The end of the year is approaching and with it the lighting of fireworks. There are strict rules for having, purchasing and lighting fireworks. NU.nl lists the rules (and penalties) for you.
Lighting fireworks is only allowed between December 31, 6:00 PM and January 1, 2:00 AM. So you only have eight hours to shoot all your purchased fireworks into the air. If you shoot fireworks legally outside this period, the fine is approximately 100 euros. But that can amount to 200 euros if you have been caught for this before.
Fireworks may never be lit in fireworks-free zones. There is no national fireworks ban, but municipalities can introduce such a zone themselves if they wish. This often happens downtown, near hospitals or animal shelters, or sometimes it is an entire community. Check with your municipality to see if there is a fireworks-free zone in your area.
There are also age rules associated with lighting fireworks. Children under the age of twelve are not allowed to light or buy fireworks at all. Children between the ages of twelve and sixteen are only allowed to purchase fireworks from the F1 category. These are, for example, stars or bright peas.
Anyone from the age of sixteen can buy legal fireworks. This is the F1 and F2 fireworks. Fireworks from the F2 category are mainly ornamental fireworks such as fountains or so-called compound fireworks. These are boxes in which different ‘shots’ are linked together and the fireworks are set off one after the other.
You can only buy fireworks for a few days. Shops with a special permit are allowed to display fireworks three days a year. This year this is only allowed on December 28, 29 and 30. Because December 31 falls on a Sunday, that day is not included. So you can’t buy some fireworks last-minute.
Stores that sell fireworks must provide free safety goggles and a lighter fuse with the purchased fireworks.
If you buy your fireworks online, you are not allowed to have them delivered to your home. This can cause dangerous situations for delivery drivers who have no idea that there are fireworks in their delivery van. You can order fireworks online from a licensed store and pick them up there.
You may not have more than 25 kilos of legal fireworks in your home. If you have more lying around, it can be dangerous for you and neighbors. If you have too many fireworks at home, you will be fined. This can range from 250 euros to more than 750 euros, depending on how many fireworks you have. If this is not the first time you have been caught for this, the punishment can be even more severe. Sometimes this means that the fine is replaced by community service of twenty hours or longer.
You are also not allowed to transport more than 25 kilos of fireworks in your car. It doesn’t matter how many people are in the car.
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A lot of fireworks are illegal. You can’t buy this in normal stores. All fireworks from categories F3 and F4 fall under this, but also fireworks without a category designation. The quality and safety of illegal fireworks have not been checked. For example, it can explode faster than intended. Illegal fireworks are also often very heavy.
A penalty for possessing or lighting illegal fireworks depends on the severity and quantity. You usually get heavy fines for this, from 400 to 750 euros. But it can also get you a community service order of 20 to 180 hours.
Do you have very heavy or a lot of fireworks and is this not the first time you have been arrested for this? Then you can also receive unconditional prison sentences of two weeks to four months.
If you made fireworks yourself, the punishment is the most severe. This puts you at risk of six to nine months in prison.
Throwing fireworks at emergency workers is punished extra severely. Your ‘normal’ punishment will then be tripled.
2023-12-11 18:01:19
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