A completely new arbitration Act recently passed the Dutch parliament, and entered into force on 1 December, 1986. The present article intends to give a general survey of the major changes and innovations the new law brings about. The old Act dated from 1838. In the almost 150 years of its existence, it had remained virtually unchanged. Only one provision, prohibiting women to act as arbitrators, was abolished. The Dutch courts, however, provided continuous support by favourably interpreting the 1838 Act, so as to ensure its proper functioning through the years, to the satisfaction of all who resorted to the arbitral process. This meant also that mere consultation of the Act became insufficient to get a reliable picture of arbitration practice in the Netherlands. The vast body of case law that had developed had grown to be equally important, and had to be consulted as well. Especially for foreigners this situation was rather cumbersome.