Banned dog breeds in the Netherlands: there is no list

Dutch policy on dangerous dogs does not work by naming breeds. The government's position is that any dog can bite, and that the owner is responsible for preventing it: understanding the dog's behaviour, keeping it out of stressful situations, and taking measures — a lead, a muzzle — if it does behave aggressively.

That is not an inference from silence. The ministry's own letter to parliament setting out its package of measures against biting incidents never uses the word rassenlijst, and the government's public guidance is framed around owner responsibility throughout.

Source: Rijksoverheid — Hondenbeten en gevaarlijk gedrag van honden voorkomen

This is the part most summaries miss, and it is the most concrete thing on this page.

When a dog behaves dangerously or causes a biting incident, a mayor can impose a muzzle or lead order. But that order only applies inside the municipality that issued it. The ministry states the consequence plainly: an owner can walk the same dog in a neighbouring municipality "alsnog zonder muilkorf of lijn" — still without a muzzle or lead.

Municipalities that take part in the Landelijk Honden Dossier can sometimes adopt each other's measures. Those that do not take part cannot see them at all. The minister's own verdict: "het zou niet van de locatie moeten afhangen of een hond aangelijnd of gemuilkorfd moet worden" — whether a dog must be leashed or muzzled should not depend on where it is.

If you are moving to the Netherlands with a dog that carries an order from elsewhere, this is the detail to raise with your gemeente rather than assume.

Source: Kamerbrief, maatregelen tegen bijtincidenten door honden, 18 December 2023 — measure 4

The same letter proposes closing that gap with a new power at national level, so a muzzle or lead order would apply across the whole country rather than one municipality.

Its first listed measure is different in kind, and worth understanding precisely: "verbieden van hoog-risicohonden zonder stamboom" — prohibiting high-risk dogs without a pedigree. That is a documentation rule applied to a risk category, not a list of forbidden breeds.

Treat all of it as intention rather than rule. The letter says in terms that the measures and their enforceability still have to be worked out.

More recently the government announced a mandatory practical course for owners of high-risk dogs, with the breeds it applies to to be designated in early 2027. That is a press announcement rather than published law, and we have linked reporting rather than a statute because no statute exists yet.

Source: Kamerbrief, 18 December 2023 — measures 1 and 4

Source: NOS, 24 September 2026 — reporting the announced course (news, not law)

To be clear about scope: we do not arrange pet transport, import permits or animal liability cover. We are an insurance introducer for international health and life cover for people.

What we can do is the human side of the same move — health cover that meets the rule your route sets out, cited and dated on the country hub. Pre-existing conditions are excluded and cover is governed by the Regency Assurance policy wording.