There are currently four courts that have a resolution judge: The Hague, Overijssel, Rotterdam and Zeeland-West-Brabant. Each court has its own territory. To find out which resolution judge you can go to, first determine the relevant municipality for your situation:

• Dispute about money, up to 5.000 euro: the municipality where the other party lives or is based.
• A dispute with your current or former employer: the municipality where your employer lives or is based, or the municipality where you work or used to work (you can choose).
  

Then check whether the municipality is in the territory of one of the participating courts:

• Territory of the District Court of The Hague
• Territory of the District Court of Overijssel
• Territory of the District Court of Rotterdam
• Territory of the District Court of Zeeland-West-Brabant
  

Is the municipality not in one of these territories? Then you can submit the dispute to the subdistrict court or the civil court.

Is the municipality in one of these territories? Proceed to step 2:

It is a good idea to think in advance about whether you want legal help from a lawyer, a legal aid insurance lawyer, a family member, an acquaintance or another person. You can fill in who will help you on the form.

1. Open the application form (in Dutch) (pdf, 485 KB).
2. Fill in the form. Please note that you must fill it in in Dutch.
3. Print the form and sign the form.
4. Collect any supporting evidence you have. For example, bills or email messages.
   

Need help?

If you need help filling in the application form, please contact:

The Legal Desk (Juridisch Loket)

0800-80 20
Monday to Friday 09:00-17:00 hours

Judiciary Service Centre

Phone: +31 88 361 61 61
Monday to Thursday: 08:00-20:00 hours
Friday: 08:00-17:30 hours

WhatsApp: 06 46 27 58 07
Monday to Friday: 09:00-17:30 hours

You can send your application to the resolution judge in two ways: by post or digitally (if you have a DigiD). It is up to you.

By post
Send the form and any supporting evidence to the resolution judge. Or hand it in at the court's information desk. See the contact information.

When the resolution judge has received your application, you will be informed by post.

Digitally

1. Scan the signed application form as a pdf/a-file.
2. Click Mijn Rechtspraak – Regelrechter (My Judiciary – Resolution judge). Log in using your own DigiD.
3. Click 'Nieuwe zaak indienen' (Submit new case).
4. You can upload your form. You can also add any supporting evidence you have.
5. Click 'Bericht versturen' (Send Message).

When the resolution judge has seen your registration, you will be sent an email.

The resolution judge checks whether your application form is complete. The resolution judge also checks whether he can hear your dispute. This may depend on the difficulty of the case, for example. You will be informed by the resolution judge as soon as possible:

• Can the resolution judge not hear your case? The letter will contain information about how you can submit your case to another court.
• Can the resolution judge hear your case? You and the other party will receive an invitation to a hearing. Continue to step 5.

You will receive a letter about the fee you have to pay for a hearing by the resolution judge. This is called a court fee.

During the hearing, the resolution judge will talk to you and the other party. Usually, the hearing is within eight weeks of the decision to consider your application. When it is very busy, it can take a little longer. You will receive a reminder before the hearing and an explanation of how the resolution judge will hear the dispute.

How can you prepare for the hearing?

• Did you indicate on the form that you have legal help? Let that person know when and where the hearing will be.
• You can collect any documents about your dispute that you want to bring to the meeting. It is possible that the resolution judge wants to review them.
• The hearing will be in Dutch. You might want to bring a family member, an acquaintance or someone else to translate for you. Should there be no one, the court can help you arrange an interpreter for you. This service is free of charge.
• Bring your passport, ID card or driving licence.
• At the entrance, security guards carry out access checks.

Response from the other party

The other party will receive a copy of your submitted application form when they are invited to the hearing, and they can send a response to the resolution judge prior to the hearing. The resolution judge will hear the dispute, even if the other party does not respond.

Make sure you are present fifteen minutes before the hearing. A hearing by a resolution judge usually lasts up to two hours.

The resolution judge:

• will ask you to explain the matter and what you think should be done,
• will ask the other party or parties to do the same,
• will listen and look at the matter from the different angles,
• will also check what the law says about your situation.

The resolution judge will decide on the dispute even if not all parties are present at the hearing.

Found a resolution? The proceedings end
Did you manage to come to a resolution? This is called a settlement. The resolution judge will record the agreements made in writing. You and the other party sign the settlement, and the settlement will be sent to you and the other party. You and the other party must abide by the agreements made.

No resolution? The resolution judge will decide
Did you not manage to come to a resolution? Then the resolution judge will decide. This can be an interim decision or a final decision:

What is an interim decision?
The resolution judge decides how the proceedings will continue. For example, the resolution judge may ask for more information or supporting evidence, or for the opinion of an expert. The resolution judge may also decide part of the dispute.
You may hear the interim decision at the hearing. It may also be sent to you a few weeks later. You will receive it by post if you submitted the dispute by post. If you submitted the dispute digitally, you will see it in Mijn Rechtspraak (you will receive an email when the interim decision is available in Mijn Rechtspraak).

What is a final decision?
This is the resolution judge's decision on the dispute. The final decision will be sent to you and the other party. You will receive it by post if you submitted the dispute by post. If you submitted the dispute digitally, you will see it in Mijn Rechtspraak (you will receive an email when the final decision is available in Mijn Rechtspraak).

You may have to pay some or all of the other party's costs of the proceedings. It is also possible that the other party has to pay some or all of your costs of the proceedings. This is called an order for costs.

Do you disagree with the resolution judge?
The notice of the interim or final decision will tell you whether you can appeal (within three months of the decision) if you disagree with the interim or final decision of the resolution judge.

Appeal:

• Means that a higher court will hear the case again;
• Is possible if the dispute involves more than 1.750 euro;
• Can only be brought through a lawyer;

Can also be brought by the other party if you have the possibility to appeal.