News item | 17-10-2025 | 18:58
The government is working on an extension of the current partial ban on face-covering clothing. In the coming period, it will be worked out how legislation can be amended for this purpose. The government is looking at how the ban can be expanded within the framework of the Constitution and international treaties.
The government believes that an extension of the law will make it clearer which standards are used in the Netherlands for an open and free society. Expansion of the law must also convey a standard: in the Netherlands we want to be able to look at each other.
The basic principle is that the government believes that wearing face-covering clothing has an obstructive effect in various areas. For example, it can hinder mutual open communication, make identification more difficult and wearing face-covering clothing can feel threatening or uncomfortable for citizens in certain situations. The government also expects that a broader ban can have a clearer effect for citizens and law enforcement officers. That is why the government has the ambition to work towards a complete ban on wearing face-covering clothing in public spaces.
Currently, wearing face-covering clothing is not permitted in certain places, such as in public transport, in education and in contact with healthcare (for example at the GP or GGD), or in government buildings (for example police and judiciary). The government believes that there is reason to see whether the wearing of face-covering clothing in public spaces can be further restricted.
Minister Rijkaart of the Interior: “The Netherlands is an open society. We believe it is important to safeguard that open character more strongly, so that we approach and encounter each other in an equal manner. And that goes further than a ban on wearing a burqa in public transport. We often see people approaching society with high-up scarves or balaclavas. With this adjustment we want to set stricter limits on those types of movements and make it clear what we find acceptable in the Netherlands.”
State Secretary Nobel (Participation and Integration): “It is very undesirable for integration, coexistence and social cohesion if you cannot look a person in the face. If you cannot look each other in the face, how can you live together? With a broader ban, we as a government are sending a clear signal: wearing a niqab, for example, is at odds with what is desirable in an open and free society.”
Test against international frameworks and treaties
During the drafting of the current Act on partial ban on face-covering clothing, it became clear that it is important to look carefully at the fundamental rights from the Constitution that are affected by a ban, for example the freedom of religion. The same applies to international human rights. The government will pay attention to this when designing the expansion. It is clear that there are grounds in international law for expansion. Other European countries such as France and Belgium also have broader bans.
With the decision to work on further expanding a ban, the government is also giving substance to various motions adopted by the House of Representatives on this subject.