Nepal-The Netherlands Relations

Nepal-The Netherlands Relations

Political Relations

Nepal and the Kingdom of the Netherlands established diplomatic relations on 2 April 1960. Relationship between the two countries is based on the spirit of friendship, trust and understanding.  The Embassy of Nepal in Belgium is concurrently accredited to the Netherlands and the Embassy of Netherlands in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Nepal. Both countries have established Honorary Consulate in the capital of each other’s country.

Exchange of Visits

Exchange of visits at high levels has contributed to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

From Nepal’s side, Minister for Information and Communications, Dr. Minendra Rijal visited Netherlands in 2015. In the past, Crown Prince Dipendra paid an official visit to the Netherlands in 1998. Likewise, King Mahendra paid a state visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1967. 

From the Netherland’s side, Special Representative of the Netherlands, Ambassador Laetitia van den Assum, visited Nepal in 2016. Previously, Ms. Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, visited Nepal in 2015. Prior to that, Development Cooperation Minister of the Netherlands, Mr. Johannes P. Pronk, visited Nepal in 1996. Earlier, King Willem-Alexander, then the Prince of Orange, paid an official visit to Nepal in1997. The earliest official visit to Nepal was paid by Prince Bernhard in 1973.

Economic Relations

Economic cooperation between Nepal and the Netherlands started since 1976, with the involvement of Dutch volunteers (technicians and engineers) to assist in various development sectors. Later in 1983, Nepal and Dutch government signed an agreement on the employment of Dutch volunteers for economic development and cooperation.

Currently, much of the Dutch development support to Nepal is channeled through the multilateral entities such as the UN and the EU, and a significant amount of cooperation is provided to Nepal through various Dutch NGOs and INGOs.

The SNV Netherland Development Organization has been working in Nepal on behalf of the Netherlands Government since it opened its office in Nepal in 1980. 

The focus of Dutch development cooperation to Nepal is in the areas of urban development, agriculture, renewable energy, health, environment, disaster preparedness and relief, decentralized local governance and bio-diversity. Dutch government also provided humanitarian assistance to Nepal in the aftermath of devastating earthquake in 2015.

Trade and Investment

Nepal exports carpet, woolen goods, ready-made garments, handmade papers, handicrafts etc., to the Netherlands. Similarly, Nepal imports textile materials, machinery and parts, industrial raw materials, electrical goods, research equipment etc., from the Netherlands.

The balance of trade remains in favour of the Netherlands, which are shown below:

(Value in 000 Rupees)

Some industries in the areas of hotel, security service and tissue culture have been operating in Nepal under Nepal- Netherlands joint venture. As of FY 2023/24, Netherland’s total capital FDI stock in Nepal stood at Rs. 6,067.6 million.

Tourism and People-to-People relations

Nepal is one of the popular tourism destinations for the Dutch tourists, especially for those interested in adventure tourism such as mountaineering and trekking. Following table highlights the number of Dutch tourists visiting Nepal in recent years:

An estimated 6,000 Nepali nationals currently reside in the Netherlands.

Europe Division

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

As of March 2026