The order was founded in 1909 on the initiative of Prince consort Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin as a Dutch branch of the Prussian Order of Saint John under the official name of Commenderij Nederland van de Balije Brandenburg der Johanniter Orde.

Membership of the order is exclusive to protestant members of the Dutch nobility.

The decorations of the order and membership of it are counted among the medals of the Netherlands and may be worn on military uniforms.

[2] The governing body of the Order of Saint John in the Netherlands is made up of the Chapter consisting of the following members:[1] To become a member of the order, one must be knighted in the Dutch nobility, be protestant and be a minimum of 21 years old.

This was changed by royal decree on 3 October 1951, and on 29 February 1952 a female branch was established.