Vademecum: Starting an international school in the Netherlands

Several international schools are located throughout the Netherlands. These schools are primarily for children of expatriates (expats), also known as “internationals”, who are staying in the Netherlands temporarily. The Netherlands seems to be an attractive location for many international organisations and companies. Employees are offered good facilities and proximity to international education is certainly considered one of the most important!

The status of the current situation tells us that the number of expats is still on the increase and therefore municipalities and school boards regularly undertake research into the feasibility of establishing a new international education facility. We have issued this guide to support these explorations.
This guide is for international primary and secondary schools (for children aged from 4 to about 18 years old) and is based on information available on the 1st of August 2019.

The revised English version of the guide to ‘Starting an international school in the Netherlands’ (PDF, revision April 2020) is carefully compiled by the board of SIO. This guide contains;

  • an overview of subsidy considerations,
  • legal frameworks for the different types of international schools,
  • a recommended plan of action,
  • a summary of the relevant rules and regulations for international schools.