Dutch Cities Scrap Fines for Sleeping Outside as Homelessness Crisis Deepens: What It Means for Expats

Amsterdam and Utrecht have officially stopped fining people for sleeping outside, removing the ban from their local ordinances (APV — Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening). The move, which follows a trend of cities rethinking punitive approaches to homelessness, has already led to a sharp rise in nuisance complaints — but mayors say the real problem lies with national policy failures.

Why the change?

Both cities concluded that fining people for sleeping rough was ineffective and counterproductive. "The measure is ineffective and brings homeless people only further into trouble," a Utrecht spokesperson told NOS. Amsterdam stopped enforcing the ban in June 2025, and Utrecht followed about six months ago. Now both are formally scrapping the rule from their books.

Els Schipaanboord, a researcher at the University of Groningen specializing in public order and the criminalization of homelessness, called the decision a good one — but warned of unintended consequences. "It is very important to think carefully about the effects that this may bring," she told NOS. She pointed to a possible "ping-pong effect" where homeless people move to cities where sleeping outside is still banned, creating tent camps and then a backlash calling for stricter enforcement.

Rising nuisance reports

The data shows the shift has not been without friction. In Utrecht, nuisance reports about rough sleepers have doubled compared to the same period last year. In Amsterdam, reports rose from 431 in all of 2024 to 625 already in 2026. Complaints range from people feeling unsafe to issues with public urination, defecation, and litter.

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema told Buitenhof and Parool that the situation is becoming unsustainable. "The problems in the major cities are gradually becoming too much for us," she said. She cited "the combination of increasing homelessness, deterioration, crack use, and people with confused behavior" as putting quality of life under pressure in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht.

The scale of the crisis

Amsterdam's municipality knows of about 15,000 people in the region who are homeless or at risk of homelessness — but Halsema believes the real number is much higher. Many end up in city parks, often struggling with addiction. The city has identified 3,644 people who cause nuisance regularly, of whom about 1,500 come from Eastern Europe.

Halsema directly linked this to labor migration policies. Migrant workers can lose their housing when they lose their job, because work and accommodation are tied together in their contracts. The Roemer Commission advised in 2020 to decouple these contracts and introduce a mandatory one-month notice period for employment agencies. But last year, former Minister Mariëlle Paul decided to reverse a planned phase-out of that rule, meaning employers can still deduct up to a quarter of a migrant worker's minimum wage for housing. "Paul's decision was a missed opportunity," Halsema said.

What does this mean for expats and internationals?

If you live in Amsterdam or Utrecht, you may notice more people sleeping in public spaces — parks, streets, and doorways. Nuisance reports are up, and the city is not issuing fines to people sleeping rough. That does not mean all public order rules are gone: aggressive behavior, drug use in public, and littering may still be enforced under other provisions.

For international workers, especially those from Eastern Europe on employment agency contracts, the housing situation is precarious. If you lose your job, you could lose your home overnight. The national government has not yet acted on Halsema's call to reform labor migration rules, despite warnings from multiple commissions and mayors.

What's next?

Halsema is calling on the national government to "structurally improve" mental healthcare and labor migration policy. She argues that the debate should not only be about taxes and income distribution, but also about "broad prosperity." Whether the cabinet will respond remains an open question, as coalition talks over the 2027 budget drag on.

For now, Amsterdam and Utrecht are betting that removing fines will allow them to focus on social support instead of punishment. But with nuisance complaints rising and no clear national strategy, the pressure on city life — and on the people living on the streets — shows no sign of easing.