcharge in Google's list: the Netherlands is not on it | Google Ads Help, “Jurisdiction-specific surcharges” |
| Online gambling | Allowed (lotteries, online gambling, online bingo, online casino games, sports betting, daily fantasy sports) with a country-specific Google certification: the operator must be licensed by the Dutch Gambling Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) | Google Advertising Policies, “Gambling and games” |
| Online advertising for gambling (Dutch law) | Licence holders may not run untargeted advertising. Online advertising is allowed only under three cumulative conditions: let people opt out of receiving the advertising, take the best available measures to avoid reaching vulnerable people, and show that at least 95% of the people reached are aged 24 or over (Article 2ab of the decree on gambling promotion, advertising and addiction prevention) | Kansspelautoriteit, “Guideline on the ban on untargeted advertising for online gambling” (PDF, in Dutch) |
| Language of ads and landing pages | Not allowed: ad or landing page content in a language that Google Ads language targeting does not support | Google Advertising Policies, “Unsupported language” |
| King's Day (Koningsdag) | 27 April, an official holiday, though not everyone has the day off; if the 27th falls on a Sunday, it is celebrated on the Saturday. Last edition: 27 April 2026 | Government of the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid), “Is King's Day (27 April) a day off?” |
| School holidays by region | Three regions (Noord, Midden, Zuid) spread the school holidays. Autumn 2026: Noord 10 to 18 October, Midden and Zuid 17 to 25 October (advised dates, schools may deviate). Summer 2027: Noord 10 July to 22 August, Midden 17 July to 29 August, Zuid 24 July to 5 September | Government of the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid), “Overview of school holidays 2026-2027” |
Data verified on . Each value was read on its source on the date shown. It may have changed since: the source prevails.
In a new Search campaign, pick the Netherlands as the location and write ads, keywords and landing page in Dutch. Another language, for example for international business customers, gets its own campaign or at least its own ad group, with its own landing page. Google now matches ads based on their language: it is the text of your ads that decides which searches they reach.
Keep the whole country if you deliver or work everywhere. For a local offer, Google Ads lets you target finer areas depending on the country: regions, cities or postal codes. On Search, Google recommends the “Presence or interest” option and suggests “Presence” for sensitive sectors or for advertisers who only want people located in the area: choose knowingly, then read the location report.
Do not copy the list of another country, even a neighboring one. Start from Keyword Planner set to the Netherlands and to Dutch, then read the Dutch results page for each keyword: do you see ads and shopping pages, or only articles?
Write directly in Dutch, without translating a French or English version. Choose one way of addressing the audience, “u” or “je”, and keep it in the ads, on the page and in e-mails. Plan prices in euros and delivery and return terms that apply in the Netherlands, then have a Dutch speaker review it.
Google Ireland Limited is the company named for the Netherlands. When you open the account, three settings (account type, purpose of use, tax status) are permanent: choose them with care. Then, in billing, open the settings, then the payer details, and add your VAT registration number, not a tax number. The facts table gives the Dutch rate.
Online gambling, political advertising, alcohol and the language of ads each have their own rules, detailed below, and the Dutch Advertising Code applies to every ad. Read them before you write: a disapproved ad delays the whole launch.
For each Dutch keyword, ask: can this person buy what I sell from this search? An intent analysis reads the Dutch Google page and returns a Bid, Test or Skip verdict before you spend.
Launch with a capped test budget. After a few days, read the search terms report and add negative keywords in Dutch. If you later open a campaign in another language, its exclusions have to be written in that language.
Dutch is the official language of the country, and Google Ads recognizes it. According to the Dutch government, Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands, and Frisian is recognized by law: it is an official language alongside Dutch in the province of Friesland only. The language list in the Google Ads API documentation includes Dutch. The facts table at the top of the page draws on both sources.
Frisian cannot be targeted, and an ad in Frisian risks disapproval. Frisian is not in the list of languages Google Ads recognizes. Now, Google's policy on unsupported languages forbids ad or landing page content in a language that language targeting does not support. To reach the province of Friesland, write in Dutch, which is official there as in the rest of the country, and, if your offer is local, narrow the geographic area: the area targets the audience, not the language. If an ad in Frisian still tempts you, test it on a small budget before relying on it.
Google has removed the language setting from Search campaigns: it is the language of your ads that decides. According to Google's help page on language targeting, Search ads are now matched on their language, with priority to the language of the query. An ad group therefore speaks one language, in its keywords, its ads and its landing page. One Dutch campaign is enough for the general audience of the country; another language calls for a separate campaign, or at least a separate ad group.
Dutch in the Netherlands and Dutch in Flanders cannot simply be copied across. According to the Taalunie, the Dutch Language Union, created by a treaty between the Netherlands and Belgium, Dutch is the same language on both sides, with differences mostly in pronunciation and vocabulary. For an advertiser, that is enough reason not to reuse a Belgian keyword list as it stands: open Keyword Planner set to the Netherlands, then read the Dutch results page for each keyword before you bid. Our guide to choosing Google Ads keywords explains the method, and Vision generates keyword ideas from a product or a page.
Choose one way of addressing the audience, and keep it everywhere. Dutch has two common forms for addressing a person: “u” and “je” (or “jij”). Which one fits depends on your audience and your sector. Look at how the advertisers on the Dutch results page for your keyword address their customers, then keep the same form in the ads, on the landing page and in e-mails.
The islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba have their own official languages. According to the Dutch government, Papiamento and English are recognized there alongside Dutch. Google Ads recognizes English, not Papiamento. If your offer targets these islands, check in the location tool what your choice of the country covers, then treat them as a separate campaign.
Google dominates search in the Netherlands, with a very wide lead over the other engines. The facts table gives the September shares according to StatCounter, with Bing, Yandex, Yahoo! and DuckDuckGo far behind. A Google Ads campaign does not place you on those engines: Bing has its own tool, Microsoft Advertising. Open a separate account only if Bing matters for your audience, and measure what it returns before putting budget into it.
Mobile comes clearly ahead of desktop, and tablets weigh very little. So design the landing page for the phone first: short form, call button, load time. Then check it on a computer with the same care, because a sizable share of page views still happens there.
These shares describe the country, not your customers. StatCounter counts page views across websites, not what your typical buyer does. A business audience may search mostly on a computer, at work. Your own Google Ads account, device by device, remains the best measure: see where your conversions land before adjusting bids by device.
Google Ireland Limited is the company Google's help page names for the Netherlands. The section of the “Taxes in your country” page that covers the Netherlands names this company, as for other European Union countries. These rules depend on the billing address of your account, not on the country your ads target: an account based elsewhere reads the section for its own country. The country uses the euro, according to the European Central Bank: advertise your prices in euros and check that your account currency matches the one your budgets use.
With a VAT ID, Google adds no VAT and you self-assess it. According to Google's help page, the VAT ID is requested, no VAT is added to your costs, except for eligible non-business use (political, charitable or non-profit), and it is up to you to report and pay it at the rate of your member state, under the European VAT directive. The Dutch tax administration, the Belastingdienst, publishes a general rate and a reduced rate: they are in the facts table. Google does not give VAT advice: talk to your accountant.
Enter the right number in the right place, and choose carefully when you open the account. When you open the account, Google asks for the account type, the purpose of use and the tax status; these settings are permanent and cannot be changed once billing sign-up is complete. Then, in billing, open the settings, then the payer details, and add your VAT registration number. Google flags a common mistake: entering a tax number instead of the VAT registration number, two different numbers.
No Netherlands-specific surcharge appears in Google's list. That list covers the jurisdictions where served ads add a line to the invoice. The Netherlands is not on it, and the facts table says so. The list does name other European countries, including France, Italy, Spain, Austria and the United Kingdom: if you target several countries, read it from time to time, because Google updates it.
Online gambling is possible, with a licence and a certification. In Google's gambling policy, the Netherlands entry allows several products (lotteries, online gambling, online bingo, online casino games, sports betting, daily fantasy sports) with a country-specific certification. The operator must be licensed by the Dutch gambling authority, the Kansspelautoriteit. An advertiser without that licence cannot run this type of ad.
Dutch regulation adds a ban on untargeted advertising for online gambling. According to the Kansspelautoriteit's guide, a decree forbids licence holders from any untargeted advertising. Online advertising is allowed only under strict, cumulative conditions, summarized in the facts table: let people opt out of receiving the advertising, take the best available measures to avoid reaching vulnerable people, and show that a very high share of the people reached is of the minimum age set. If you are in this sector, the licence and Google's certification are therefore not enough: read the authority's guide, then have your targeting validated by a lawyer.
The Dutch Advertising Code also applies to your ads. According to the Stichting Reclame Code foundation, the Code consists of a general part and special codes for certain products and services, and it applies to all advertising, whatever the medium. The general part requires, among other things, that advertising is neither misleading nor contrary to the truth. The complaints procedure is open to everyone: the Reclame Code Commissie, chaired by a person from the judiciary and made up also of a consumer representative and of representatives of advertisers, media and communication agencies, rules on complaints. Read the code before you write a promise.
Political advertising is restricted across the European Union, the Netherlands included. Google's political content policy relies on the European regulation on political advertising: ads by a political actor, or designed to influence an election, a referendum or a legislative or regulatory process, are restricted. If your message touches an election or a regulation, reread the policy before you write.
Alcohol is among the products Google allows in the Netherlands, subject to local law. The list of countries in Google's alcohol policy includes the Netherlands, provided you follow local laws, industry standards and Google's rules. That policy does not replace Dutch law: check it before you launch.
King's Day is an official date, but not everyone has the day off. According to the Dutch government, it is an official holiday whose date is in the facts table; if it falls on a Sunday, it is celebrated on the Saturday. Employees are probably off at most companies, civil servants are off, and schools are almost always closed. For an advertiser, that changes what you can promise that day: delivery, a callback, an open store. Adjust ad hours and announced lead times.
School holidays are spread over three regions: Noord, Midden and Zuid. The Dutch government assigns provinces and municipalities to these regions to spread the holidays. The facts table gives the dates of the autumn and summer holidays of the school year concerned. For summer, the government page states that the dates are fixed and that schools cannot deviate; for the autumn and February holidays, the dates are advised and schools may deviate. If your offer depends on families (leisure, travel, tutoring), look at which region your target area belongs to: Google Ads lets you target finer areas than the country, depending on the country.
For the rest of the calendar, measure rather than assume. Google Trends, set to the Netherlands, shows when searches in your sector rise. Base your test budgets on what you observe, not on a list of dates found elsewhere.
Pitfall 1: reusing a Belgian or French campaign without rewriting it. According to the Taalunie, Dutch in Flanders differs from Dutch in the Netherlands in vocabulary and pronunciation, and a French ad does not speak to the Dutch audience. One campaign per country, with its own keywords, ads and landing page, keeps budgets and reports readable.
Pitfall 2: writing in Frisian, or in any other language Google does not recognize. Google's policy on unsupported languages can get the ad or the page disapproved, and that delays the whole launch. Write in Dutch, and keep any other language for a separate campaign.
Pitfall 3: assuming the licence and Google's certification are enough for gambling. Dutch regulation adds a requirement of targeted advertising, under strict conditions. A broad campaign that works elsewhere may not be allowed here.
Pitfall 4: letting the default targeting decide for you. According to Google's help page, “Presence or interest” can reach people who have shown an interest in the area without being in it, and Google recommends it as a best practice on Search, while suggesting “Presence” for sensitive sectors or for advertisers who only want people located in the area. Choose, then check the location report to see where your clicks come from.
Pitfall 5: forgetting that the holidays do not fall on the same day everywhere. A promotion built for the holidays of one region lands too early or too late in the other two, since the dates differ from region to region. Look at the calendar of your target area before you schedule.
Pitfall 6: launching without having read the Dutch results page. The same query can show other ads and other pages depending on the country and the language. Read the Dutch page before you pay for the click. To see who already holds the ground, the Google Ads Transparency Center lets you filter ads by country, and our guide on who bids on your keywords completes the method.
The question is the same as anywhere: is this keyword worth a paid click? Should I Bid reads the Google page for the country and language you choose, among 50 countries, compares what it sees with what you sell and returns a Bid, Test or Skip verdict with a score out of 100. For the Netherlands, the default language offered is Dutch; you can pick another one, with its own keyword list. An analysis can also target a large city of the country, as an optional setting. See intent analysis for the details.
It provides neither search volume nor cost per click. For volumes, keep Keyword Planner set to the Netherlands. The exclusions each analysis recommends feed your negative keywords: our comparison of negative keyword tools helps you choose how to manage them. Pricing works by credit, one credit per keyword analyzed, with free analyses and no credit card to try it.
Create a Search campaign that targets the Netherlands, with ads, keywords and landing page written in Dutch, the language Google Ads recognizes for the country. Rebuild your keywords for this audience instead of translating them, add your VAT ID before the first invoice, read the rules for your sector, then launch with a capped test budget. The detailed steps are higher up on this page.
Not in Frisian: that language is official in the province of Friesland only, but Google Ads does not recognize it, and its policy forbids ad or landing page content in an unsupported language. Write in Dutch, official throughout the country. English, which Google Ads recognizes, makes sense for a specific audience, in a separate campaign or ad group, after reading the Dutch results page.
No country-specific surcharge: the Netherlands is not in Google's list. For a European Union business account with a VAT ID, Google adds no VAT and you self-assess it at the rate of your member state; the Dutch rate is in the facts table. These rules depend on the billing address of the account, not on the country targeted. Click prices depend on each keyword: we do not publish a country average.
Yes, but only for an operator licensed by the Kansspelautoriteit, the Dutch gambling authority, and holding a country-specific Google certification. Dutch regulation also bans untargeted advertising for online gambling and allows online advertising only under strict conditions, summarized in the facts table. Have your targeting validated by a lawyer before you launch.
Better to rebuild them. According to the Taalunie, Dutch in Flanders and Dutch in the Netherlands are the same language, with differences mostly in pronunciation and vocabulary, and what Google shows can change from one country to the next. Start from Keyword Planner set to the Netherlands, then read the Dutch results page for each keyword to check buying intent before you bid on it.
Yes, if your offer depends on families. School holidays are spread over three regions, Noord, Midden and Zuid, with summer dates that differ from region to region, given in the facts table. Look at which region your target area belongs to, then measure in Google Trends set to the Netherlands when searches in your sector rise before you base your budgets on it.
Yes. The analysis reads the Google page for the country and language you choose, among 50 countries. For the Netherlands, the default language offered is Dutch. Should I Bid compares what Google shows with what you sell and returns a Bid, Test or Skip verdict with a score out of 100. It provides neither search volume nor cost per click.