Licence to organise a circus or funfair

Do you want to organise a circus or funfair in the Netherlands? In most municipalities you will need one or more licences to do so. This also applies to having a funfair stand. The licence can be one of the following:

• Event licence (evenementenvergunning/speelvergunning).
• Funfair licence (kermisvergunning).
• Circus licence (circusvergunnning).
• All-in-one permit for physical aspects regarding fire safety (omgevingsvergunning voor brandveilig gebruik).

Sometimes a notification to the municipality is enough to, for example organise a one-off performance per year.

Keep in mind that some municipalities give out a limited number of permits for circus performances per year.

Please contact your municipality (in Dutch) for more information.

No wild animals in circuses

In the Netherlands you cannot use wild mammals in your circus or at any other events (in Dutch). There is an exception to this rule on a limited number of small mammals and other animals, and for performances in zoos or marine mammal parks (in Dutch). There is also a ban on transport of wild animals for these purposes. Transit of wild animals for foreign companies is also exempt.