Raad van State

What Raad van State does

Raad van State (Council of State) is a Dutch constitutional institution (staatsorgaan) established in 1532 by Emperor Charles V and headquartered at Kneuterdijk 22 in The Hague. It performs two statutory functions: as the Afdeling advisering, it serves as the independent advisor to the Dutch government and parliament on legislative proposals and general administrative measures; as the Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak, it acts as the highest general administrative court, reviewing whether the government has correctly applied the law in administrative decisions. Since 2014 the Advisory Division has also functioned as the independent budget oversight authority (Begrotingstoezicht) verifying Dutch compliance with European fiscal rules, and it conducts statutory climate law assessments (Toetsing Klimaatwet).

The institution operates a digital infrastructure tailored to administrative procedure rather than commercial service delivery. Core technology includes the Mijn Zaak portal for lawyers handling immigration cases under the Vreemdelingenwet 2000, the Veilig Mailen secure email system compliant with the NTA7516 standard, and web forms with email and phone verification for citizens, students, and organizations. A legacy Mijn Zaak (oud) portal for asylum and detention cases is being phased out. Supporting services include the Abonnementenservice newsletter, the E-mailservice uitspraken for case-specific ruling alerts, the Studentenzaken workflow (handling university, HBO, and MBO appeals with €54 reduced fees and a three-month target since January 2023), and a mobile application.

The revenue model is dominated by Dutch national government appropriations; the institution is a public-law body funded through parliamentary budget allocations. Court fees (€3.18 plus €0.18 per page for old rulings, €54 reduced fee for student cases) represent a marginal secondary stream. Go-to-market is direct-to-citizen: the organization serves Dutch citizens, students, lawyers, and government bodies through physical court sessions, digital portals, secure email, written correspondence, and a multi-language website. The institution employs 501-1000 staff and operates exclusively within the Netherlands, with Sybrand Buma inaugurated as the 21st Vice-President on 1 July 2026.

Name

Raad van State

Legal name

Raad van State

Website

https://raadvanstate.nl

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Raad van State is the Dutch Council of State, a constitutional institution founded in 1532 that serves as the independent legislative advisor to the Dutch government and parliament and as the highest general administrative court in the Netherlands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Administrative Justice and Constitutional Advisory

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Legislative Bodies (921120), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Democratic Governance & Public Administration Reform (BPADAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Governance Bodies & Board/Trustee Administration (EDADAKAL)

Keywords

• Administrative justice services
• Legislative advisory services
• Constitutional court services
• Budget oversight services
• Government legal advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Den Haag

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Raad van State is a constitutional institution funded through the Dutch national government budget. Revenue is derived from annual parliamentary appropriations for the Council of State's operations including advisory services, administrative justice, and budget oversight functions.
2. Court Fees (Griffierecht): Fees charged for procedural services including applications for old rulings: €3.18 per application plus €0.18 per page for citizens.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Raad van State serves as the Dutch Council of State, functioning as both an independent advisor to the Dutch government and parliament on legislation and administration, and as the highest general administrative court in the Netherlands. The institution handles administrative law appeals, provides legislative advisory opinions, conducts independent budget oversight aligned with European budgetary rules, and assesses climate law implementation. Digital services include the Mijn Zaak portal for immigration case management, Veilig Mailen secure document submission, and email notification services for rulings and news.

Product overview

Raad van State operates as the Dutch Council of State — an independent advisor to the government and parliament on legislation and administration, and the highest general administrative court in the Netherlands. Its two main divisions are the Afdeling advisering (Advisory Division) and the Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak (Administrative Jurisdiction Division). The Advisory Division provides opinions on legislative proposals and general administrative measures, and conducts independent budget monitoring for European fiscal rules. The Administrative Jurisdiction Division handles administrative law appeals as the highest court, covering areas such as environment, immigration, general administrative matters, and student affairs. Digital service offerings include the Mijn Zaak portal (for immigration cases), Mijn Zaak (oud) (legacy portal for asylum/detention cases), Veilig Mailen (secure document submission system compliant with NTA7516), the Abonnementenservice (newsletter subscription), E-mailservice uitspraken (case ruling email alerts), the old ruling request service, and the Studentenzaken service for student appeals. The organization also conducts climate law assessment and publishes annual budget monitoring reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Afdeling advisering: Advisory Division of the Raad van State that provides advice on legislative proposals and general administrative measures
• Afdeling bestuursrechtspraak
• Begrotingstoezicht
• Mijn Zaak
• Veilig Mailen

Products and services

• Mijn Zaak Secure digital portal enabling lawyers to procedurally handle cases under the Vreemdelingenwet 2000 (Immigration Act 2000), including starting new cases, submitting documents, and tracking case status. Case numbers must start with 'BRS' (BRS.jj.nnnnnn format).
• Mijn Zaak (oud) Legacy version of the digital portal for lawyers handling asylum and detention cases under the Vreemdelingenwet 2000. Used for case numbers starting with a year (jjjjnnnnn/n/nn format). Being phased out in favor of the new Mijn Zaak portal.
• Veilig Mailen (Secure Mail) Secure messaging system for submitting procedural documents to the Administrative Jurisdiction Division. Supports direct secure email (NTA7516 standard) and web form-based submission. Available for lawyers, government bodies, organizations, and parties in student cases.
• Abonnementenservice Free email subscription service allowing users to receive notifications about new information on the Raad van State website, including weekly case rulings, press agendas, press releases, and summaries of published advisory opinions.
• E-mailservice uitspraken Email notification service that alerts users when the Administrative Jurisdiction Division issues a ruling in a specific case, using the case number for identification. Rulings are published on Wednesdays.
• Aanvragen oude uitspraken (Old Ruling Request) Online and mail-based service for requesting copies of unpublished rulings. Charges apply for private individuals (€3.18 per request plus €0.18 per page). Older rulings (pre-1994 or starting with B/G case numbers) are requested through the Nationaal Archief.
• Studentenzaken (Student Affairs) Specialized service for handling appeals from students at universities, colleges, and MBO institutions against decisions of their educational institution. Handles cases faster (target: three months) with reduced court fees (€54) and prohibits cost awards against students.

Quantifiable outcome

• Goal of 3-month turnaround for student cases
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Cour des comptes (France): France's supreme audit institution, providing a peer benchmark for the budget oversight side of Raad van State's mandate.
• European Court of Auditors: EU institution responsible for auditing EU finances, directly comparable to Raad van State's Begrotingstoezicht function for European fiscal compliance.

Emerging players

• Centrale Raad van Beroep: Dutch specialized court handling social security and civil servant appeals, operating alongside Raad van State within the Netherlands' administrative court system.
• Algemene Rekenkamer (Netherlands Court of Audit): Dutch independent audit institution that complements Raad van State's Begrotingstoezicht budget oversight function for compliance with European budgetary rules.
• College van Beroep voor het bedrijfsleven (CBb): Dutch administrative court for trade, industry, and social-economic legislation, comparable as a peer administrative court within the Dutch system.

Direct peers

• Conseil d'État (France): France's Council of State performs the same dual role of advisor to government on legislation and supreme administrative court, making it the most directly comparable peer institution to Raad van State.
• Belgian Council of State (Raad van State / Conseil d'État): Belgian Council of State is the closest linguistic and institutional twin, serving as legislative advisor and highest administrative court in Belgium under a similar constitutional framework.
• Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Federal Administrative Court of Germany): Germany's highest administrative court, directly comparable on the judicial function side of Raad van State's mandate.

Broad incumbents

• European Court of Justice (CJEU): EU-level supreme court whose jurisdiction intersects with Raad van State's administrative jurisprudence and whose preliminary rulings shape Dutch administrative law practice.
• Hoge Raad der Nederlanden: The Dutch Supreme Court, the highest court in the Netherlands for civil, criminal, and tax law—comparable as a top-tier constitutional judicial body.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/raadvanstate
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/raadvanstate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raad-van-state
• Instagraminstagram.com/raadvanstate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Raad van State