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The Kingdom Act on the Nationality of Seagoing Vessels

The Rijkswet nationaliteit zeeschepen, RNZ (Kingdom Act on the Nationality of Seagoing Vessels) will come into effect on 1 July 2025. It replaces outdated and fragmented regulations for registering seagoing vessels in the Netherlands with 1 new, streamlined process laid down in a single act. The RNZ brings 3 important changes that managing owners need to know about.

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Change to the process of registering seagoing vessels as property

Until 1 July 2025, a nationaliteitsverklaring (Nationality Certificate) is required when registering a seagoing vessel as property in the Netherlands. This document proves that the vessel meets the requirements for flying the Dutch flag.

Under the RNZ, the Nationality Certificate will no longer be required as a document. Instead, Kadaster (the Netherlands’ Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency) will check whether the vessel meets the requirements for flying the Dutch flag. This means that, from 1 July 2025 onwards, you can no longer apply for a Nationality Certificate through the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT). Instead, you must report the vessel to Kadaster for a nationality assessment.

Separation of registration of property and flagging

The RNZ makes a clear difference between:

  • Registering the vessel as property in the public registers with Kadaster.
  • Registering the vessel as Dutch-flagged in the Nederlands vlagregister (the Netherlands’ flag register) with the ILT.

Under the RNZ, the Government of the Netherlands now has its own separate flag register for vessels flying the Dutch flag. A vessel must first be registered as property in the public registers with Kadaster before it can be registered in the Netherlands’ flag register. Once it is entered into the Netherlands’ flag register, the ILT issues the final zeebrief (Certificate of Registry) and the vessel officially acquires Dutch nationality.

Effective enforcement

The RNZ gives the competent authorities the power to withdraw a vessel’s nationality if it does not comply with the requirements for flying the Dutch flag. This would be a final sanction.

The old regulations did not allow for this, because this meant the vessel would have to be removed from the public register. This would directly affect the managing owner's property rights, as ownership is established through the public registration of property at Kadaster.

From 1 July 2025, the right to fly the Dutch flag can be withdrawn while the registration of property at Kadaster stays in place. This gives the Government of the Netherlands an effective way to act against vessels that do not comply with the requirements for flying the Dutch flag.

The right to fly the Dutch flag can be returned once the vessel meets the requirements again.

The RNZ provides a legal basis for bareboat-out charters. By separating registration as property from the granting of nationality, owners are now able to register their vessel as property in the Netherlands while temporarily flying a different flag. In this case, the vessel is considered to be operating bareboat-out. This provision responds to the needs of the shipping industry. Conditions are attached to bareboat-out charters to protect the rights of crew members.

Read more about how to register seagoing vessels in the Netherlands up to and including 30 June 2025. The new registration process will be published on the ILT website on 1 July 2015.