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Demystifying Dutch Currency: All You Need to Know

What currency do Netherlands use?

Nowadays the national currency of Netherlands is Euro! Euro was adopted in 2002 and replace the guilder.

Between 1999 and 2002 guilder was used as a „national subunit” of the euro. At the conversion moment, the exchange rate used 1 euro = 2.20371 Dutch guilders.

So, for more than 300 years the dutch guilder was Holland currency with minor interruptions.
Between 1810 to 1814 when Holland was annexed to France the guilder was replaced by French franc.

What currency do Netherlands use

currency in netherlands

Once the Napoleonic wars were over and the dutch country was free again, the Dutch guilder was used instead of the French franc.

So, what currency do Netherlands use for a short period of time?

It was the French franc, but the usage period was very limited!

The Dutch guilder suffered major during the German occupation during World War II when its value falls dramatically. It was so bad that at a moment 1 guilder = 100 cents.

After many ups and downs, and by 1848 the Allied Forces set up the exchange rate to be used: 1 dollar = 2.652 Dutch guilders.
Along time, the Dutch guilder was made from many different materials like gold, nickel or silver.

An important aspect to mention is that there were no interventions in its use by outside countries anymore.

Before the dutch guilder, people used golden coins known as „guldens” in dutch language. According to written historical evidence the first guldens appeared in 1517.

Between 1517 to the 17th century, many variations of guldens had been used all over the country. The coins vary depending on region, but most of them had been made from gold.

The only places where guilder is still used are the dutch islands from the Caribbean Sea.
But don’t get yourself confused! Netherlands guilder and Netherlands Antillean guilder are two different currencies!

In dutch islands like Curacao and Sint Marteen, two countries which are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antillean guilder is used even today!

The good news is that after the year 2002 when the Euro was officially introduced in Holland, guilder coins were still exchangeable at the Netherlands Central bank until 1 January 2007.

And about the banknotes, well things are even better! If you still have dutch guilders and don’t want to keep them in your collection, then you should know that you can exchange them into euros anytime you want until 2032.

So, let’s sum up what currency do Netherlands use:

  • for the European dutch country you need to take euro with you
  • for the Dutch islands from the Caribbean Sea, buy the Netherlands Antillean guilder from any exchange office or bank.