Since the early 1990s the Netherlands has been actively involved in the 1972 World Heritage Convention. The Dutch Lower House ratified the convention in 1992 upon which the Netherlands submitted a Tentative List.

The Dutch Tentative List centres on four topics: The Netherlands – Land of Water, the Republic in the 17th century, the Modern Movement, and Archaeology. The first World Heritage site in the Netherlands was designated in 1995. There are now six World Heritage sites in the Netherlands and one in the Netherlands Antilles.