Care arrangement or contact arrangement? The Dutch terms explained
Four Dutch words for roughly the same subject, used interchangeably even by professionals. The difference is not only linguistic: which term fits your situation depends on who holds parental authority and where the child lives — and that has consequences all the way through to the tax office.
In short
| Term | What it covers | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Zorgregeling (care arrangement) | How day-to-day care is divided between two parents who both hold parental authority | Both parents provide care, even if unequally |
| Omgangsregeling (contact arrangement) | Contact between the child and the parent they do not live with | One parent has day-to-day care, the other sees the child under an arrangement |
| Zorgverdeling (care division) | The umbrella term for "who has the child when" | Neutral, always fits, and it is what you actually plan |
| Co-ouderschap (co-parenting) | A division in which the child is with both parents roughly equally | Everyday language; it is not a legal status |
Zorgregeling — care arrangement
If you both hold parental authority, you divide the care between you. That is a zorgregeling, and it sits in the parenting plan: who has which days, who does handovers, who goes to the dentist appointment, how the holidays are divided. So it covers far more than presence alone.
Omgangsregeling — contact arrangement
If the child lives with one parent, the other has a right to contact, and the shape that takes is an omgangsregeling. The right is not only the parent’s: it is also the child’s right to contact with both parents. That distinction sounds formal, but it is precisely why contact cannot simply be withdrawn over a conflict between adults. More on contact arrangements.
Zorgverdeling — care division
Zorgverdeling is the practical word for the same thing: which days and nights the child is with whom. It carries no legal weight and covers both situations above. It is also what ends up in the calendar. See care division.
Co-ouderschap — not a legal status, but there is a threshold
This is the most common misunderstanding among internationals in the Netherlands. Co-ouderschap does not appear in Dutch law and is not a recognised status: it describes a division in which the child is with both parents roughly equally. You cannot apply for it or be granted it.
What does exist is a tax threshold. For the Belastingdienst you are co-parents if the child is with each parent at least 156 days per calendar year, and you have to report that yourselves, in writing. See reporting your care division to the tax office and benefits and co-parenting.
Who uses which term?
- The court and your parenting plan speak of a zorgregeling or an omgangsregeling, depending on the situation.
- The Belastingdienst and the SVB do not look at the term at all; they look at the days.
- Schools, sports clubs and babysitters just want to know who is coming on Wednesday.
Which is the point: whatever word sits on top, the question underneath is always the same. Get that division right once and the rest is naming.
Still have questions?
Can a care arrangement also be called a contact arrangement?
In practice this happens constantly. As long as it is clear which days were agreed, the label is rarely the problem.
Is co-parenting always 50/50?
No. In everyday language it covers roughly equal divisions. For tax purposes, only the 156 days per parent count.
We do not have joint parental authority. Can we still agree an arrangement?
Yes. The right to contact is separate from parental authority.
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