Must the first price a buyer reads include all fees?
Yes. Dutch sellers must show an all-in price from the first screen. VAT and unavoidable costs per ticket sit inside it, and mandatory costs per order stand next to it. Drip fees are not allowed.
Yes, the first price a buyer reads must include VAT and every unavoidable cost per ticket. Mandatory costs per order must stand clearly next to that price from the start, and fees added step by step later, known as drip pricing, are not allowed in the Netherlands.
The ACM has required all-in ticket prices since a 2017 action against online ticket sellers. Sellers had until 1 October 2017 to adjust. Most did, and the ACM announced sanctions for the sellers that had not. The ACM applies the price rules of consumer law: the Prijzenwet and the unfair commercial practices rules in Book 6 of the Civil Code.
The duty to state the total price also sits in contract law. Before a buyer is bound by a distance contract, the seller states the total price of the service including all taxes. That is article 6:230m, paragraph 1, point e of the Civil Code. That implements article 6(1)(e) of Directive 2011/83/EU.
For the organizer this means the ticket page opens with the full amount. The ACM reads the rule for tickets in two parts. Mandatory costs per ticket, such as a service or administration fee, belong in the first price. Mandatory costs per order must stand clearly next to the price, with their amount, from the start of the order. A EUR 45 ticket with a EUR 5 service fee per ticket reads EUR 50 from the first screen. The checkout adds no fees to that EUR 45. Putting every mandatory cost inside the ticket price is the simplest way to comply. The organizer absorbs the costs or passes them on inside that price, and either way the buyer reads one number first.
Genuinely optional extras chosen later, such as a parking add-on the buyer can decline, may be priced separately once they are offered. Never pre-tick them. The ACM says a buyer does not have to pay for a pre-ticked option. The Directive requires the buyer's express consent to any extra payment (article 22). Anything the buyer cannot avoid is part of the price.
Sources
ACM guidance for online event tickets (https://consument.acm.nl/prijzen-en-kosten/prijzen/prijsvermelding-concert-theater-en-festivalkaartjes, read 14 October 2026). ACM news of 16 October 2017 on ticket prices that include unavoidable costs (https://www.acm.nl/nl/publicaties/prijzen-van-online-tickets-nu-inclusief-onvermijdbare-kosten-dankzij-actie-acm, read 14 October 2026). ACM on stating prices to consumers, including pre-ticked options (https://www.acm.nl/nl/verkoop-aan-consumenten/consumenten-informeren/prijzen-vermelden, read 14 October 2026). Civil Code Book 6, article 6:230m (https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0005289/2026-07-16, version valid from 16 July 2026, read 14 October 2026). Directive 2011/83/EU, articles 6(1)(e) and 22, consolidated text of 28 May 2022 (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:02011L0083-20220528, read 14 October 2026). Dutch position (.litespec/intent/countries/netherlands.md rule requirement/sell-tickets.all-in-price-netherlands).
Applies to: the Netherlands, checked 14 October 2026. NightHall renders one all-in price from the first screen on every buyer surface.
Applies to: Netherlands, checked 14 October 2026