National Ombudsman — complaints against government

The National Ombudsman handles complaints about improper conduct by Dutch government bodies. When here? For privacy cases involving government: wrongful fraud flagging by Belastingdienst (childcare-benefits-scandal style), UWV sharing data without lawful basis, municipality processing excessive personal data, police/justice violating privacy in investigations, GDPR request not adequately handled. Conditions: (1) First complaint to the government body itself. (2) Dissatisfied or no response? Then Ombudsman (within 1 year). (3) Ombudsman investigates and gives non-binding opinion. Not for: court decisions (appeal at court), MPs, prosecutor. What does the Ombudsman do concretely? Mediation, formal opinion ("request was not handled properly"), public recommendations to ministers. Combination with AP: AP for GDPR aspect (enforcement, fines), Ombudsman for the broader complaint of "improper government conduct". Often file both. How? nationaleombudsman.nl form or call 0800-3355555 (free).