Netherlands · Open Government

The Wet open overheid, from request to proactive disclosure

AccessPoint runs Wet open overheid (Woo) requests — the four-week clock, the absolute and relative exceptions of articles 5.1 and 5.2, the active-disclosure duty, and bezwaar and beroep appeals to the Raad van State — pre-configured for the Netherlands and running inside your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

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Netherlands at a glance

Response standard
As soon as possible, within four weeks; extendable by two weeks (art. 4.4)
Active disclosure
Seventeen categories must be published proactively (art. 3.1, 3.3) — not only on request
Exemptions
Absolute grounds (art. 5.1(1)) apply automatically; relative grounds (art. 5.1(2), 5.2) are weighed against the public interest
Charges
Handling a Woo request is free; at most the cost price of copies
Oversight
Adviescollege Openbaarheid en Informatiehuishouding (ACOI); appeals to the Council of State
Languages
Dutch, with English available

Built for Netherlands

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

The Woo request lifecycle

Intake to disclosure under the Wet open overheid — the four-week clock, the two-week extension, the article 5.1 and 5.2 exceptions, and bezwaar handling — all built on Microsoft 365.

Active, proactive disclosure

The Woo requires seventeen categories of information to be published on the government's own initiative (art. 3.1, 3.3). AccessPoint manages the proactive-disclosure programme beside requests, so routine categories are published, not merely answered.

The four-week clock

Decide as soon as possible and within four weeks, extendable by two weeks for volume or complexity (art. 4.4). AccessPoint computes both and reminds you before either lapses.

Absolute and relative exceptions

Apply the article 5.1 and 5.2 exceptions — the absolute grounds that apply automatically and the relative grounds weighed against the public interest, plus personal policy opinions for internal deliberation — on a colour-coded, audit-trailed record.

Free handling, cost-price copies

Handling a Woo request is free of charge; at most the cost price of copies may be recovered. AccessPoint records any copy charge and itemises it for the requester.

In your own tenant

Every request and record stays inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant — no third-party cloud, no cross-border transfers, and no per-user fees.

Publish first, and know your two kinds of exception

The Woo doesn't just answer requests — it obliges the government to publish. And its exceptions come in two flavours: absolute and relative.

The Wet open overheid, in force since May 2022, went further than the Wob it replaced. It makes active disclosure a duty: seventeen categories of information must be published on the government's own initiative, not merely when someone asks (articles 3.1 and 3.3). And when information is withheld, the Woo separates absolute exceptions — which apply automatically, such as state security and confidential business data — from relative exceptions, which must be weighed against the public interest (articles 5.1 and 5.2). AccessPoint runs proactive publication and both exception tests on one platform.

Active disclosure Seventeen categories published on the government's own initiative (art. 3.1, 3.3).
Absolute exceptions Grounds that apply automatically, without a balancing test (art. 5.1(1)).
Relative exceptions Grounds weighed against the public interest (art. 5.1(2), 5.2).

Configured out of the box

Installing the nl-woo configuration pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • The Wet open overheid (Woo) as the legal-authority and citation spine, with the Wob mapped across
  • The Dutch public-holiday calendar and the four-week clock with its two-week extension (art. 4.4)
  • The active-disclosure programme — the seventeen categories published on the government's own initiative (art. 3.1, 3.3)
  • The article 5.1 and 5.2 exceptions — absolute and relative — colour-coded for redaction
  • Free request handling, with cost-price copy charges recorded and itemised
  • The bezwaar, beroep, and Raad van State appeal workflow (Awb)
  • ACOI complaint and advice tracking
  • Woo correspondence templates in Dutch, with English available, and Dutch timeliness tracking

Netherlands Questions

How long does a Dutch authority have to decide a Woo request?
It must decide as soon as possible and in any event within four weeks of receipt, extendable by two weeks where the request is large or complex (art. 4.4). AccessPoint computes both the four-week point and the extension and reminds you before either lapses.

What makes the Woo distinctive?
It obliges active disclosure — seventeen categories of information must be published on the government's own initiative, not only on request (art. 3.1, 3.3) — and it splits its exceptions into absolute grounds that apply automatically and relative grounds weighed against the public interest (art. 5.1, 5.2). AccessPoint runs the publication programme and both exception tests.

What can be charged?
Handling a Woo request is free; at most the cost price of providing copies may be recovered. AccessPoint records any copy charge and itemises it for the requester.

Where does data reside?
Entirely within your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant. Requests, documents, and audit history never leave your control — no third-party cloud, no vendor access, and no cross-border data transfers.

Run the Wet open overheid in One Platform

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, pre-configured for the Netherlands. No credit card required.

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