Can you build a private shelter in the Netherlands?

Short answer. No Dutch law requires, subsidises or specifically licenses a private shelter. The national building code (Bbl) sets no shelter requirement ⁵, and the government ended its shelter policy around 1990 ⁷. A shelter is ordinary building work under the Omgevingswet. A technical building permit is needed only in the cases the Bbl lists, such as a roofless structure that lies underground ⁴⁵. A planning permit is needed where the municipality's omgevingsplan requires one ⁶. Use the Omgevingsloket Vergunningcheck ¹.

Is a private shelter required or funded in the Netherlands?

No. The Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving (Bbl), which sets the national building rules, contains no requirement to build a shelter; it mentions buildings "voor de landsverdediging of de bescherming van de bevolking" (for national defence or civil protection) only to exempt them from some rules ⁵.

The government ended its shelter policy around 1990. In June 2024 the Minister of Justice and Security wrote: "In 1990 heeft het toenmalige kabinet besloten de rol van openbare schuilgelegenheden bij de bescherming van de bevolking te beëindigen. [...] Dit besluit is nog steeds van kracht" (in 1990 the cabinet decided to end the role of public shelters in protecting the population; this decision is still in force) ⁷. Whether to offer a public shelter is up to each municipality ⁷. In 2022 the same minister wrote that the national government had ended the shelter policy in the mid-1980s ⁸.

No official source read mentions funding for private shelters, and the state ended its support for public shelters in 1990. The government announced in 1988 that it would stop investing in new public shelters, and ended its supporting role in 1990 ⁷.

Do I need a permit for an underground shelter?

There is no shelter-specific permit. Under the Omgevingswet, building can need two separate permits ⁴⁶:

• Technical building activity (bouwactiviteit): a permit is required only in the cases the Bbl designates ⁴⁵. For a structure without a roof, these include one that "ondergronds is gelegen" (lies underground) (art. 2.26) ⁵. For a building with a roof, they include one that is higher than 5 m, has a roof terrace or balcony, or becomes a main building (art. 2.25) ⁵. Article 2.27 exempts works in consequence class 1, which fall under the quality-assurance scheme (kwaliteitsborging, art. 2.17), and some listed minor works ⁵.
• Planning activity (omgevingsplanactiviteit): a permit is required unless an exemption applies ⁴. The Bbl's national list of permit-free planning activities (art. 2.29) does not include shelters or underground rooms; the closest item is a structure in a front or back yard no higher than 1 m and no larger than 2 m² ⁵. Otherwise the municipality's omgevingsplan sets the rules, which can include a permit or notification requirement ⁶.

The government directs you to the Vergunningcheck in the Omgevingsloket to find out whether you need a permit or must give notice ¹. Phaenyx does not say whether a given project needs a permit.

Is there official guidance on how to build one?

No official building guidance for shelters was found. The government's current advice is about where to shelter: underground or in the middle of a large building ³². The Ministry of Justice and Security is preparing a national framework for sheltering and evacuation (Landelijk kader schuilen en evacueren) to support administrators, expected to be adopted at the end of 2026. TNO is studying which sheltering options improve survival in a military attack ². NOS reported in May 2025 that TNO would draw up building-technical requirements for structures suitable for sheltering ⁹; no such requirements have been published in the official sources read ². See the public shelters page.

Why is an engineer needed?

Anything underground or load-bearing is structural work, and Phaenyx does not provide construction instructions. Our guides on burying a shipping container and reinforcing a container explain the main issues, and the guides on protection factor, ventilation and NBC filtration cover what a shelter is meant to achieve. They cite non-Dutch agencies and are not Dutch rules.

What should I check first?

1. Run the Vergunningcheck in the Omgevingsloket for your address and project ¹.
2. Ask your municipality about the rules in its omgevingsplan ⁶.
3. Have a qualified structural engineer assess the site and design.

Where the government currently advises sheltering is on the public shelters page.

Frequently asked questions

Is it legal to build a bunker in the Netherlands?

Yes, as ordinary building work. No Dutch law requires, bans or specifically licenses private shelters; the Omgevingswet, the Bbl and your municipality's omgevingsplan decide which permits apply ⁴⁵⁶.

Does an underground room need a permit?

Often. Under the Bbl, an underground structure without a roof needs a technical building permit unless an exception in article 2.27 applies, and the planning side depends on the omgevingsplan ⁵⁶. Use the Vergunningcheck ¹.

Must new homes in the Netherlands include a shelter?

No. The national building code sets no shelter requirement, and the government ended its shelter policy around 1990 ⁵⁷.

Is there a Dutch shelter standard?

No official building standard for shelters was found; no building-technical requirements have been published in the official sources read ².

Who checks a shelter project?

No shelter-specific authority exists. Your municipality, through the Omgevingsloket, and a qualified engineer are the starting points ¹⁶.

Will the government publish shelter requirements?

A national framework for sheltering and evacuation is expected at the end of 2026, aimed at administrators, alongside a TNO study ². The official sources do not say it will include building requirements.

Sources

1. Rijksoverheid — Wanneer moet ik een omgevingsvergunning aanvragen? — https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/vraag-en-antwoord/omgevingswet/wanneer-moet-ik-een-omgevingsvergunning-aanvragen (accessed 2026-10-21)
2. Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid / Tweede Kamer — Ontwikkelingen in de brandweerzorg, crisisbeheersing en het meldkamerdomein (Kamerstuk 29 517, nr. 275, 18 mei 2026) — https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/brieven_regering/detail?id=2026Z10157&did=2026D22835 (accessed 2026-10-21)
3. Denk vooruit (NCTV, Rijksoverheid) — Internationale spanningen — https://www.denkvooruit.nl/risicos/risicos-in-nederland/internationale-spanningen (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Overheid.nl – wetten.overheid.nl — Omgevingswet, artikel 5.1 (omgevingsvergunningplichtige activiteiten wet) — https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0037885/2026-07-01 (accessed 2026-10-21)
5. Overheid.nl – wetten.overheid.nl — Besluit bouwwerken leefomgeving, artikelen 2.17 en 2.25 tot en met 2.29 — https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0041297/2026-09-24 (accessed 2026-10-21)
6. Informatiepunt Leefomgeving (IPLO, Rijksoverheid) — Omgevingsplanactiviteit bouwwerken — https://iplo.nl/regelgeving/regels-voor-activiteiten/omgevingsplanactiviteit/binnenplanse-omgevingsplanactiviteit/omgevingsplanactiviteit-bouwwerken/ (accessed 2026-10-21)
7. Tweede Kamer / Minister van Justitie en Veiligheid (officielebekendmakingen.nl) — Antwoord op vragen van het lid Erkens over het bericht 'Poland's capital Warsaw earmarks $30 million for bomb shelters and other security' (ontvangen 28 juni 2024) — https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/ah-tk-20232024-2102.html (accessed 2026-10-21)
8. Tweede Kamer / Minister van Justitie en Veiligheid (officielebekendmakingen.nl) — Antwoord op vragen van het lid Van Haga over 'het totaal onvoorbereid zijn op een nucleaire oorlog' (ontvangen 7 november 2022) — https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/ah-tk-20222023-624.html (accessed 2026-10-21)
9. NOS (press, context only) — Kabinet wil schuilplekken, zoals parkeergarages, voor crisissituatie — https://nos.nl/l/2568418 (accessed 2026-10-20)