Directorate-General for European Cooperation (DGES)

DGES develops and coordinates Dutch policy on Europe and the European Union. It is responsible for the Netherlands’ relations with other EU member states and candidate countries. DGES develops coherent Dutch policy in areas including transport and the environment in the EU, and in regional and interregional organisations such as the Council of Europe, the OECD and the Benelux. International cultural policy and global consular services also fall under DGES.

European Integration Department (DIE)

DIE prepares political decision-making on the key points of Dutch EU policy, and has primary responsibility regarding institutional structures, EU enlargement, EU development cooperation and the EU’s multiannual budget. It also ensures proper coordination of the Netherlands’ input with regard to the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).

DIE coordinates instructions for working groups and committees in Brussels, and performs the preparatory activities for meetings of the European Council, the General Affairs Council and the Foreign Affairs Council, and for the associated parliamentary debates. It is also responsible for European sanctions policy and coordinates compliance with such measures. The Special Envoy for Migration (SGM) is attached to DIE and reports to DGES.

International Cultural Policy Unit (ICE)

ICE is the ministry’s lead party and implementer of international cultural policy, which connects the Netherlands’ cultural and foreign policies. Its mission is threefold: to strengthen the Dutch cultural and creative industry abroad, support bilateral relations through the use of cultural means (‘soft power’), and to use the power of culture and the creative industry (a Dutch economic ‘top sector’) to address societal challenges (such as the SDGs).

International heritage cooperation is an important aspect of this policy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science share responsibility for international cultural policy, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs is the coordinating minister. ICE therefore works closely with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the missions (including 24 focus countries) and the cultural sector. The head of ICE is also the Ambassador for International Cultural Cooperation.

Consular and Visa Affairs Department (HDCV)

HDCV offers consular services day and night to individuals outside the Netherlands who need information from or have to arrange things with the Dutch government. It also provides consular services to Dutch nationals who get into difficulties abroad. And it assists non-Dutch nationals wishing to come to the Netherlands or another part of the Kingdom who need a visa. 

The Consular Service Organisation (CSO) is the central back office where applications for visas, travel documents and identity documents are registered and assessed and where decisions on these applications are made. It also deals with the legalisation of documents and issues certificates and official declarations.

NetherlandsWorldwide (NWW) is the global front office and contact centre providing assistance and information to Dutch nationals who are currently abroad or will be going abroad in the future. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can assist people in Dutch, English, French and Spanish. NWW provides information about things like renewing a passport, activating DigiD from abroad, emigration from (and moving back to) the Netherlands, the Dutch state pension (AOW) and studying abroad. Together with the embassies it also provides assistance to Dutch nationals abroad in emergency situations. It is also responsible for the travel advisories issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

HDCV’s policy department deals with three main areas: providing services to non-Dutch nationals (short- and long-stay visas), providing services to Dutch nationals (social consular assistance and travel documents) and managing consular crisis coordination, which includes crisis preparedness at the missions, repatriation and evacuation.

Regional department

Europe Department (DEU)

DEU is responsible for regional policy covering 54 countries. This comprises all countries in Europe, including the 27 EU member states, and countries in Eastern Europe, as well as those in the Caucasus and Central Asia. DEU supervises the embassies in the region, gathers knowledge about countries and regions, and maintains contacts with relevant players in the policy field. It is also responsible for the Netherlands’ input within the Council of Europe and the Benelux Union.

Lastly, DEU is responsible for the implementation of the MATRA programme, which supports social transformation in various European countries. Given the large number of countries in Europe and the relatively significant political interest they attract, DEU organises many incoming and outgoing visits, including state visits, each year.