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 from the recreation board or the municipality.
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, such as:
- (swimming) pools
- picnic locations
- cycle paths and footpaths
- canoe routes
For activities within the district of a recreation board, you will sometimes need permission, a licence, or an exemption. For example:
- to make photographs or film recordings for commercial purposes
- to use a loudspeaker or advertising vehicle
- for a market trader's licence
You apply for a permit or exemption to the management of the recreation board:
- Recreation boards in the province of Zuid-Holland (partially managed by Staatsbosbeheer, the Dutch Forestry Commission, in Dutch)
- 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. To find out if you need to apply for an event licence or a submit a notification, you can contact your municipal authority (in Dutch).
Environment and planning permit
Sometimes you also need an environment and planning permit. For example, if your activities may affect protected animals or plants. You can check this with the Environment and Planning Portal (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 from recreation boards and the municipality online via Message Box. Message Box is a secure email system that enables you as an entrepreneur to exchange digital messages with Dutch government agencies.