HomepageEnvironmental permit or notification of environmental management
Businesses in the Netherlands have to deal with environmental regulations concerning such issues as noise, energy, waste, air quality and soil quality. The Activities Decree (Activiteitenbesluit) forms the basis for these regulations. Depending on your company’s commercial activities, your company will be classified in one of three categories (namely ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’) pursuant to the Activities Decree.
Type A: No environmental management notification, no environmental permit
Your company has no impact or only a negligible impact on the environment (light regime). While you must comply with the general rules and regulations of the Activities Decree, you do not need to submit an environmental management notification and do not need to apply for an environmental permit. Businesses classified in this category include, for instance, office-based firms, banks, various care institutions, GPs’ practices and playgroups.
Type B: Environmental management notification
Your company’s environmental impact is substantial. You come under the Activities Decree and you must notify the municipal authority of your commercial activities. You must submit the notification when you set up, change or expand your business. Businesses classified in this category include, for instance, companies in the iron and steel industry, dental laboratories, silk screen printing firms and a segment of the waste processing sector.
All-in-one Permit for Physical Aspects
Your company may carry out other activities for which an All-in-one Permit for Physical Aspects (omgevingsvergunning) is required. This is a permit for activities in relation to construction, the environment, nature conservation and spatial planning. If you need to apply for this permit, you are obliged to do so at the same time as you submit the environmental management notification.
Type C: Environmental permit
As your company’s environmental impact is extensive, you will need a permit from the municipal/provincial authority or - in exceptional cases - from the Minister of Infrastructure and the Environment or the Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I). This applies in any event to companies that are subject to the IPPC Directive.
The permit you need is the All-in-one Permit for Physical Aspects (omgevingsvergunning). This permit was referred to as an ‘environmental permit’ (milieuvergunning) until 1 October 2010. More information about how to apply can be found on the 'All-in-one Permit for Physical Aspects' page. Environmental permits that were in force before 1 October 2010 are now automatically classified as All-in-one Permits for Physical Aspects.
Changes
If there is a change in your business or operations, it may be that this change is not in agreement with your All-in-one Permit for Physical Aspects. In that case, you must apply for a modification permit. If the change does not have any different or further-reaching consequences for the environment than is already allowed under the current permit, in most cases a regular preliminary planning procedure with a decision period of eight weeks will apply.
What rules apply to you?
The Activities Decree online module (Activiteitenbesluit Internet Module, AIM) will assist you in determining which rules apply to your company. The module is presented in Dutch. For more information, contact your local municipal authority or the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment.
Mining environmental permit
If you wish to establish a mine working in the Netherlands, you may require a mining environmental permit instead of an environmental permit. You can apply for this permit from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation.
Online application procedure via Message Box
You can apply for the mining environmental permit also online by using Message Box.
