Back home

Derk Jan is positive about his first months at DPG. ‘It’s the second time I’ve worked at DPG. It feels like a homecoming, on a personal level too after being abroad for a while. My time at the embassy taught me how important it is for host-country services to function properly. Together with my colleagues, it’s my job to ensure that embassies and international organisations can operate as efficiently as possible within the framework of the Vienna Convention.’

Derk Jan previously served as deputy ambassador in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and worked for the Office of the Governor of Aruba. This international experience is useful in his current role. ‘It helps you understand the kind of obstacles diplomats encounter in their daily work.’

PROBAS
An important part of the work of the Host Nation Division is registering privileged persons in the PROBAS personal records database, which allows diplomats and their families to exercise their rights and privileges.

‘Our main task is providing clarity,’ Derk Jan explains. ‘If you live and work in the Netherlands, you want to know what you can expect. We try to make things as clear as possible. We try to lay down as much as possible in policy, but we also seek to address individual situations that aren’t always covered by standard rules, obviously within the limits of what is possible.’

The Protocol Guide plays a major part in this. The Guide, which is continuously updated to reflect new developments, helps diplomats and international organisations find their way.

Facts and figures

• The Host Country and Protocol Affairs Department (DPG) facilitates 110 embassies and 38 intergovernmental organisations.
• A total of 463 entities are registered in PROBAS, including embassies, honorary consulates, consulates general, international organisations (IOs), and other missions, including embassies with cross-accreditation to additional countries.
• DPG is responsible for looking after 27,000 PROBAS-registered individuals, both principal persons and family members.
• In 2025 DPG/PROBAS issued 6,100 diplomatic ID cards.
• Last but not least, an extensive volume of emails is handled on a daily basis via the DPG service mailbox.

Digitalization in a changing world

Now that Derk Jan has returned to DPG/NG after several years, Derk Jan sees that the services provided have evolved. ‘The support we offer embassies and international organisations has become more user-friendly, thanks to the use of digital resources. And we’ll continue to develop and optimise this side of things. We’re exploring how processes can be made clearer and more accessible, and how we can join forces with more partners, such as the Tax Administration, Netherlands Vehicle Authority (RDW) and Employee Insurance Agency (UWV).’

Looking ahead, Derk Jan and his team aim to continue providing reliable and accessible host-country services to all privileged persons.