This article outlines the diplomatic relationship between India and the Netherlands: the establishment of relations, contacts between heads of government and heads of state, ministerial and parliamentary visits, the dialogue mechanisms, and cooperation on the Indo-Pacific. It is based on the MEA brief of May 2026 and reflects the position described in that brief.

Establishment of relations

According to the MEA brief of May 2026, India and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1947, and the year 2022 marked 75 years of diplomatic relations. The brief describes political, economic and commercial relations between the two countries as strong, and states that India and the Netherlands have regular engagements at high level.

Contacts between Prime Ministers

Following the formation of a new Government in the Netherlands led by PM Rob Jetten in February 2026, Prime Minister Modi and PM Jetten held a telephone conversation on 30 March 2026. After the brief, Prime Minister Modi paid an official visit to the Netherlands on 16-17 May 2026, his second visit to the country, and the two leaders decided to elevate relations to a Strategic Partnership.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting with the then PM Dick Schoof on the sidelines of the AI Summit in New Delhi in February 2026. The two leaders had also met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg on 23 November 2025. In April 2025, PM Schoof conveyed his condolences to Prime Minister Modi by telephone on the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

Former PM Mark Rutte, during his 14 year-long premiership, visited India three times: in 2015, 2018 and 2023, the last for the G20 Summit. Prime Minister Modi visited the Netherlands in 2017 and met PM Rutte. In 2021 the two leaders held an Online Virtual Summit. Its outcomes on water are described in the development and cooperation article of this guide.

State visits

In April 2022, on the occasion of 75 years of India-Netherlands relations, the then President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind paid a State Visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. He was ceremonially welcomed at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam by His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Maxima, and also met PM Rutte.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands paid a state visit to India from 14-18 October 2019.

Ministerial visits

The brief records the following recent contacts between foreign and defence ministers:

  • EAM Dr. Jaishankar met the then Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen on 16 March 2026 in Brussels.
  • Former Foreign Minister David van Weel visited India in December 2025 and met EAM, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and NSA Shri Ajit Doval. EAM had also met Mr. van Weel, then Foreign Minister, on the sidelines of the 80th UNGA in New York in September 2025.
  • EAM visited the Netherlands in May 2025 and met the then PM Schoof, the then Foreign Minister Veldkamp and Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans.
  • Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp visited India at the end of March 2025 and met EAM and NSA Shri Ajit Doval.
  • Defence Minister Mr Ruben Brekelmans visited India in February 2025 to participate in the Raisina Dialogue, and met Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and NSA Shri Ajit Doval.

Visits by trade, technology and infrastructure ministers are covered in the trade article of this guide.

Parliamentary exchanges

Speaker of Lok Sabha Shri Om Birla visited the Netherlands in August 2022 and interacted with the President of the Senate, Mr Jan Anthonie Bruijn. Mr Bruijn later visited India in October 2023 to participate in the P20 Summit.

Institutional mechanisms

India and the Netherlands review the full range of their bilateral relationship through annual consultations led by their Ministries of Foreign Affairs at Secretary level. The last Foreign Office Consultations were held in New Delhi on 04 December 2025.

The two sides also have Joint Working Groups (JWGs) or Dialogues at functional level in the following fields:

  • Science & Technology
  • Agriculture
  • Healthcare
  • Urban Development
  • Counter Terrorism
  • Maritime Cooperation
  • Water
  • Policy Planning
  • Cyber Dialogue
  • Consular

Indo-Pacific

The Netherlands issued its guidelines on the Indo-Pacific in 2020, which identify India as a key partner, and India welcomed the guidelines. According to the brief, both sides recognise the close convergence between their visions for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. After the brief, during the Prime Minister's visit in May 2026, the Netherlands announced its decision to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and co-lead the Capacity Building & Resource Sharing pillar along with Germany and the European Union.

The Dutch frigate HNLMS Tromp made a port call at Mumbai in April 2024 during its visit to the Indo-Pacific. The brief, dated May 2026, states that HNLMS De Ruyter will make a port call at Kochi in the first week of May 2026 as part of its Indo-Pacific deployment.