Introduction: The aim of this study was to describe trends in the diagnosis and treat‐ ment of women referred from the national screening program with cervical intraepi‐ thelial neoplasia (CIN) in the Netherlands, and to compare these trends with national guidelines and identify potential areas for improvement for the new primary high‐risk HPV screening program. Material and methods: We conducted a population‐based cohort study using data from the Dutch pathology archive. Women aged 29‐63 years who took part in the Dutch cervical screening program between 1 January 2005 and 31 December 2014 were selected. Three referral groups were identified: direct referrals and those re‐ ferred after either one (first indirect referrals) or two (second indirect referrals) re‐ peat cytology tests, totaling 85 239 referrals for colposcopy. The most invasive management technique and the most severe diagnosis of each screening episode was identified. Rates of management techniques were calculated separately by referral type, highest CIN diagnosis and age group. Results: In all, 85.1% of CIN 3 lesions were treated with excision (either large excision or hysterectomy) and 26.4% of CIN 1 lesions were treated with large excision. Rates of overtreatment (CIN 1 or less) in see‐and‐treat management were higher for indirect referrals than for direct referrals and increased with ag