Permit for activities in recreational areas

Do you want to carry out commercial activities or organise an event in a recreational area? Then you may need to apply for a permit or an exemption.

Permits from recreation board

In the Netherlands there are several recreation boards. They are cooperative arrangements between municipal and provincial authorities and oversee outdoor facilities outside the built-up area, for example:

• (swimming) pools
• picnic locations
• cycle paths and footpaths
• canoe routes

For activities within the district of recreation board, you will sometimes need a permit. These include:

• a permit for making photographs or film recordings for commercial purposes
• a permit for advertisements on business premises
• a permit for using a loudspeaker or advertising vehicle
• a street trader’s licence
• a market trader's licence

You apply for the permit or exemption to the management of the recreation board:

• Recreation boards in the province of Noord-Holland (in Dutch)
• Recreation boards in the province of Zuid-Holland (in Dutch, partially managed by Staatsbosbeheer, the Dutch Forestry Commission)
• Recreation boards in Midden-Nederland (central Netherlands, in Dutch), comprising the province of Utrecht and part of Noord-Holland
• Recreation board for the province of Drenthe (in Dutch)
• Recreation association Marrekrite (for the province of Friesland, in Dutch, summaries available in English and German)

Event licence

Events can cause nuisance in a recreational area. So, for some events, you need an event licence from the municipality. Often, you only need to submit a notification. You can find out if you need to apply for an event licence or a submit a notification on the municipality's website.

Environment and planning permit

Sometimes you need an environment and planning permit in addition to the event licence. For example, if your event may affect protected animals or plants. When you apply for the event licence, the municipality will let you know which other permits you need. You can also check this with the Omgevingsloket permit check (in Dutch). In the Omgevingsloket you can find out which rules apply in your municipality, province, or water board. And you can apply directly for an environment and planning permit.

Online application procedure via Message Box

You can apply for permits online from recreation boards and the municipality via Message Box. You apply for an environment and planning permit via the Omgevingsloket. Message Box is still being linked to the Omgevingsloket. Message Box is a secure email system that enables you as an entrepreneur to exchange digital messages with Dutch government agencies.