Skip to main content Skip to navigation. Prostitution is a legal profession the Netherlands. If you are 18 years of age or older, you are allowed to work as a self-employed professional in prostitution. If you work as a self-employed professional, you may be considered an entrepreneur. Find out which rules and regulations you must comply with if you want to work in prostitution. If you are 18 years of age or older, you are allowed to work as a sex worker in the Netherlands.

Life is slowly returning to the streets of Amsterdam. Well almost! On a saturday night, only a few neon signs still shine in the empty narrow streets, usually crowded with tourists. The lockdown has resulted in prostitution being criminalised for the first time in the Netherlands since the early 19th century. Sex workers face heavy fines and a criminal record for breaching the rules. They say the ban has put their lives at risk.

Erotic dancers and prostitutes lost their main source of income for three-and-a-half months and generally did not have access to state support during lockdown. They were surprised when the government brought forward the date they could reopen from a tentative Sept. Sex workers already adhere to strict health safety regulations in the Netherlands, but the industry has compiled a list of recommendations, including sexual positions to avoid.

Prostitution in the Netherlands is legal and regulated. Operating a brothel is also legal. De Wallen , the largest and best-known Red-light district in Amsterdam, is a destination for international sex tourism.