Easily Accessible Access to the Subdistrict Court for Litigants

From March 1, 2025, litigants can approach the informal judge for certain matters at the courts in The Hague, Overijssel, Rotterdam, and Zeeland-West-Brabant. The Judiciary offers this procedure to allow litigants to present a dispute over a sum of money to the judge in a simple manner, while also enabling the opposing party to easily defend themselves. The procedure has been legally and financially enabled by Secretary of State for Legal Protection Teun Struycken and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment Eddy van Hijum. During the so-called informal judge hearing, the judge will discuss with the parties whether they can reach a solution together. If that fails, the judge will make a decision.