The draft law now passes to the upper house for rubber stamping. Then as of Jan. 1 next year, an estimated 2,000 brothels will be treated just like any other business -- they will be required to register their workers, and meet minimum safety standards and conditions.
Labour Prime Minister Wim Kok's coalition government argues that an end to the ban on brothels will bring myriad social benefits, making it difficult for criminals to use illicit sex clubs as a cover and for illegal immigrants to find work.
Under the existing legislation, prostitution is legal but brothels are not, although they are tolerated in many cities.
It was not immediately clear whether prostitutes in Amsterdam's notorious red light district would abandon their street windows for the comfort of a brothel existence.
One Amsterdam prostitute sensed an imminent clampdown by the tax authorities.
"We will have to wait and see how this pans out," says a voluntary worke at an advice centre for prostitutes. "My initial reaction is that there are far too many rules."
-- Reuters