Writing back in formal Dutch: how to answer an official letter

Answering an official letter comes up more often in the Netherlands than you would expect: an objection, a request to pay in instalments, a wrong address that needs correcting. The good news is that these letters do not ask for fine writing. One page, short, concrete and carrying the right details is enough.

The six things your reply has to contain

1. Who you are writing to. The body and address on the letter, or the separate address given for objections.
2. Your own details. Name, address, and the number the body knows you by. Only write your BSN if the body already has it and asks for it.
3. The reference. The kenmerkreference number · Printed at the top right of the letter; your reply has to carry it or zaaknummercase number from the letter, with the date of the decision (dagtekeningthe date on the letter · The date periods are counted from). Without that line your reply has trouble reaching the right file.
4. What you want. One sentence: "I object to this decision", "I would like to pay in instalments", "This detail is wrong and I ask you to correct it."
5. The grounds (grondengrounds · The part that explains why your objection is right). Why. Short points, factual rather than emotional: which detail is wrong, what the right one is, which document you have.
6. The date and your signature. A written signature if you send it by post; online the system has already established who you are.

One page is more than enough. The body is not weighing the length, it is looking at what goes into the file.

When the deadline is close

If the objection period is running out and you have not put your reasons together, send a short objection that protects the deadline: "I object to this decision and will send my grounds shortly." The body will give you extra time for the grounds. A letter written after the period has passed, however good it is, usually will not be looked at on its merits.

How to send it

• Online: through the body's own portal, in most cases. Fastest, and the record keeps itself.
• By post: send it registered (aangetekendregistered post · The way of sending that proves you sent it) and you have proof that you sent it. On a letter that depends on a deadline, that proof is worth having.
• By email: many bodies do not accept a formal objection by email. Unless the letter says so explicitly, do not rely on it.

Either way, keep a copy of what you sent and watch for a confirmation of receipt (ontvangstbevestigingconfirmation of receipt). If nothing arrives, you can ask after a few weeks using the case number.

If someone writes on your behalf, the body will usually ask for an authorisation (machtigingauthorisation · The document that lets someone act on your behalf). It is normally a short document, and they provide the form.

Where Letrin comes in

After it explains the letter, Letrin can prepare a draft reply: a text in proper formal Dutch that carries the reference number and the date from the letter. It shows you the translation next to it, so you know what you are signing.

The draft is a starting point, not the finished letter:

• Add your own details and the names of any documents you are enclosing.
• Replace the grounds with your own situation; a draft cannot know what happened to you.
• Read the translation once more before you send it.

When you need a professional

If the subject is a residence permit, a dismissal, an eviction or a large debt, a draft is not enough. Juridisch Loket gives free legal advice, the municipality's sociaal raadslieden fill in forms with you, and on a low income you may be entitled to a subsidised lawyer (toevoeging).

Letrin does not give legal advice; it makes the letter understandable and makes it easier to start writing. What you send is your decision.