The Netherlands Commercial Court (NCC)

In January 2019, the Netherlands Commercial Court (NCC) was launched as a fully-fledged commercial court in Amsterdam consisting of a first instance court, a court in summary proceedings and an appeal court. The NCC provides parties with the possibility to litigate international disputes in English before a specialized international commercial court.

Benefits of the NCC

Resolution of international commercial disputes can be costly and burdensome. Certainly in proceedings before the regular courts, language barriers and lack of insight in the applicable procedural rules can result in experiencing the litigation process as non-transparent and unpredictable.Litigating before the NCC may take some of these worries away. The NCC charges a flat fee which is only slightly higher than the court fees due in the regular Dutch courts. This makes litigation before the NCC not only significantly cheaper than most forms of arbitration, but also cheaper than commercial litigation outside The Netherlands. At the same time, proceedings before the NCC are flexible and can be adapted specifically for international commercial litigations. Cases are dealt with by specialized judges with vast experience in commercial disputes. Most importantly, proceedings are conducted entirely in English and will result in a judgement in English. As a result, the NCC provides an viable alternative for both international arbitration (within the EU) and litigation before local or international commercial courts.

Our approach to litigation

Our litigation and arbitration team is specialized in dealing with complex international commercial disputes. We combine our in-depth knowledge of substantive and procedural matters with a clear, transparent and practical approach to litigation. To that end, we use project management tools, an early risk assessment and a clear-cut planning of all relevant steps in advance to enable you to stay in control of the litigation process. We call this approach the KVdL Way of Litigating. To learn more about the NCC, download our factsheet “The Netherlands Commercial Court in a nutshell” with the button below.

18 February 2019: The first hearing at the NCC is a fact
On 18 February 2019 the first hearing in summary proceedings took place before the NCC, in a case between of Elavon Financial Services DAC vs IPS Holding B.V. The spokesperson of the NCC indicated in a press release that the hearing went smoothly and that it seemed like the NCC had been handling cases in English for years.

7 February 2019: First case for the NCC
On 7 February 2019 Herman van der Meer (President of the Amsterdam Court of Appeal) announced that the NCC was contacted by a party that potentially wants to bring its case before the NCC.

6 February 2019: Official opening of the NCC
On 6 February 2019 Anita Vegter (Director-General for the Administration of Justice and Law Enforcement) officially opened the Netherlands Commercial Court. The ceremony took place at the Amsterdam Court of Appeal. Vegter stated that the opening of the NCC shows that the Dutch judiciary is ready to innovate. According to Christina Wiertz (President of the Amsterdam District Court) the NCC shows relevance and reflects on societal needs.