Connectivity — Netherlands
What travelers need to know about connectivity in Netherlands. What is legal at home can be a serious crime here — each rule links to its official source.
Connectivity in Netherlands: what every traveler should know.
Unlike much of Europe, the Netherlands has no mandatory prepaid SIM registration — the Telecommunications Act only gives ministers the power to impose one, and they have not done so; the government is still studying whether to. Individual shops may still ask for ID, so carry your passport. The hard rule here is the opposite one: every kind of signal jammer, including GPS blockers, is illegal to possess, import, sell or use in the Netherlands. No permit exists for any of them.
RDI states that possessing, importing, selling or using any jammer is a criminal offence and that seizure plus a fine always follow, but publishes no euro amount. Because a jammer cannot be switched on by accident the offence is treated as intentional, making it a misdrijf with a maximum of six years imprisonment under the Wet op de economische delicten.
§ RDI (Rijksinspectie Digitale Infrastructuur) — Jammers; Ministry of Economic Affairs Telecommunicatiewet consultation (internetconsultatie.nl)Verified Aug 24, 2026