Knife Law in the Netherlands (Messenwet): What Is Prohibited

Knife rules in the Netherlands sit inside the Wet wapens en munitie (WWM), the weapons and ammunition act, and not in a separate knife statute. The WWM sorts weapons into categories, and the category a knife falls into decides whether you may own it, carry it, or neither.

This page sets out the stable WWM framework: which knives are banned outright, which may be owned but not carried, the penalties, and where local knife-ban zones come from. It also addresses a national knife ban and knife sales to minors, both of which have been proposed but are not in force. The page is doctrinal: it describes what the law prohibits and permits, and it cites the WWM as the law of record.

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.

How the WWM classifies knives

The Wet wapens en munitie divides weapons into four categories. For knives, two of them matter: Category I, which is prohibited, and Category IV, whose carrying is regulated. The definitions are in artikel 2 WWM.

Category I lists weapons that are banned as such. Under artikel 2, Categorie I, these include stiletto knives, flick knives and butterfly knives (stiletto's, valmessen and vlindermessen), and other folding knives where the blade has more than one cutting edge or the knife is longer than 28 centimetres when open. The same category also covers knuckledusters, throwing stars, skinning knives and ballistic knives.

Category IV covers edged weapons (blanke wapens) whose ownership is not forbidden as such but whose carrying is. It includes double-edged blades that are not already in Category I, and rapiers, swords, sabres and bayonets. It ends with a catch-all: objects for which, given their nature or the circumstances in which they are found, it can reasonably be assumed that they are meant to cause injury to people or to threaten. This is the provision under which an ordinary kitchen or utility knife carried on the street can be treated as a weapon.

What you may not possess, and what you may not carry

Stiletto's, valmessen and vlindermessen, and folding knives that are double-edged or longer than 28 centimetres when open, are prohibited weapons (Category I) that may not even be possessed (artikel 2 and artikel 13 Wet wapens en munitie); other edged weapons in Category IV may be owned but not carried in public (artikel 27 Wet wapens en munitie).

The two prohibitions work differently. Artikel 13 lid 1 WWM makes it an offence to manufacture, transform, transfer, possess, carry, transport, or import and export a Category I weapon. For a stiletto, a butterfly knife, or a folding knife that is double-edged or longer than 28 centimetres open, that means even keeping it at home is unlawful.

Category IV is lighter. Artikel 27 lid 1 WWM forbids carrying a weapon of categories II, III and IV. Possession is dealt with separately: artikel 26 WWM prohibits possessing weapons of categories II and III, the firearms categories, but not Category IV. So a Category IV knife may lawfully be owned, and the offence is carrying it in a public place.

Two statutory age rules already apply, but only to Category IV weapons and not to ordinary knives. Artikel 26 lid 5 WWM forbids anyone under 18 from possessing a Category IV weapon, and artikel 31 lid 4 WWM forbids transferring a Category IV weapon to a person under 18. Because a plain kitchen knife is not a Category IV weapon in itself, these rules do not cover ordinary knife sales, which is the gap the proposed national legislation is aimed at.

Penalties

Carrying a Category IV weapon in public, in breach of artikel 27, is punished under artikel 54 WWM with a third-category fine. Possessing or carrying a Category I knife, in breach of artikel 13, is more serious: artikel 55 lid 1 WWM provides for up to nine months' imprisonment or a fourth-category fine.

The fine categories come from artikel 23 Sr. The consolidated text carries an editorial note reading "Per 1 januari 2026", giving indexed figures of EUR 11,000 for the third category and EUR 27,500 for the fourth. These amounts are re-indexed periodically, so the year matters when quoting a figure.

The much heavier penalties in artikel 55 lid 3 WWM, up to eight years, concern firearms and category II weapons, not knives. They are noted here only to keep the knife penalties in proportion.

Local knife-ban zones and preventive searches

There is no national ban on carrying an ordinary knife. The instrument that does exist is municipal. Artikel 52 WWM sets out the search powers: lid 2 allows a search of a person's clothing on reasonable suspicion of a weapons offence, and lid 3 allows suspicionless searches inside a designated safety-risk area (veiligheidsrisicogebied) under artikelen 151b and 174b Gemeentewet, where the public prosecutor may order that anyone can be searched for weapons.

The municipal council designates such an area and empowers the mayor; the local knife-ban zones that some cities publicise are then added to the Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening (APV), the general municipal by-law, and they vary from one municipality to the next. The Netherlands is a unitary state, so the WWM itself is national; these APV zones are the one local layer on top of it.

The rules are doctrinal, not a licence. Carrying a knife as a weapon is an offence, and whether a knife carried for work, sport, fishing or food preparation is lawful depends on the circumstances and is assessed by the authorities, not something a person can certify for themselves.

Is a national knife ban coming?

As of July 2026 there is no national law banning the carrying of ordinary knives or their sale to minors; a voluntary retail standard limits sales to buyers aged 18 and over, some municipalities set knife-ban zones through their local APV, and national legislation on this has been proposed but is not yet in force.

The knife categories are not new. They trace to a bill (wetsvoorstel 32206) that banned stiletto knives and related weapons and entered into force on 24 April 2012, and the Category I text is unchanged in the current version of the WWM.

The change that did take effect on 1 July 2026 is a firearms measure, not a knife one. Artikel 55 lid 3 WWM raised the maximum sentence for serious illegal-firearms offences, and the accompanying reform also targets preparatory acts (voorbereidingshandelingen) and the sharing of 3D-print blueprints for firearms. None of it touches the knife penalties.

Two knife proposals remain on the table without being law. A 2022 to 2023 bill for a national carry ban and a ban on selling certain knives to minors stalled after a critical advice from the Raad voor de rechtspraak, and a voluntary retail standard of 18 and over has applied in its place since 2022. In May and June 2026 a majority in the Tweede Kamer again urged the cabinet to introduce a national knife ban, and a full overhaul of the WWM is at an early outline stage. Both are proposals; neither is in force.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to carry a knife in the Netherlands?

It depends on the knife. Category I knives may not even be possessed (artikel 13 WWM). Category IV weapons may be owned but not carried in public (artikel 27 WWM). An ordinary knife can be treated as a Category IV weapon under the catch-all in artikel 2 WWM if the circumstances show it is meant to injure or threaten. There is no general national carry ban, but local APV zones can apply.

Are stiletto knives and butterfly knives banned?

Yes. They are Category I weapons under artikel 2 WWM, banned to make, possess, carry or transfer under artikel 13 WWM. The penalty under artikel 55 WWM is up to nine months in prison or a fourth-category fine.

Is there a maximum legal knife length in the Netherlands?

For folding knives, a Category I ban applies if the knife is longer than 28 centimetres when open or the blade is double-edged (artikel 2 WWM). Length is not the only test: a shorter knife can still be a weapon under the catch-all when it is carried to injure or threaten.

Can minors buy knives in the Netherlands?

There is no national statute banning the sale of ordinary knives to minors. Retailers apply a voluntary standard of 18 and over, and the WWM already forbids transferring a Category IV weapon to a person under 18 (artikel 31 WWM). A national sale-to-minors ban has been proposed but is not law.

Did the knife law change on 1 July 2026?

No knife rule changed. The 1 July 2026 change to the WWM is a firearms measure, a higher maximum sentence in artikel 55 WWM. The knife categories date from 2012 and are unchanged.

What is a veiligheidsrisicogebied?

It is a safety-risk area that a municipality designates under artikelen 151b and 174b Gemeentewet. Inside it, the public prosecutor can order suspicionless searches for weapons under artikel 52 WWM. Some municipalities also add knife-ban zones to their local APV.

What is the penalty for carrying a banned knife?

Carrying a Category IV weapon is a third-category fine under artikel 54 WWM. Possessing or carrying a Category I knife such as a stiletto is more serious: up to nine months in prison or a fourth-category fine under artikel 55 WWM.