An appointed Governor led the Dutch administration in Melaka. He enjoyed absolute authority on the people and on all state matters. He was assisted by a team of officials in charge of state revenue collection, Head of Finance and Treasury, Mayor and the Secretary of the Justise Council. A special council handled religious matters.

To ensure peace, a special police team was formed. The local people were free to practice their customs and traditional rules, whilst the European were bound to the Colonial Statutes, based on the law of the Dutch. The daily routine of a Dutch official in Melaka was filled with various activities. A Syahbandar (tax collector) had to work a full seven hours daily and had to submit a full record of the total tax amount collected to the Governor.

The Statdhuys built between 1660-1700 using Dutch architectural design was the formal residence for the Governor, as well as the hub of the Dutch Companies activities.Other officials stayed in fully furnished residence. However, some official also owned private residence outside the boundaries of the Melaka fort.

One of the famous Governors of Melaka at that time was Balthasar Bort, whose wife Johanna du Moulin died in 1676. During the 1750s, the Governor initiated the construction of 3 roads to link the coastal area to the interiors of Melaka.

The Christ Church, the oldest Protestant church in Malaysia was built in 1753. between 1795-1817, the British took over the administration of Melaka from the Dutch. At the end of the Dutch occupation, the population of Melaka was estimated to be around 20,000.