Netherlands public holidays 2027: what changes for truck drivers?

The Netherlands has no general holiday truck ban, so HGVs may drive on every 2027 holiday. The 2027 calendar has 11 official days, with key weekday dates on 1 January, 29 March, 27 April, 6 May and 17 May. What limits trucks is closed shops and possibly shorter terminal windows.

Which Dutch public holidays fall in 2027?

The Rijksoverheid list of official holidays gives 11 days for 2027, and as of 2026-11-06 it also says that no law makes any of them a day off. The collective agreement (cao) or the employment contract decides. Check your own cao before you roster drivers.

Seven of the days land on a weekday: Friday 2027-01-01 (Nieuwjaarsdag, New Year's Day), Friday 2027-03-26 (Goede Vrijdag, Good Friday), Monday 2027-03-29 (Tweede Paasdag, Easter Monday), Tuesday 2027-04-27 (Koningsdag, King's Day), Wednesday 2027-05-05 (Bevrijdingsdag, Liberation Day), Thursday 2027-05-06 (Hemelvaartsdag, Ascension Day) and Monday 2027-05-17 (Tweede Pinksterdag, Whit Monday). Easter Sunday is 28 March and Whit Sunday is 16 May. Christmas falls on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 December.

Bevrijdingsdag deserves a closer look. Some collective agreements give it as a day off only once every five years, according to the union FNV. 2025 was such a year, so 2027 is not. See every date in the Netherlands 2027 holiday calendar .

Do trucks face a holiday driving ban in the Netherlands?

No. There is no general weekend or public holiday driving ban for HGVs in the Netherlands. Read the Dutch truck driving ban times guide for detail.

The catch sits at the border. Germany does ban trucks on Sundays and public holidays, so a Dutch load bound for Germany still meets a ban on German holidays. Before you fix a lane, check the German holiday dates for 2027 .

Which 2027 days close shops and terminals?

Shops are the clearest case. Under art. 2 of the Winkeltijdenwet , shops may not open to the public on Sundays, Nieuwjaarsdag, tweede Paasdag, Hemelvaartsdag, tweede Pinksterdag and both Christmas days. In 2027 the weekday closing days are 1 January, 29 March, 6 May and 17 May. Retail receiving on those days is closed.

Shops also close after 19:00 on Goede Vrijdag, 4 May and 24 December. Koningsdag and Bevrijdingsdag are not on that list, so shops may open. Art. 3 lets municipalities grant exemptions, so opening on holidays varies by town. The law covers shops open to the public, so confirm DC hours site by site.

Christmas 2027 costs no weekday, because it falls on a weekend. Friday 24 December still closes shops at 19:00.

Port terminals set their own windows. As an example from one terminal and one year, APM Terminals Maasvlakte II stopped on 24 December 2024 at 15:00, with the last truck slot at 13:15-13:45, and resumed on 26 December at 07:00. On 1 January 2025 it reopened at 15:00. Terminals publish holiday notices around December, so no 2027 schedule exists yet.

Frequently asked questions

Is Koningsdag a day off for truck drivers?

Only if your cao or contract says so, because no law makes it a day off. Koningsdag falls on Tuesday 2027-04-27, and shops may open on it. Confirm loading slots with each site.

Is 5 May 2027 a day off in the Netherlands?

Not generally. Bevrijdingsdag is on the official list, but some collective agreements grant it only every five years, and 2027 is not one of those years. Shops may open, but they close after 19:00 on 4 May.

Are Dutch shops closed on Christmas Eve 2027?

Not all day. Under the Winkeltijdenwet, shops close after 19:00 on 24 December, which is a Friday in 2027. Both Christmas days, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 December, are full closing days.

Do Rotterdam terminals close on public holidays?

Terminals set their own holiday hours. The one published example we found, APM Terminals Maasvlakte II for 2024/25, stopped early on 24 December and 31 December and reopened on 26 December and 1 January. Check the terminal notice, usually issued around December.

Get a transport quote to plan your Dutch loads around every closing day.