Requesting information from the government (WOO request)
In the Netherlands, you can request information from the government. To do so you submit a WOO request under the Open Government Act (Wet open Overheid, WOO).
What information is public?
The government is required to actively disclose information under the Open Government Act (WOO). This means that the government must make sure public information is accessible to everyone. For instance:
- information on laws, regulations, and decrees
- minutes, records, and other meeting documents
- agendas, decision lists, and resolutions
- opinions and advice of advisory bodies or commissions
- contact details and an explanation of how to request information
- the organisation's working methods, for example tasks and responsibilities of the organisational units
- investigation reports
- preparation, implementation, compliance, enforcement, and evaluation of policies
- annual plans and annual reports
You can find the government documents on the open government website (in Dutch).
When do you make a WOO request?
Some government information is not simply public. For instance, because it contains confidential data. To obtain that information, you will have to make a WOO request.
Filing a WOO request
Do you want to request information on the government’s actions? And is this information not directly public? You can file a WOO request with the government organisation you want the information from (in Dutch). You can submit a request to for instance:
- the central government (for example a ministry or department)
- municipalities
- provinces
- regional water authorities
- public-law organisations (such as statutory bodies and universities)
In your WOO request you explain as precisely as possible what information you want. The public authority then has 4 weeks to process your request. If you request a lot of information or complex information, the government can take at most 2 weeks extra to respond. In some situations the public authority can make arrangements with you to allow more time.
Costs of a WOO request
A WOO request is free. Some organisations may ask you to pay for copies, extracts, or summaries.
Reusing public sector information (open data)
The government has a lot of information on, among other things, citizens, buildings, roads, and the climate. Under the Dutch Reuse of Public Sector Information Act (Wet hergebruik overheidsinformatie, WHO, in Dutch) public authorities must release this government information as open data. Unless there are good reasons not to disclose the data.
Entrepreneurs can use this information for commercial purposes. You can use this digital information, for example by combining it with other data, to develop new products and services, such as apps, visualisations, and analyses. You can find the information in the data register of the Dutch government (in Dutch).