Filing a Police Report in the Netherlands (Aangifte Doen)

Filing a police report (aangifte doen) is the formal way to put a criminal offence on record with the Dutch police and, through them, before the Openbaar Ministerie (the public prosecution service). It is the single most searched criminal-procedure question in the Netherlands, and the answer turns on a distinction that Dutch law draws sharply but everyday language blurs: the difference between an aangifte, a melding and a klacht.

This page sets out who may file, how an aangifte is made, what the prosecutor does with it, and what remedy exists if the prosecutor decides to do nothing. It is written for the person considering a report, not for the authorities. The governing law is the Wetboek van Strafvordering (Sv), the code of criminal procedure, published in full on wetten.overheid.nl.

Information last verified on 22 July 2026. This page provides general legal information about Netherlands law and does not constitute legal advice in an individual case.

Aangifte, melding and klacht: three different acts

Dutch criminal procedure recognises three separate acts, and using the wrong one can mean no case is ever opened. An aangifte is a formal report of a criminal offence to the police (artikel 161 Sv); a melding is only a notification, after which the police usually start no investigation; and a klacht is an aangifte together with an express request to prosecute (artikel 164 Sv), which is required for a klachtdelict such as criminal defamation (smaad or laster).

The distinction matters most for the klachtdelicten, the offences that the prosecution service may only pursue if the victim expressly asks for it. Criminal defamation is the leading example. A person who reports the words to the police but never asks for a prosecution has filed an aangifte, not a klacht, and for a klachtdelict that is not enough to move the case forward. The mechanics of the klacht for smaad and laster, including the limited period in which it must be lodged, are covered on the page for filing a defamation complaint.

The word melding has no separate meaning in the Sv itself. The code speaks only of aangifte and klacht; melding is the police's own operational label for a notification that does not, or does not yet, ask for prosecution. Police information pages sometimes describe every aangifte as a request for prosecution, but that is a simplification: strictly, the request to prosecute is what a klacht adds, and it is legally necessary only for a klachtdelict.

Who may file, and when reporting is a duty

The starting rule is broad. Artikel 161 Sv provides that anyone who knows of a committed offence is entitled to report it, so a witness, a neighbour or a family member can file, not only the direct victim. For the ordinary member of the public this is a power, not an obligation: there is no general legal duty to report a crime one has learned of.

Two narrow exceptions carry a genuine duty. Artikel 160 Sv requires anyone who knows of certain grave offences, such as crimes against the state, offences that endanger life, and a terroristisch misdrijf, to report them without delay, and it excuses a person who would thereby expose themselves or a close relation to prosecution. Artikel 162 Sv places a separate duty on public bodies and civil servants to report specific offences of office that they learn of in their work.

For almost everyone reading this page, then, filing an aangifte is a choice. The value of making that choice is that only an aangifte reliably enters the criminal-justice system, where a melding may not.

How an aangifte is made

Artikel 163 Sv sets out the form. An aangifte can be made orally or in writing to a competent official, either in person or through a proxy who holds a special written authority (volmacht). A written aangifte is signed by the reporter, and the reporter receives a copy or the official record of the report (the proces-verbaal van aangifte), which is useful evidence that the report was made and when.

The law also protects a reporter who does not speak Dutch well. Artikel 163 lid 3 Sv provides that such a person is enabled to report in a language they understand or is given language assistance, so a limited command of Dutch is not a barrier to filing.

In practice there are three channels. Online reporting is the narrowest: individuals can file online only for a limited set of offences, in practice theft (diefstal), vandalism (vernieling) and internet fraud (internetoplichting). The statutory reason is artikel 163 lid 4 Sv, which allows electronic reporting only through a designated facility and only for the offences that facility permits. For anything else, including violence, threats and sexual offences, an aangifte is made by telephone (the police non-emergency number 0900-8844) or, most often, in person at the police station on appointment.

What the prosecutor does with an aangifte

An aangifte opens the door to prosecution, but it does not compel one. Filing an aangifte does not oblige the Openbaar Ministerie to prosecute: under the opportuniteitsbeginsel of artikel 167 Sv, the OM may decline to prosecute on grounds of the general interest. This principle of prosecutorial discretion is a defining feature of Dutch criminal procedure, and it is the opposite of a system in which every reported offence must be pursued.

In concrete terms, after the investigation the prosecution service weighs whether a prosecution should take place, whether by a strafbeschikking (an out-of-court penalty order) or through the courts. It may also decide to take no action, a decision known as a sepot, which can be unconditional or attached to conditions. Many aangiften end this way, particularly where the evidence is thin or the general interest does not call for a prosecution. Stating this plainly is not discouragement: it is what the statute provides, and it explains why an aangifte is a first step rather than a verdict.

If the prosecutor declines: beklag to the gerechtshof

The decision not to prosecute is not the end of the road. If the OM decides not to prosecute, a directly interested party can lodge a written complaint (beklag) with the gerechtshof under artikel 12 Sv, which can order the OM to bring a prosecution. This is the beklagprocedure, and it is the main check on prosecutorial discretion.

Two points are worth keeping straight. The forum is the gerechtshof (the court of appeal), not the rechtbank, and the person who may complain is a rechtstreeks belanghebbende, a directly interested party, which the statute extends to a legal person that defends, according to its objects and actual activities, an interest directly affected by the non-prosecution. If the gerechtshof considers the complaint well founded, it can issue an order that the prosecution be brought (a bevel tot vervolging), after which the OM must proceed.

A klacht, once made, can also be withdrawn in the same form in which it was given (artikel 166 Sv). For a klachtdelict such as smaad or laster, where the parties often know each other, withdrawal is common, and it removes the basis for a prosecution that depended on the klacht.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an aangifte, a melding and a klacht?

An aangifte is a formal report of an offence to the police that can lead to prosecution. A melding is only a notification, after which the police usually start no investigation. A klacht is an aangifte plus an express request to prosecute, and it is required for a klachtdelict such as smaad or laster.

Can I report a crime to the Dutch police online?

Only for a limited set of offences, in practice including theft, vandalism and internet fraud. This follows from artikel 163 lid 4 Sv, which permits electronic reporting only through the designated facility and only for the offences it allows. Other offences are reported by phone on 0900-8844 or in person at the police station.

Do I have to file a police report, or is it my choice?

For an ordinary person it is a right, not a duty. Artikel 161 Sv says anyone aware of an offence may report it. A genuine duty to report exists only in narrow cases, such as the grave offences listed in artikel 160 Sv and the offences of office that civil servants must report under artikel 162 Sv.

Does filing an aangifte mean the suspect will be prosecuted?

No. Under the opportuniteitsbeginsel of artikel 167 Sv the Openbaar Ministerie may decline to prosecute on grounds of the general interest. An aangifte opens an investigation but does not compel a prosecution, and many reports end in a sepot, a decision to take no further action.

What can I do if the prosecutor decides not to prosecute?

A directly interested party can lodge a written beklag with the gerechtshof under artikel 12 Sv. If the court finds the complaint well founded, it can order the Openbaar Ministerie to bring a prosecution.

How do I report defamation such as smaad or laster?

Smaad and laster are klachtdelicten, so a plain aangifte is not enough: you must file a klacht, an aangifte together with an express request to prosecute, within the limited period the law sets. The specifics are set out on the page for filing a defamation complaint.

Can I withdraw a police report once I have filed it?

A klacht can be withdrawn in the same form in which it was made (artikel 166 Sv), which is common for klachtdelicten where the parties know each other. An ordinary aangifte reports facts to the police, and once an investigation is under way the prosecution decision rests with the Openbaar Ministerie, not with the reporter.