List of ministers of foreign affairs of the Netherlands
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The minister of foreign affairs (Dutch: minister van Buitenlandse Zaken) is a member of the cabinet of the Netherlands and the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The officeholder is in charge of the Kingdom's foreign policy and international relations. The current minister, Tom Berendsen, has served since 23 February 2026.
Member ofCouncil of Ministers
AppointerThe monarch
on advice of the prime minister
on advice of the prime minister
Formation9 March 1798
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands | |
|---|---|
| Minister van Buitenlandse Zaken | |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | |
| Style | His/Her Excellency |
| Member of | Council of Ministers |
| Appointer | The monarch on advice of the prime minister |
| Formation | 9 March 1798 |
| First holder | Willem Berend Buys as Secretary for Foreign Affairs |
| Salary | €205,991 (As of 2025[update])[1] |
Alongside the minister, a minister without portfolio is usually attached to the ministry to oversee development cooperation and trade promotion. Multiple cabinets have also included a state secretary responisble for specific sub-portfolios, such as European affairs.
List of ministers of foreign affairs
| Cabinet | Minister | Term of office | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Party | Start | End | ||
| Schimmelpenninck |  |
Gerrit Schimmelpenninck | Independent | 25 March 1848 | 17 May 1848 | |
 |
Arnold Adolf Bentinck van Nijenhuis | Independent | 17 May 1848 | 21 November 1848 | ||
| De Kempenaer–Donker Curtius |  |
Leonardus Antonius Lightenvelt | Independent | 21 November 1848 | 1 November 1849 | |
| Thorbecke I |  |
Herman van Sonsbeeck | Independent | 1 November 1849 | 16 October 1852 | |
 |
Jacob van Zuylen van Nijevelt | Independent | 16 October 1852 | 19 April 1853 | ||
| Van Hall–Donker Curtius |  |
Floris Adriaan van Hall | Independent | 19 April 1853 | 1 July 1856 | |
| Van der Brugghen |  |
Daniël Théodore Gevers van Endegeest | Independent | 1 July 1856 | 18 March 1858 | |
| Rochussen |  |
Jan Karel van Goltstein | Independent | 18 March 1858 | 23 February 1860 | |
| Van Hall–Van Heemstra | |
Floris Adriaan van Hall (ad interim) |
Independent | 23 February 1860 | 4 April 1860 | |
.jpg) |
Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt | Independent | 4 April 1860 | 14 January 1861 | ||
 |
Louis Napoleon van der Goes van Dirxland | Independent | 14 January 1861 | 14 March 1861 | ||
| Van Zuylen van Nijevelt–Van Heemstra | |
Jacob van Zuylen van Nijevelt | Independent | 14 March 1861 | 10 November 1861 | |
 |
Martin Pascal Hubert Strens
(ad interim) |
Independent | 10 November 1861 | 1 February 1862 | ||
| Thorbecke II |  |
Anthony Jan Lucas Stratenus (ad interim) |
Independent | 1 February 1862 | 12 March 1862 | |
 |
Paul Therèse van der Maesen de Sombreff | Independent | 12 March 1862 | 2 January 1864 | ||
 |
Willem Huyssen van Kattendijke (ad interim) |
Independent | 2 January 1864 | 15 March 1864 | ||
 |
Eppo Cremers | Independent | 15 March 1864 | 1 June 1866 | ||
| Fransen van de Putte | ||||||
| Van Zuylen van Nijevelt |  |
Julius van Zuylen van Nijevelt | Independent | 1 June 1866 | 4 June 1868 | |
| Van Bosse–Fock | .jpg) |
Joannes Josephus van Mulken (ad interim) |
Independent | 4 June 1868 | 8 June 1868 | |
 |
Theodorus Marinus Roest van Limburg | Independent | 8 June 1868 | 12 December 1870 | ||
| Thorbecke III | |
Joannes Josephus van Mulken (ad interim) |
Independent | 12 December 1870 | 18 January 1871 | |
| De Vries–Fransen van de Putte |  |
Louis Gericke van Herwijnen | Independent | 18 January 1871 | 27 August 1874 | |
| Heemskerk–Van Lynden van Sandenburg |  |
Joseph van der Does de Willebois | Independent | 27 August 1874 | 3 November 1877 | |
| Kappeyne van de Coppello |  |
Willem van Heeckeren van Kell | Independent | 3 November 1877 | 20 August 1879 | |
| Van Lynden van Sandenburg |  |
Theo van Lynden van Sandenburg | Independent | 20 August 1879 | 15 September 1881 | |
 |
Willem Frederik Rochussen | Independent | 15 September 1881 | 23 April 1883 | ||
| Jan Heemskerk | |
Joseph van der Does de Willebois | Independent | 23 April 1883 | 10 August 1885 | |
 |
Marc Willem du Tour van Bellinchave (ad interim) |
Independent | 10 August 1885 | 14 September 1885 | ||
|
Joseph van der Does de Willebois | Independent | 14 September 1885 | 1 November 1885 | ||
 |
Abraham van Karnebeek | Independent | 1 November 1885 | 21 April 1888 | ||
| Mackay |  |
Cornelis Hartsen | Independent | 21 April 1888 | 21 August 1891 | |
| Van Tienhoven |  |
Gijsbert van Tienhoven | Independent | 21 August 1891 | 21 March 1894 | |
 |
Joannes Coenraad Jansen (ad interim) |
LU | 21 March 1894 | 9 May 1894 | ||
| Röell | .jpg) |
Joan Röell | Independent | 9 May 1894 | 27 July 1897 | |
| Pierson |  |
Willem de Beaufort | Independent | 27 July 1897 | 1 August 1901 | |
| Kuyper | _-_Robert_Melvil_van_Lynden.jpg) |
Robert Melvil van Lynden | ARP | 1 August 1901 | 9 March 1905 | |
 |
Abraham George Ellis (ad interim) |
Independent | 9 March 1905 | 22 April 1905 | ||
 |
Willem van Weede van Berencamp | Independent | 22 April 1905 | 7 August 1905 | ||
|
Abraham George Ellis (ad interim) |
Independent | 7 August 1905 | 17 August 1905 | ||
| De Meester |  |
Dirk van Tets van Goudriaan | Independent | 17 August 1905 | 12 February 1908 | |
| Theo Heemskerk |  |
René de Marees van Swinderen | Independent | 12 February 1908 | 29 August 1913 | |
| Cort van der Linden |  |
Pieter Cort van der Linden (ad interim) |
Independent | 29 August 1913 | 27 September 1913 | |
 |
John Loudon | Independent | 27 September 1913 | 9 September 1918 | ||
| Ruijs de Beerenbrouck I |  |
Herman van Karnebeek | Independent | 9 September 1918 | 1 April 1927 | |
| Ruijs de Beerenbrouck II | ||||||
| Colijn I | ||||||
| De Geer I | .jpg) |
Frans Beelaerts van Blokland | CHU | 1 April 1927 | 20 April 1933 | |
| Ruijs de Beerenbrouck III | ||||||
 |
Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck (ad interim) |
RKSP | 20 April 1933 | 26 May 1933 | ||
| Colijn II |  |
Andries Cornelis Dirk de Graeff | Independent | 26 May 1933 | 24 June 1937 | |
| Colijn III | ||||||
| Colijn IV | .jpg) |
Hendrikus Colijn (ad interim) |
ARP | 24 June 1937 | 1 October 1937 | |
 |
Jacob Adriaan Patijn | Independent | 1 October 1937 | 10 August 1939 | ||
| Colijn V | ||||||
| De Geer II |  |
Eelco van Kleffens | Independent | 10 August 1939 | 1 March 1946 | |
| Gerbrandy I | ||||||
| Gerbrandy II | ||||||
| Gerbrandy III | ||||||
| Schermerhorn–Drees |  |
Herman van Roijen | Independent | 1 March 1946 | 3 July 1946 | |
| Beel I | .jpg) |
Pim van Boetzelaer van Oosterhout | Independent | 3 July 1946 | 7 August 1948 | |
| Drees–Van Schaik | .jpg) |
Dirk Stikker | VVD | 7 August 1948 | 2 September 1952 | |
| Drees I | ||||||
| Drees II | .jpg) |
Johan Beyen | Independent | 2 September 1952 | 13 October 1956 | |
| Drees III | .jpg) |
Joseph Luns | KVP | 13 October 1956 | 6 July 1971 | |
| Beel II | ||||||
| De Quay | ||||||
| Marijnen | ||||||
| Cals | ||||||
| Zijlstra | ||||||
| De Jong | ||||||
| Biesheuvel I |  |
Norbert Schmelzer | KVP | 6 July 1971 | 11 May 1973 | |
| Biesheuvel II | ||||||
| Den Uyl | .jpg) |
Max van der Stoel | PvdA | 11 May 1973 | 19 December 1977 | |
| Van Agt I | _nieuwe_minister_van_Buitenlandse,_Bestanddeelnr_929-4807.jpg) |
Chris van der Klaauw | VVD | 19 December 1977 | 11 September 1981 | |
| Van Agt II | |
Max van der Stoel | PvdA | 11 September 1981 | 29 May 1982 | |
| Van Agt III |  |
Dries van Agt | CDA | 29 May 1982 | 4 November 1982 | |
| Lubbers I |  |
Hans van den Broek | CDA | 4 November 1982 | 3 January 1993 | |
| Lubbers II | ||||||
| Lubbers III | ||||||
 |
Pieter Kooijmans | CDA | 3 January 1993 | 22 August 1994 | ||
| Kok I |  |
Hans van Mierlo | D66 | 22 August 1994 | 3 August 1998 | |
| Kok II |  |
Jozias van Aartsen | VVD | 3 August 1998 | 22 July 2002 | |
| Balkenende I | .jpg) |
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer | CDA | 22 July 2002 | 3 December 2003 | |
| Balkenende II | ||||||
.jpeg) |
Ben Bot | CDA | 3 December 2003 | 22 February 2007 | ||
| Balkenende III | ||||||
| Balkenende IV |  |
Maxime Verhagen | CDA | 22 February 2007 | 14 October 2010 | |
| Rutte I |  |
Uri Rosenthal | VVD | 14 October 2010 | 5 November 2012 | |
| Rutte II |  |
Frans Timmermans | PvdA | 5 November 2012 | 17 October 2014 | |
 |
Bert Koenders | PvdA | 17 October 2014 | 26 October 2017 | ||
| Rutte III |  |
Halbe Zijlstra | VVD | 26 October 2017 | 13 February 2018 | |
.jpg) |
Sigrid Kaag (ad interim) |
D66 | 13 February 2018 | 7 March 2018 | ||
 |
Stef Blok | VVD | 7 March 2018 | 25 May 2021 | ||
|
Sigrid Kaag | D66 | 25 May 2021 | 17 September 2021 | ||
 |
Tom de Bruijn (ad interim) |
D66 | 17 September 2021 | 24 September 2021 | ||
 |
Ben Knapen | CDA | 24 September 2021 | 10 January 2022 | ||
| Rutte IV | .jpg) |
Wopke Hoekstra | CDA | 10 January 2022 | 1 September 2023 | |
_A_(cropped).jpg) |
Liesje Schreinemacher (ad interim) |
VVD | 1 September 2023 | 5 September 2023 | ||
.jpg) |
Hanke Bruins Slot | CDA | 5 September 2023 | 2 July 2024 | ||
| Schoof |  |
Caspar Veldkamp | NSC | 2 July 2024 | 22 August 2025 | |
.jpg) |
Ruben Brekelmans (ad interim) |
VVD | 22 August 2025 | 5 September 2025 | ||
 |
David van Weel | VVD | 5 September 2025 | 23 February 2026 | ||
| Jetten | |
Tom Berendsen | CDA | 23 February 2026 | Incumbent | |
List of ministers without portfolio
| Cabinet | Minister | Term of office | Title or role | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Party | Start | End | |||
| Gerbrandy II | .jpg) |
Edgar Michiels van Verduynen | Independent | 1 January 1942 | 25 June 1945 | Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Gerbrandy III | |||||||
| Schermerhorn–Drees |  |
Herman van Roijen | Independent | 25 June 1945 | 1 March 1946 | ||
| Beel I | |
Eelco van Kleffens | Independent | 1 March 1946 | 1 July 1947 | Permanent Representative to the United Nations Security Council[2] | |
| Drees II | |
Joseph Luns | KVP | 2 September 1952 | 13 October 1956 | Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| Cals | .jpg) |
Theo Bot | KVP | 14 April 1965 | 5 April 1967 | Minister for Aid to Developing Countries | |
| Zijlstra | |||||||
| De Jong | .jpg) |
Bé Udink | CHU | 5 April 1967 | 6 July 1971 | ||
| Biesheuvel I | .jpg) |
Kees Boertien | ARP | 6 July 1971 | 11 May 1973 | Minister for Development Cooperation | |
| Biesheuvel II | |||||||
| Den Uyl | .jpg) |
Jan Pronk | PvdA | 11 May 1973 | 19 December 1977 | ||
| Van Agt I | .jpg) |
Jan de Koning | ARP | 19 December 1977 | 11 September 1981 | ||
| Van Agt II | .jpg) |
Kees van Dijk | CDA | 11 September 1981 | 4 November 1982 | ||
| Van Agt III | |||||||
| Lubbers I | _-_NL-HaNA_Anefo_932-3870_WM481.jpg) |
Eegje Schoo | VVD | 4 November 1982 | 14 July 1986 | ||
| Lubbers II | .jpg) |
Piet Bukman | CDA | 14 July 1986 | 7 November 1989 | ||
| Lubbers III | .jpg) |
Jan Pronk | PvdA | 7 November 1989 | 3 August 1998 | ||
| Kok I | |||||||
| Kok II |  |
Eveline Herfkens | PvdA | 3 August 1998 | 22 July 2002 | ||
| Balkenende II |  |
Agnes van Ardenne | CDA | 27 May 2003 | 22 February 2007 | ||
| Balkenende III | |||||||
| Balkenende IV |  |
Bert Koenders | PvdA | 22 February 2007 | 23 February 2010 | ||
|
Maxime Verhagen | CDA | 23 February 2010 | 14 October 2010 | |||
| Rutte II | .jpg) |
Lilianne Ploumen | PvdA | 5 November 2012 | 26 October 2017 | Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation | |
| Rutte III | |
Sigrid Kaag | D66 | 26 October 2017 | 10 August 2021 | ||
|
Tom de Bruijn | D66 | 10 August 2021 | 10 January 2022 | |||
| Rutte IV | |
Liesje Schreinemacher | VVD | 10 January 2022 | 4 December 2023 | ||
.jpg) |
Geoffrey van Leeuwen (acting) |
VVD | 4 December 2023 | 15 April 2024 | |||
|
Liesje Schreinemacher | VVD | 15 April 2024 | 2 July 2024 | |||
| Schoof | .jpg) |
Reinette Klever | PVV | 2 July 2024 | 3 June 2025 | Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Aid | |
|
Caspar Veldkamp (ad interim) |
NSC | 3 June 2025 | 19 June 2025 | |||
| Jetten |  |
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma | D66 | 23 February 2026 | Incumbent | Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation | |
List of state secretaries for foreign affairs
| Cabinet | State secretary | Term of office | Portfolio | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Name | Party | Start | End | |||
| Drees–Van Schaik |  |
Nico Blom | Independent | 16 February 1950 | 2 September 1952 | Indonesian Affairs[3] | |
| Drees I | |||||||
| Drees III |  |
Ernst van der Beugel | PvdA | 8 January 1957 | 22 December 1958 | European Affairs | |
| De Quay | .jpg) |
Hans van Houten | VVD | 24 August 1959 | 24 July 1963 | ||
| Marijnen | .jpg) |
Leo de Block | KVP | 3 September 1963 | 14 April 1965 | ||
.jpg) |
Isaäc Nicolaas Diepenhorst | CHU | 28 September 1963 | 14 April 1965 | United Nations Affairs and Aid to Developing Countries | ||
| Cals | |
Leo de Block | KVP | 14 April 1965 | 22 November 1966 | European Affairs | |
|
Max van der Stoel | PvdA | 22 July 1965 | 22 November 1966 | United Nations Affairs | ||
| Zijlstra | |
Leo de Block | KVP | 22 November 1966 | 5 April 1967 | European and United Nations Affairs | |
| De Jong | .jpg) |
Hans de Koster | VVD | 12 June 1967 | 6 July 1971 | European Affairs | |
| Biesheuvel I | .jpg) |
Tjerk Westerterp | KVP | 17 August 1971 | 7 March 1973 | ||
| Biesheuvel II | |||||||
| Den Uyl | .jpg) |
Laurens Jan Brinkhorst | D66 | 11 May 1973 | 8 September 1977 | ||
.jpg) |
Pieter Kooijmans | ARP | 11 May 1973 | 19 December 1977 | United Nations Affairs | ||
| Van Agt I | .jpg) |
Durk van der Mei | CHU | 28 December 1977 | 11 September 1981 | European Affairs | |
| Van Agt II | |
Hans van den Broek | CDA | 11 September 1981 | 4 November 1982 | ||
| Van Agt III | |||||||
| Lubbers I | .jpg) |
Wim van Eekelen | VVD | 5 November 1982 | 14 July 1986 | ||
| Lubbers II | .jpg) |
René van der Linden | CDA | 14 July 1986 | 9 September 1988 | ||
 |
Berend-Jan van Voorst tot Voorst | CDA | 27 September 1988 | 7 November 1989 | |||
| Lubbers III |  |
Piet Dankert | PvdA | 7 November 1989 | 16 July 1994 | ||
| Kok I |  |
Michiel Patijn | VVD | 22 August 1994 | 3 August 1998 | ||
| Kok II |  |
Dick Benschop | PvdA | 3 August 1998 | 22 July 2002 | ||
| Balkenende I | |
Agnes van Ardenne | CDA | 22 July 2002 | 27 May 2003 | Development Cooperation | |
 |
Atzo Nicolaï | VVD | 22 July 2002 | 7 July 2006 | European Affairs | ||
| Balkenende II | |||||||
| Balkenende IV |  |
Frans Timmermans | PvdA | 22 February 2007 | 23 February 2010 | ||
| Rutte I |  |
Ben Knapen | CDA | 14 October 2010 | 5 November 2012 | European Affairs and Development Cooperation | |
| Schoof |  |
Hanneke Boerma | NSC | 19 June 2025 | 22 August 2025 | Foreign Trade | |
 |
Aukje de Vries | VVD | 5 September 2025 | 23 February 2026 | |||