This article focuses on the relation between political parties and the state in the Netherlands; a polity where the main actors in the political scene are not even mentioned in the Constitution, and where there is not a specific party act. The authors describe the origins and development of political parties in the Netherlands, and the question of its regulation, together with a general and comparative glimpse to other European democracies. The thesis is that legal regulation took a different route via international law — the ECHR and the CEDAW —, applied by the national courts. ; Este artículo analiza la relación entre los partidos políticos y el Estado en Holanda; un país en el que los principales actores de la vida pública no están regulados por una ley específica, ni se mencionan en la Constitución. Los autores exponen los orígenes y el desarrollo de los partidos políticos en Holanda, y examinan el problema de su regulación, en el marco de una visión comparada con otros sistemas democráticos europeos. La tesis es que la regulación legal de los partidos siguió un camino distinto del recorrido en Europa, es decir, se realizó a través de la aplicación de normas internacionales, como el Convenio Europeo de Derechos Humanos y la Convención para la Eliminación de todas las Formas de Discriminación contra la Mujer, por los tribunales holandeses.This article focuses on the relation between political parties and the state in the Netherlands; a polity where the main actors in the political scene are not even mentioned in the Constitution, and where there is not a specific party act. The authors describe the origins and development of political parties in the Netherlands, and the question of its regulation, together with a general and comparative glimpse to other European democracies. The thesis is that legal regulation took a different route via international law — the ECHR and the CEDAW —, applied by the national courts.