A KVK number is the 8-digit number the KVK (Netherlands Chamber of Commerce) allocates when a business registers in the Handelsregister (Business Register). It proves the registration, there is one per business, and art. 27 Hrw 2007 requires it on letters, orders and invoices. Legal entities and partnerships also receive an RSIN; each establishment has a 12-digit establishment number.
This page explains the three numbers a Dutch company carries, how they arrive without an application, where to find your own, how to check another company's and where the law requires the KVK number to be printed. It does not walk through the registration itself: the routes, the appointment and the documents are in the KVK registration guide.
What is a KVK number?
The KVK number (KVK-nummer) is an 8-digit number that the KVK allocates when a business or organisation registers, and in the KVK's own words "that number is proof of your registration". A business has one KVK number, however many trade names or activities it runs (KVK, the KVK number, page edited 18 September 2026).
The statute does not call it a KVK number. The Handelsregisterwet 2007 (Hrw 2007, the Business Register Act) records for every registered subject "een door de Kamer toegekend uniek nummer", a unique number allocated by the Chamber: for an enterprise in art. 9 sub a, for a legal person in art. 12 sub a, for a partnership in art. 10 lid 3 sub a, and for the activities of a legal person without an enterprise in art. 13 sub a.
The same Act makes the register's data authentic data (art. 15), and an unregistered fact cannot be invoked against a third party who did not know of it (art. 25 lid 1).
Is the KVK number the same as the CCI, CoC or HR number?
Yes. KVK number, KVK-nummer, Chamber of Commerce number, CoC number and CCI number are English and Dutch names for one number. business.gov.nl adds a fourth: "You are then given your 8-digit KVK or HR number", HR standing for Handelsregister. A form that asks for a Dutch company registration number or business registration number wants the same 8 digits.
The RSIN is not one of these names. business.gov.nl is explicit: "The RSIN is not the same as your KVK number", and it is a number the business will not be using itself. The next sections set the three numbers side by side.
Which three numbers does a Dutch company carry?
A Dutch company registered in the Business Register carries up to three numbers, all allocated by the KVK: one KVK number per business, one RSIN per legal entity or partnership, and one establishment number per establishment. A sole proprietorship has a KVK number and an establishment number but no RSIN. The table sets out what separates them.
The three numbers on a Dutch extract, 2026. Sources: Handelsregisterwet 2007, kvk.nl, business.gov.nl and the KVK developer portal.
| KVK number (KVK-nummer) | RSIN | Establishment number (vestigingsnummer) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 8 digits | 9 digits by derivation: the VAT ID is NL + RSIN + B + 2 digits and 14 characters long; no official page states the count | 12 digits |
| Issued by | the KVK, on registration | the KVK, together with the KVK number | the KVK, one per establishment |
| Who gets one | every registered business and organisation; one per business, whatever the number of trade names or activities | legal entities (BV, NV, association, foundation, cooperative) and partnerships (VOF, CV, maatschap); never an eenmanszaak (sole proprietorship) | each establishment of a business or legal entity; many associations, foundations and VvEs (owners' associations) have none |
| Statutory basis | art. 9 sub a, art. 10 lid 3 sub a, art. 12 sub a and art. 13 sub a Hrw 2007 | none in the Hrw 2007 or the Handelsregisterbesluit 2008; the former Belastingdienst FI number, renamed in December 2010 | art. 11 lid 1 sub a Hrw 2007 |
| What it is for | proof of registration; lets a business partner look you up | exchanging data between government bodies such as the Belastingdienst; the business equivalent of the BSN | identifies one establishment; not derived from the KVK number |
| Must be printed on letters and invoices | yes, art. 27 Hrw 2007 | no: art. 27 lid 2 names only the KVK number | no |
| Where you find your own | the welcome letter, a KVK extract, My KVK, the online Business Register | free in My KVK; on your own extract; a telephone read-out at EUR 0.90 a minute (2026) | the kvk.nl search results and the extract |
| Where a third party finds it | the free kvk.nl search, on every result | the paid extract; a business may publish it on its website but need not; the kvk.nl search also matches an RSIN | the free kvk.nl search, shown for main and branch offices |
The KVK publishes the format, 8 digits, and no sample number, range or check-digit rule, so this page prints none; any number shown in the KVK's API test environment is fictitious. Two rarer identifiers sit in the same register. The LEI (Legal Entity Identifier) is recorded under art. 9 sub f and art. 12 sub e Hrw 2007; it is needed only to trade shares or derivatives on an exchange and is bought from the KVK for EUR 80.00, then EUR 49.20 for each annual renewal (Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, tariff in force from 1 July 2026). A corporate director or attorney not itself registered may be given a unique number by the KVK (art. 35a Handelsregisterbesluit 2008).
What is an RSIN, and is it a tax number?
RSIN stands for Rechtspersonen en Samenwerkingsverbanden Informatienummer, the Legal Entities and Partnerships Information Number. Some official pages expand the I as "Identification"; it is the same number. The KVK issues it together with the KVK number to every legal entity and partnership that registers, and "only eenmanszaken (sole proprietorships) do not receive an RSIN" (KVK, RSIN, page edited 7 July 2026).
It is used to exchange data with government bodies such as the Belastingdienst (Netherlands Tax Administration), and business.gov.nl calls it "the business equivalent of the Citizen Service Number (or BSN)", linking the Belastingdienst, the BRP (Personal Records Database) and the Kadaster (Land Registry). Nobody applies for it: "You do not have to apply for an RSIN separately" (business.gov.nl, an RSIN number for your business, checked on 3 October 2026).
Is it a tax number? It replaced one: for legal entities and partnerships the RSIN replaced the FI number, short for tax number, in December 2010. Today the Belastingdienst uses it to compile the VAT tax number, the VAT identification number and the payroll tax number. It is not, however, the netherlands tax identification number a foreign form usually asks for: business.gov.nl names the VAT number as the Dutch equivalent of a TIN. No article of the Hrw 2007 names it, and its length, nine digits, follows from the VAT ID's structure in the next section.
Is the KVK number the same as the VAT number?
No. The KVK number comes from the KVK and has 8 digits; in the KVK's words, "A KVK number shows that you are registered with the KVK". The VAT identification number comes from the Belastingdienst and is built from the RSIN: for a BV it is NL + RSIN + B + 2 digits, and the VAT tax number is RSIN + B + 2 digits (business.gov.nl, numbers for VAT). The VAT ID "consists of 14 numbers", and business.gov.nl adds that "the BTW-nummer or VAT number is the Dutch equivalent of the Tax Identification Number or TIN" (business.gov.nl, LEI, RSIN, VAT and KVK number: which is which?). A sole proprietor has no RSIN, so a sole proprietor's VAT number is not built from one. A reader looking for a Dutch VAT registration number needs the VAT ID, not the KVK number.
Two numbers from two bodies, 2026. Sources: kvk.nl and business.gov.nl.
| KVK number | VAT ID | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | the KVK, on registration | the Belastingdienst, without an application |
| Length or structure | 8 digits | 14 characters; for a BV, NL + RSIN + B + 2 digits |
| What it shows | that the business is registered with the KVK | the business's number for VAT purposes; the Dutch equivalent of a TIN in business.gov.nl's words |
| Where it is used | letters, orders, invoices and quotations (art. 27 Hrw 2007) | VAT matters with the Belastingdienst |
| Legal basis or source | art. 9 sub a and art. 12 sub a Hrw 2007; kvk.nl | business.gov.nl, numbers for VAT; built from the RSIN |
The VAT ID's full format and the rules for using it are covered in our guide on how to read and check a Dutch VAT number.
What is the establishment number?
The establishment number (vestigingsnummer, called the branch number on the KVK developer portal) is a unique 12-digit number for each establishment of a business or legal entity in the Business Register (KVK, establishment number, page edited 7 July 2026). Its basis is art. 11 lid 1 sub a Hrw 2007, and the Act defines an establishment as a building or complex of buildings where the activities of a business or legal person are carried on durably (art. 1 sub j). When a business has several establishments, the register records which one is the principal establishment (art. 11 lid 2).
The KVK answers the usual confusion directly: "the establishment number does not look the same as the KVK number of an establishment". Many associations, foundations and VvEs have no establishment number at all. A new establishment is registered through My KVK, digitally or on a printed form, with proof of the visiting address if it is not the owner's home, and receives a new establishment number under the same KVK number.
No Dutch company yet, so no numbers? We prepare the file a notary works from for founders abroad.
How does a new company get its KVK number?
Nobody applies for a KVK number as such. The number is the result of registration, and who registers depends on the legal form.
A BV or NV: the notary files, you apply for nothing
The notary files
The notaris (civil-law notary) executes the deed of incorporation of the besloten vennootschap and files the BV, its directors and its UBOs with the KVK. In the KVK's words, "This means you do not also have to visit KVK." The first registration is due within one week of the deed (art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007).
The KVK allocates the numbers
The 8-digit KVK number, the RSIN (a BV is a legal entity) and the 12-digit establishment number of the principal establishment.
The fee is invoiced
The one-off KVK registration fee of EUR 85.15 (2026, art. 5 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019) is the only state cost of the numbers.
The VAT numbers arrive
The Belastingdienst builds the VAT ID and the VAT tax number from the RSIN and sends them "within 10 workdays" of the registration, with no application.
The payroll tax number follows
once the BV registers as an employer, compiled from the same RSIN.
The common advice to "make an appointment" goes wrong here: for a BV the founder abroad visits no KVK office, because the notary files for them (KVK, registering a Dutch BV or NV). Founders who want to register a company in the Netherlands from abroad start with the deed, and the numbers follow it.
Statutory or officialNo official time
- Deed and filingThe notaris files the BV, its directors and its UBOsWithin one week of the deed (art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007) No official processing time
- Numbers allocatedThe KVK: KVK number, RSIN and establishment numberNo official processing time
- Registration fee invoicedThe one-off KVK registration feeEUR 85.15 (2026, art. 5 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019)
- VAT ID and VAT tax numberThe Belastingdienst, built from the RSIN, no applicationWithin 10 workdays (business.gov.nl)
- Payroll tax numberCompiled from the RSIN once the BV registers as an employerNo official time
A sole proprietorship or partnership: the number at the KVK
An eenmanszaak, VOF, CV or maatschap is registered by its owners, not by a notary, and business.gov.nl puts the result plainly: "During your visit to KVK you will receive your KVK number." Register within a week before or after the start date and the number comes straightaway; pre-register up to 3 months ahead, and it arrives by letter a week before the start date.
Who receives no KVK number
Registration follows the KVK's entrepreneur criteria. A person who does not meet them is not registered: "If you do not meet the entrepreneur criteria, you will not be registered with the KVK and will not receive a KVK number."
How long does it take to get a KVK number?
There is no single figure, because the route decides. A self-registered business receives the number at the KVK visit, or by letter when it pre-registers. For a BV the statute gives the notary one week from the deed to file, and the KVK publishes no processing time for that filing. The VAT numbers follow "within 10 workdays" of the registration, according to business.gov.nl.
When the number arrives, by route. Sources: business.gov.nl, kvk.nl and the Handelsregisterwet 2007.
| Situation | When the number arrives | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietorship or partnership registering at the KVK | during the visit to the KVK | business.gov.nl |
| Registered within a week before or after the start date | straightaway | kvk.nl, the KVK number |
| Pre-registered, up to 3 months ahead | by letter, a week before the start date | kvk.nl, the KVK number |
| BV filed by the notary | the notary files within one week of the deed; the KVK publishes no processing time | art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007 |
| VAT numbers after the KVK registration | within 10 working days, without an application | business.gov.nl |
Where do you find your own KVK number and RSIN?
- The welcome letter the KVK sends after registration (KVK number).
- A KVK extract (uittreksel), which prints all three numbers.
- My KVK (Mijn KVK), the KVK's portal for the organisations you are registered for.
- The online Business Register search on kvk.nl (KVK number).
- The RSIN, free in My KVK and on your own extract.
- The establishment number, shown in the kvk.nl search results.
- The RSIN read out by telephone, at EUR 0.90 a minute (2026 tariff).
My KVK has a hurdle for non-residents: "DigiD or European eID is required to confirm your identity." A non-resident without Dutch nationality first registers in the RNI (Non-Residents Records Database), and "after registration with the RNI, you will immediately receive a citizen service number (BSN)"; with the BSN they then apply for DigiD (KVK, about My KVK, checked on 3 October 2026). My KVK has a limit too: "You cannot order an extract from the Business Register via My KVK." A director who cannot log in can order a digitally certified extract instead, at EUR 9.60 (art. 1 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, 2026 tariff), and read the numbers from it.
How do you check another company's KVK number?
Ways to read a company's numbers and what each costs in 2026. Sources: kvk.nl, the KVK developer portal and the Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019.
| Tool | What it gives | Cost in 2026 and source |
|---|---|---|
| kvk.nl search | matches names, address details, KVK and establishment numbers, the RSIN and the activity description; every result carries the KVK number; offices show their branch number; at most 50 results; deregistered branches marked | free (kvk.nl search manual) |
| KVK Bedrijvencheck | the basic registration and establishment data | EUR 0, up to 30 views a year (tariff regulation) |
| Extract (uittreksel) | the document on which all three numbers and the signatories are printed | online view EUR 2.95 and digitally certified EUR 9.60 (art. 1); paper certified EUR 19.20 (art. 2) |
| Telephone enquiry | a read-out of what is registered | EUR 0.90 a minute (tariff regulation) |
| KVK API | search; basic profile, establishment profile and naming queries; a test environment with fictitious data only | search free; profiles EUR 0.02 a query; EUR 6.40 a month (KVK developer portal) |
The first check is free: the kvk.nl search finds a business by name, address or number, and "each Business Register result is accompanied by the KVK number" (KVK search manual, checked on 3 October 2026). It also matches the activity description, where a business's SBI codes are recorded. The paid extract shows the full entry at the tariffs of the Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, in force from 1 July 2026. The 30-view limit in that regulation applies to the Bedrijvencheck; the search manual states no limit for the search itself.
The KVK's own counterparty checks start from the same number: is the business registered, do the details match, who may sign, what is its financial position, what do reviews say, does it belong to a sector body. A disputed entry carries the note "under investigation" (art. 16 lid 2 Hrw 2007), and what is registered can be relied on against third parties (art. 25 lid 1). A full counterparty check, and what each extract shows, is in the company register guide.
Register data may not be passed on: the KVK's terms of use state that "forwarding data is not allowed". That is why this page embeds no lookup tool and links to no scraper; for volume checks the KVK sells its own API.
Where must the KVK number appear, and which article requires it?
The stationery rule, article by article. Sources: Handelsregisterwet 2007, kvk.nl and business.gov.nl.
| Rule | Content |
|---|---|
| Art. 27 lid 1 Hrw 2007 | the number under which the business is registered goes on all outgoing letters, orders, invoices, quotations and other announcements, advertising excepted |
| Art. 27 lid 2 | the number meant is the art. 9 sub a or art. 13 sub a number: the KVK number, not the RSIN and not the establishment number |
| Art. 27 lid 1 sub b | documents issued by a legal person to which no enterprise belongs are exempt |
| Art. 27 lid 3 | no exemption may ever be granted for the letters and orders of a BV, NV or SE |
| The KVK's plain-English list | letters, price quotations, invoices, your website and business emails; not required of an association or foundation without commercial activities, a VvE, a public body or a religious community |
| business.gov.nl invoice list | "your Dutch Business Register number (KVK-nummer) if you have one" |
| The establishment number | need not appear on stationery, invoices or a website; the KVK number must |
This is the answer to "what does KVK mean on a Dutch invoice": KVK is the Chamber of Commerce, and the number after it is the KVK number that art. 27 Hrw 2007 requires. Art. 27 lid 2 settles which number: the one meant in art. 9 sub a or art. 13 sub a, which is the KVK number. Neither the RSIN nor the establishment number has to be printed, and the KVK confirms that for the establishment number: "You do not have to mention the establishment number on your stationery, invoices, or website. You do need to include the KVK number."
For a BV, NV or SE there is no way out: art. 27 lid 3 bars any exemption for their letters and orders. The KVK's own list adds your website and business emails; that is the KVK's reading, which the words of art. 27 do not spell out.
What happens to the numbers when a company is sold, merged or closed?
What happens to the numbers over a company's life. Sources: Belastingdienst, kvk.nl and the Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019.
| Event | KVK number and RSIN | Establishment number |
|---|---|---|
| Share transfer of a BV | unchanged: the legal person and the enterprise do not change | unchanged |
| Takeover of an establishment by another business | the establishment is assigned the acquirer's KVK number | stays the same |
| Restart, takeover, demerger or merger that causes a new registration | a new KVK number, and the EUR 85.15 registration fee again (2026) | a new registration |
| A new establishment | unchanged | a new 12-digit number, registered through My KVK, digitally or on a printed form |
| Ending the business | ended by deregistering with the KVK; the register keeps the details of businesses that have stopped | see the column before |
A buyer of shares in an existing BV keeps its numbers. The Belastingdienst states it in one line: "Als de aandelen in een vennootschap worden overgedragen, wijzigen de rechtspersoon en de onderneming niet", if the shares in a company are transferred, the legal person and the enterprise do not change (Belastingdienst, change of legal form). The KVK number and the RSIN stay as they were. A new registration is different: a restart, takeover, demerger or merger that causes one brings a new KVK number and the registration fee once more.
Does a foreign company need a KVK number?
Only for what it has in the Netherlands. The KVK's rule is that "all foreign companies with an establishment in the Netherlands must register in the KVK Business Register", so a foreign company's Dutch establishment receives a KVK number. A foreign parent with no Dutch establishment does not: "Do you trade with a business that only has companies abroad? Such companies are not listed in the KVK Business Register." How a Dutch establishment of a foreign company is set up is explained on the branch office page.
Why do Dutch charities publish their RSIN?
Search for "rsin number netherlands" and the results are Dutch foundations printing their own RSIN. The reason is the donor's tax return. business.gov.nl puts it this way: "Do you want to deduct money you donate to a charity from your taxes? Then you need the charity's RSIN." The Belastingdienst's ANBI search, the list of charities whose gifts are deductible, shows that number. A charity therefore publishes its RSIN so that donors can find it, while an ordinary company is free to leave its RSIN off its website.
From our practice
Joost van Leeuwen, Company formation and company law lead, eleven years on Dutch company files, follows each deed through to the KVK registration and passes the new numbers to the founder. With them goes one rule, checked against the statute: the KVK number goes on the first invoice, by art. 27 lid 2 Hrw 2007, and the RSIN sits inside the VAT ID.
Reviewed by Ilse Brouwer, Tax, VAT and licensing lead, on 4 October 2026.
Sources
- Handelsregisterwet 2007, art. 1, 9 to 13, 15, 16, 20, 25 and 27, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, KVK number: all you need to know, page edited 18 September 2026, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, RSIN number, page edited 7 July 2026, checked on 29 September 2026
- business.gov.nl, An RSIN number for your business, checked on 3 October 2026
- business.gov.nl, LEI, RSIN, VAT and KVK number: which is which?, checked on 29 September 2026
- business.gov.nl, Numbers for VAT, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, Establishment number, page edited 7 July 2026, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, Registering a Dutch BV or NV, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, About My KVK, checked on 3 October 2026
- KVK, How to use the kvk.nl search engine, page edited 10 June 2024, checked on 3 October 2026
- Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, art. 1, 2 and 5 and the tariff lines, version in force from 1 July 2026, checked on 29 September 2026
- Belastingdienst, Uw onderneming wijzigt van rechtsvorm (change of legal form), checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK developer portal, Vestigingsprofiel API (checked on 3 October 2026): https://developers.kvk.nl/documentation/vestigingsprofiel-api
- Handelsregisterbesluit 2008, art. 35a: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0024067
- KVK, The Business Register: secure business information (page edited 3 June 2026, checked on 3 October 2026): https://www.kvk.nl/en/secure-business/the-business-register-secure-business-information/
- business.gov.nl, Invoice requirements: https://business.gov.nl/regulations/invoice-requirements/
- KVK, What information does the Dutch Business Register contain: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/what-information-does-the-dutch-business-register-contain/
- business.gov.nl, Registration at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce KVK: https://business.gov.nl/starting-your-business/registering-your-business/registration-at-the-netherlands-chamber-of-commerce-kvk/
- KVK, Do you need to register your business with KVK: https://www.kvk.nl/en/starting/do-you-need-to-register-your-business-with-kvk/
- KVK, Registration fee: https://www.kvk.nl/en/registration/registration-fee/
- KVK, How do I look up VAT numbers: https://www.kvk.nl/en/starting/how-do-i-look-up-vat-numbers/
- KVK, Registering a new establishment for a business: https://www.kvk.nl/en/registration/registering-a-new-establishment-for-a-business/
- KVK developer portal, Pricing: https://developers.kvk.nl/en/pricing
- KVK, Get business data with KVK APIs: https://www.kvk.nl/en/ordering-products/get-business-data-with-kvk-apis/
- KVK, Terms of use of the Business Register: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/terms-of-use-business-register/
- KVK, Everything you need to know about the VAT identification number: https://www.kvk.nl/en/starting/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-vat-identification-number/
- KVK, Registering foreign companies in the Business Register: https://www.kvk.nl/en/registration/registering-foreign-companies-in-the-business-register/
Related service
register a company in the Netherlands For a founder abroad who has no Dutch company yet: how a BV is formed through a notary, and how the KVK number, the RSIN and the VAT numbers follow the deed.