Sex Work Laws in Europe — How the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Others Compare.

Europe has no single sex work law. The EU leaves prostitution policy to each member state, so a short train ride can take you from a licensed system to one where buying sex is a crime. If you travel, or you simply want to understand the rules where you live, the differences matter.

This guide summarises the main legal models in a selection of European countries as of October 2026. It is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and local rules (city permits, zoning, street bans) often add a layer on top of national law. Adults only.

The four broad models

Researchers group European approaches roughly like this (the European Parliament's research service uses a similar split):

• Legalisation / regulation — selling and buying are legal, but the state sets conditions such as licences, registration or health rules.

• Decriminalisation — sex work between consenting adults is removed from criminal law; exploitation and trafficking stay criminal.

• Client criminalisation ("Nordic model") — selling is legal, buying is an offence.

• Grey zone — selling and buying are not crimes, but brothels and almost every third-party role are banned, and there is little positive regulation.

Every country below criminalises trafficking, coercion, exploitation and any involvement of minors.

Netherlands — legal and regulated by municipalities

The general brothel ban was lifted on 1 October 2000. Since then, voluntary sex work by adults with a valid right to work is legal, and sex businesses are regulated mainly by municipalities through local permits and conditions. Independent workers who work alone are generally not bound by a permit, though local rules differ.

For years, governments worked on a national licensing law, the Wet regulering sekswerk (Wrs, the successor to the earlier Wrp proposal). It would have introduced a national permit and registration duty for sex workers aged 21+ and for businesses. In spring 2026 the cabinet told the House of Representatives it would not pursue the bill, citing criticism from the sector, health professionals, the Dutch Data Protection Authority, the Council of State and human rights groups. The government now points to other measures, including a bill on municipal oversight of sex businesses and a plan to raise the minimum age for sex work to 21. Neither is in force yet, so watch this space.

Related: Escort Amsterdam, Escort Rotterdam.

Belgium — decriminalised, with an employment-law framework

Belgium reformed its criminal code in 2022 and decriminalised consensual adult sex work. Exploitation, coercion and trafficking stay criminal. A second step followed with the law of 3 May 2024 on sex work under an employment contract, in force since 1 December 2024. It lets approved employers hire adult sex workers on a proper contract with labour-law and social-security protection, and workers may refuse a client or an act and stop at any time. An appeal against the 2024 law was lodged with the Constitutional Court; at the time of writing we found no final ruling reported.

Related: Escort Brussel, Escorts Antwerp.

Germany — legal, with mandatory registration

Germany legalised sex work in 2002. The Prostitutes Protection Act (Prostituiertenschutzgesetz, ProstSchG), in force since 1 July 2017, added a registration duty for sex workers, mandatory health counselling, a permit system for prostitution businesses and a condom obligation. An official evaluation presented to the Bundestag in June 2025 found the law had partly met its goals but that many workers do not register, often over stigma and data-security concerns. An independent expert commission started work in November 2025; its first proposals for legal changes are expected around the end of November 2026.

Related: Escort Munich.

Austria — legal, regulated by the federal states

Adult sex work is legal in Austria, but the nine federal states (Bundesländer) decide where, when and under what conditions it may be offered. Some states, such as Vienna, require registration before starting work. Nationally, sex workers must have regular health examinations and carry a health card.

France — buying is an offence since 2016

The law of 13 April 2016 made purchasing a sexual act an offence, while selling is not punished. Sex workers challenged the law at the European Court of Human Rights. In M.A. and Others v. France (July 2024), the Court found no violation of the right to private life, but stressed that France must keep the law under review.

Sweden and Norway — the Nordic model

Sweden was first: its ban on buying sexual services took effect on 1 January 1999. Norway followed with a similar ban in force from 2009. In both countries selling is not a crime; buying is. Ireland (2017) and Northern Ireland (2015) adopted versions of the same model.

Spain and Italy — the grey zone

In Spain, selling and buying sex between adults are not crimes, but pimping and exploitation are, and there is no national framework that regulates sex work as a job. Several attempts to pass an abolitionist law have stalled; as of 2026, Spanish media report no such bill moving in parliament.

In Italy, the 1958 Merlin Law closed the state-licensed brothels and criminalised running, promoting or profiting from the prostitution of others. Selling sex as an adult is not itself a crime, but there is no positive regulation.

Related: Escort Madrid, Escort Barcelona.

United Kingdom — legal to sell, with many related offences

In England and Wales, exchanging sex for money between adults is not in itself illegal. Related acts are: persistent street soliciting, kerb-crawling, keeping or managing a brothel, controlling prostitution for gain, and paying for sex with someone who has been subjected to force, threats or deception. Northern Ireland criminalised buying sex in 2015. In Scotland, a bill to criminalise buying was voted down at Stage 1 in February 2026.

Switzerland — legal, with cantonal rules

Prostitution has been legal in Switzerland for decades; a 1942 Federal Supreme Court ruling confirmed that cantons cannot ban it outright. Cantons and municipalities regulate the details, such as permits, zones and opening hours, so rules in Zurich and Geneva are not the same.

Comparison table

The table simplifies. Local bylaws, street-work bans and immigration rules can change what is allowed in practice.

Where Eros Dates fits in

Eros Dates is a DIY marketplace operated by Business Investment Group B.V., a Dutch company. We follow Dutch and EU rules, including the GDPR. We are not a party to any meeting between users.

What we control is who can appear on the platform:

• Adults only (18+)

• Every advertiser completes an official ID document check

• Every advertiser passes a live facial verification against their photos

No verification means no visible profile. On each profile you can see last-online status, whether the advertiser offers incall, outcall or both, and their house rules. Advertisers and visitors remain responsible for following the law where they meet, especially when travelling between countries with different models.

Short version

Europe ranges from regulated systems (Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and decriminalisation (Belgium) to client criminalisation (France, Sweden, Norway, Ireland, Northern Ireland) and grey zones (Spain, Italy). The Dutch Wrs licensing bill is off the table, Germany is reviewing the ProstSchG, and Belgium's employment law is being tested in court. Check local rules before you travel. This article is general information, not legal advice. 18+ only.

Sources

• European Parliament (EPRS), Regulation of prostitution in the European Union (2024): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_IDA(2024)762354

• Tweede Kamer, letter on national sex work policy and the Wrs (2026): https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/brieven_regering/detail?did=2026D22050&id=2026D22050

• Open Kamer, timeline of bill 35715 (Wrs): https://www.openkamer.org/dossier/tijdlijn/35715/

• Overheid.nl legislative calendar, Wet regulering sekswerk: https://wetgevingskalender.overheid.nl/Regeling/WGK009724

• Het CCV, sex work policy for municipalities: https://hetccv.nl/themas/integraal-veiligheidsbeleid/sekswerkbeleid/

• Eerste Kamer, lifting of the general brothel ban (25.437): https://www.eerstekamer.nl/wetsvoorstel/25437_opheffing_algemeen

• Belgian Official Journal (Justel), law of 3 May 2024 on sex work under employment contract: https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/loi/2024/05/03/2024202750/justel

• AP News, Belgium sex worker employment law (Dec 2024): https://apnews.com/article/belgium-sex-workers-social-protection-health-2f935f414572517d74a46c682419f20b

• German Federal Ministry (BMBFSFJ), ProstSchG evaluation and expert commission: https://www.bmbfsfj.bund.de/bmbfsfj/themen/gleichstellung/frauen-vor-gewalt-schuetzen/prostituiertenschutzgesetz/evaluation-und-prostituiertenschutz-kommission-186940

• Austrian Federal Ministry, sexual services: https://www.bmfwf.gv.at/frauen-und-gleichstellung/sexuelledienstleistungen.html

• European Court of Human Rights, M.A. and Others v. France (2024): https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-235426

• Swedish Code of Statutes, Act 1998:408: https://rkrattsbaser.gov.se/sfst?bet=1998%3A408

• Lovdata, Norwegian law criminalising purchase of sex (2008, in force 2009): https://lovdata.no/dokument/LTI/lov/2008-12-12-104

• Gazzetta Ufficiale, Italian Law 75/1958 (Merlin Law): https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/atto/vediMenuHTML?atto.codiceRedazionale=058U0075&atto.dataPubblicazioneGazzetta=1958-03-04&tipoSerie=serie_generale&tipoVigenza=originario

• Europa Press, Spanish government on the abolition bill (May 2026): https://www.europapress.es/epsocial/igualdad/noticia-gobierno-dice-abolicion-prostitucion-propuesta-psoe-centra-aprobar-ley-trata-20260505140157.html

• Crown Prosecution Service, Prostitution and Exploitation of Prostitution: https://cps.gov.uk/publication/prostitution-and-exploitation-prostitution

• legislation.gov.uk, Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nia/2015/2/part/2/crossheading/paying-for-sexual-services-of-a-person/enacted

• Scottish Parliament, Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill: https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/s6/prostitution-offences-and-support-scotland-bill

• Irish Statute Book, Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017: https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2017/act/2/enacted/en/print

• Swiss Federal Council report on prostitution and trafficking (2015): https://www.parlament.ch/centers/eparl/curia/2013/20133332/Bericht%20BR%20D.pdf