Part of: Residents criterion (I-criterion)
The residents criterion from the Opium Act Directive: sales only to residents of the Netherlands.
Definition
The residents criterion (I-criterion) is one of the tolerance criteria in the Public Prosecution Service's Opium Act Directive. It stipulates that coffeeshops may only sell to residents of the Netherlands. Non-residents — tourists — may not be served on the basis of this criterion.
The criterion is not a statute. It is a policy rule of the Prosecution Service on when softdrug sales are not prosecuted. In addition, municipalities anchor the tolerance criteria in their own coffeeshop policy, which allows administrative action as well — for example an order subject to a penalty, or closure.
Position within AHOJGI
The I-criterion is part of the AHOJGI criteria:
- A — no advertising;
- H — no hard drugs;
- O — no nuisance;
- J — no sales to, or access for, minors (under 18);
- G — no large quantities: max 5 grams per transaction and max 500 grams in stock;
- I — sales only to residents of the Netherlands.
The I-criterion is the youngest of the set: it was added only in 2012–2013, while the other criteria have formed the core of the tolerance policy for decades.
Who counts as a resident?
A resident is anyone registered in the Personal Records Database (BRP) at a Dutch address. Nationality is irrelevant: a German student with a Dutch home address is a resident; a Dutch national living in Belgium is not. In practice coffeeshops establish this with a valid identity document plus proof of registration or home address.