The Netherlands company register is the Business Register (Handelsregister), kept by the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce KVK under the Handelsregisterwet 2007. Anyone can search it free on kvk.nl by name, address or KVK number. The full entry is paid: in 2026 a certified extract costs EUR 9.60 as a digital PDF or EUR 19.20 on paper.
This guide is for a reader checking a Dutch company from abroad, and for a founder asking what the register will show about their own BV. For registration itself, read how to register with the KVK as a foreign founder. Every tariff below comes from the regulation in force from 1 July 2026.
What is the Netherlands company register?
The Dutch equivalent of Companies House is the Business Register (Handelsregister). Readers look for it as the "trade register", the "commercial register", the "corporate registry" or "the KVK company register"; none of these is its legal name. Art. 2 of the Handelsregisterwet 2007 (HRW, the Business Register Act) gives the register to the KVK and names its purposes, among them legal certainty in economic dealings and the registration of ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs).
The KVK (Kamer van Koophandel) is one chamber for the whole country, a public body with legal personality seated in Utrecht (art. 2 Wet op de Kamer van Koophandel). It keeps the register; it is not a formation agent, and it does not validate what is filed.
Which companies are in the register, and which are not?
The register is wider than the companies that trade. Under arts. 5 and 6 HRW it holds:
- every enterprise established in the Netherlands, whatever its form: BV, NV, VOF, CV, maatschap, cooperative, foundation or association;
- a natural person who runs an enterprise;
- a foreign legal person with an establishment in the Netherlands;
- every legal person with a Dutch statutory seat, whether or not it trades (art. 6 lid 1 HRW), so a pure holding BV is in it.
Not in it: companies of Curacao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, which have their own chambers of commerce and registers, and companies registered elsewhere in the European Economic Area, found through the European e-Justice portal (step 7 of the check below).
Is searching the Dutch company register free?
Yes, the search is free. The KVK puts it plainly: "Anyone can search for businesses and organisations in the Business Register. This can be done by name, address, or KVK number. This information is free." (KVK, what the Business Register contains, checked on 29 September 2026.) The free result is short, and the rest is sold:
Free
The search result: the KVK number, the trade name, and whether a hit is a principal or a secondary establishment.
Paid
The full entry, from EUR 2.95 for an online view up to EUR 19.20 for a certified paper extract (2026 tariffs).
Never public
Home addresses, telephone numbers, the BSN (citizen service number), places of birth and the UBOs.
The KVK also sells register data in bulk and through an API, and publishes a free open dataset that leaves out company names and KVK numbers.
What does the register make public, and what does it never show?
The layers of Business Register data and the article behind each. Sources: Handelsregisterwet 2007, Handelsregisterbesluit 2008 and the KVK's public-data and extract pages.
| Layer | What falls in it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Public and free | The search by name, address or KVK number; the result shows the KVK number, the trade name and whether the hit is a principal or secondary establishment | KVK public-data page |
| Public but paid | Everything else anyone may inspect: the data of arts. 9 to 14 HRW (BSN excepted), the investigation note, deposited documents (UBO verification documents excepted), supplied as extracts, copies and products | art. 21 lid 1 and art. 22 lid 1 HRW |
| Public, on the KVK's list | Names, KVK number, dates including the date of the deed, visiting and postal address, email, website, establishments, persons working, activities, legal form and seat, issued and paid-in capital, the sole shareholder, officials and their authorities with date of birth, bankruptcy trustee, custodian of the books | art. 22 lid 1 HRB; KVK public-data list |
| Non-public | Home address of a natural person; telephone numbers of an enterprise, legal person or establishment; BSN; sex, place and country of birth of officials; shielded visiting addresses; signatures in electronic form; UBO data and documents | art. 51 leden 1 and 4 HRB; art. 21 lid 2 HRW; art. 22a HRW |
| Not recorded at all | Shareholders, where a company has more than one | KVK extract page |
Public and free
The search result identifies a company and little more. Anything you would rely on in a contract sits in the next layer.
Public but paid
Anyone may inspect the rest of the entry (art. 21 lid 1 HRW), supplied as extracts, copies and other products (art. 22 lid 1 HRW): the officials, their powers, the capital, the filed documents.
Not public
The date of birth of an official, and of a sole shareholder, is public register data. Their sex, place and country of birth are not public, and the home address of a natural person cannot be inspected (Handelsregisterbesluit 2008, art. 51 lid 1). Some document resellers promise more than the law allows: telephone numbers cannot be inspected (art. 51 lid 4 HRB), and no member of the public can obtain the beneficial owners of a Dutch company (art. 22a HRW).
Who may see non-public data
Lawyers, civil-law notaries, bailiffs, government bodies and Wwft institutions may, through named KVK authorisations: IPA for private and shielded addresses and telephone numbers, IPP for place and country of birth, ZNP for a search by natural person. They apply on a paper form with a handwritten signature; the KVK usually decides within 5 working days. Shielding never applies against them (art. 51 lid 7 HRB). There is no right to be forgotten: the data of a legal entity are not personal data.
How do you search for a Dutch company on kvk.nl?
Open the search on kvk.nl
Search by trade name, statutory name, address or KVK number; it is free and needs no account.
Read the result
It shows basic data such as the KVK number and the trade name, and whether the hit is a principal or a secondary establishment.
Choose the document
(next section). To see who runs the company, order the principal establishment's extract: a branch extract lists no officials.
Choose the language
An English-language extract exists, with one limit explained below.
Pay and receive
A digitally certified PDF arrives by email within 10 minutes of the order. A paper extract is posted on the day of the order if you order before 15:00 CEST on a working day.
The search and the order run on the KVK's own site; this page embeds no search and resells nothing. A company that does not appear may be registered on Curacao, Aruba or Sint Maarten, or elsewhere in the EEA.
Which KVK extract do you need, and what does it cost in 2026?
KVK extract forms and 2026 tariffs (Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, version in force from 1 July 2026; no VAT). Delivery and status: KVK extract and access-code pages.
| Form | 2026 tariff | Delivery | Access code | Legal status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online uncertified view | EUR 2.95 | on screen at once | needed (a KVK account) | an information view |
| Digitally certified extract (PDF) | EUR 9.60 | by email within 10 minutes of the order | not needed | legally valid only while passed on digitally |
| Paper certified extract | EUR 19.20 | posted on the day of the order if ordered before 15:00 CEST on a working day; the KVK expects receipt within 5 working days | not needed | certified on paper |
The tariffs are those of the Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019 in force from 1 July 2026, without VAT; the delivery terms are from the KVK extract page, checked on 29 September 2026. Other products a counterparty check meets, at 2026 tariffs: an online view of a filed annual account or other deposited document costs EUR 3.90, a digitally certified copy EUR 9.60 and a paper copy EUR 17.25 per document; group relations cost EUR 3.40 each; a written KVK statement on what is or is not registered costs EUR 19.20 per file per statement. The UBO extract, at EUR 3.10, is sold only to the person authorised for that registration.
Setting up a Dutch BV? Ask what the register will publish about it before the deed is signed.
Can you order a KVK extract from abroad?
- The order page is in Dutch. The KVK says so: "The order page is currently only available in Dutch."
- A certified extract needs no login. "You do not need an access code to order a certified KVK Business Register Extract (paper or digital)."
- The online view does. The uncertified online view and the other online products need a KVK account with an access code.
- The access-code application is in Dutch too. It is for business or private use, the code begins with W, and payment runs by credit balance or direct debit.
For a reader abroad the certified extract avoids the account question: no login, delivery by email or post. The KVK does not say whether a person without a Dutch address or bank account can hold an access code; the certified extract does not depend on the answer. See the KVK page on applying for an access code, checked on 3 October 2026.
Is a KVK extract available in English, and how long is it valid?
Two questions a bank or counterparty raises once the extract is in hand:
- An English-language extract exists. In it, "the field Activities under the header Establishment will only mention the SBI codes", the activity codes explained in the SBI codes guide.
- No statutory validity period. An extract does not expire in law, but the KVK notes that "most companies request an extract of no more than 1 month old".
- A certified PDF stays certified only as a file. "The certification is only legally valid if you send the file digitally." A printout of the PDF is not a certified extract.
- A branch extract lists no officials. Order the extract of the principal establishment to see who runs the company.
The English-extract limit is on the KVK page on what an extract contains, checked on 3 October 2026.
How do you read a KVK extract?
The nine sections of a BV or NV extract and what to check in each. Sources: KVK extract page; Handelsregisterbesluit 2008, art. 22.
| Section | What to check |
|---|---|
| Legal entity | the legal form, the date of the deed of incorporation, the capital issued and paid-up |
| Company | the trade name and the activities (SBI codes) |
| Principal establishment | the visiting and postal address, and that this is the principal establishment, not a branch |
| Sole shareholder (optional) | present only where one shareholder holds all the shares: name, date of birth, date of becoming sole shareholder |
| Board member | each director, the dates in and out of office, and the authority to represent alone or jointly |
| Members of the Supervisory Board (optional) | each supervisory director, executive or non-executive |
| Authorised representatives | each holder of a power of attorney and the scope of the power |
| Establishment (optional) | any further establishment |
| Date and time | when the extract was produced: the age a bank or counterparty looks at |
Read the officials first: each director's dates in office and authority to represent, alone or jointly, and each authorised representative's scope of power (art. 22 leden 1 and 4 HRB) answer who may sign. Then check the capital and anything unusual: a bankruptcy trustee, a custodian of the books, a bankruptcy.
The extract also carries legal weight. The data of arts. 9 to 14 HRW are authentic data (art. 15 HRW). Where a datum is under investigation, the register records a note that it is in onderzoek (art. 16 lid 2 HRW), which is a warning sign. A fact that must be registered cannot be relied on against a third party who did not know it until it is registered (art. 25 lid 1 HRW), with UBO data excluded from that effect (art. 25 lid 4 HRW). The KVK refuses a filing it is not satisfied comes from an authorised person (art. 5 HRB).
Can you see who owns or runs a Dutch company?
Who you can see in the Dutch register, and who you cannot. Sources: Handelsregisterbesluit 2008, art. 22; Handelsregisterwet 2007, art. 22a; KVK pages.
| Person | Public? | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Director and supervisory director | yes: name, date of birth, dates in and out of office, powers | art. 22 HRB; KVK public-data page |
| Authorised representative | yes, with the scope of the power | art. 22 HRB |
| Sole shareholder | yes: name, date of birth, date of becoming sole shareholder | art. 22 lid 1 HRB; KVK public-data page |
| Several shareholders | not registered | KVK extract page |
| Ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) | not public | art. 22a HRW |
Directors and authorised representatives
All are on the paid extract by name, with date of birth, dates and powers; home addresses and places of birth are not.
Shareholders
A sole shareholder is public: the KVK lists "The name and date of birth of a sole shareholder and the date on which that person became the sole shareholder." Where there are two or more, the register shows none of them: "If there are multiple shareholders, they are not registered in the Business Register."
Beneficial owners (UBOs)
Public access ended with the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU of 22 November 2022 in joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20. Today the UBO data are open to Wwft institutions for client due diligence, to Wtt 2018 institutions and to Sanctiewet 1977 institutions (art. 22a lid 1 HRW); in the KVK's words, "Information from the UBO Register is not public." The entity's own authorised person may order its UBO extract: EUR 3.10 (2026), in Dutch only, downloadable for 24 hours through My KVK. The Act restricting access (Wijzigingswet beperking toegang UBO-registers) has been in force since 16 July 2025; the decree on access for a legitimate interest is still a draft. The filing side is in the Dutch UBO register guide.
Searching by person
Data are never supplied to the public sorted by natural person (art. 22 lid 2 HRW); the ZNP authorisation for such a search is open only to the bodies listed above. A director search starts from a company, not a name.
How do you check that a Dutch company is legitimate?
Read the extract
Who may sign, the capital, a trustee, an in onderzoek note.
Read the history
KVK Corporate History shows changes registered since 23 May 2010 (online view EUR 2.95, 2026); earlier history by telephone.
Map the group
The Group Structure Overview shows three relationships (sole shareholder, liable party, director), only 100 percent shareholders and never natural persons, as totale concern (whole group) or directe relaties (direct relations), EUR 3.40 each (2026).
Follow the paper trail
The filed deed and articles, amendments, and merger and demerger deeds can be ordered; unscreened documents are redacted first, with instructions within 2 working days. The filed Dutch financial statements can be viewed online for EUR 3.90 (2026), and "A foreign legal entity registered in the Netherlands must publish its most recent accounting documents in the Business Register."
Before the contract: the extract tells you who signs, the other registers tell you whether anything stands in the way.
Check for insolvency and bans
The Central Insolvency Register lists bankruptcies, suspensions of payments and debt restructurings, searchable by name, KVK number, or postcode and house number. The KVK's Director Disqualification Register holds civil and criminal bans: "Anyone can access the register. This is deliberate." While a ban runs, its public fields are set by art. 41a HRB. For a natural-person counterparty, the guardianship register (Centraal Curatele- en Bewindregister) is searched by surname and date of birth.
Check the VAT number
VIES, the European Commission's check, confirms an EU counterparty's VAT number, with name and address for most member states. For the Dutch format, see our guide on the vat number netherlands.
Look outside the Netherlands
For a counterparty registered elsewhere in the EEA, the KVK points to the European e-Justice portal, with a caveat on its European business registers page (edited 11 March 2025): "In the future, it will become possible to search in all EEA countries with a single query, but not all countries support this as of yet."
- Read the extractKVK: who signs, the capital, a trustee, an in onderzoek note
- Read the historyKVK Corporate History: changes registered since 23 May 2010
- Map the groupKVK Group Structure Overview: 100 percent shareholders only, EUR 3.40 each (2026)
- Follow the paper trailKVK: filed deeds, articles and accounts
- Check insolvency and bansOther registers: Central Insolvency Register and Director Disqualification Register
- Check the VAT numberOther registers: VIES, the European Commission's check
- Look outside the NetherlandsOther registers: the European e-Justice portal (KVK page edited 11 March 2025)
For written confirmation, the KVK issues a statement on what is or is not registered, at EUR 19.20 per file per statement (2026); its processing-times page expects 1 working day, an expectation rather than a promise.
Which numbers identify a Dutch company?
Five numbers a reader meets on Dutch company papers. Sources: KVK and business.gov.nl number pages; Handelsregisterwet 2007, art. 27; LEI tariffs, Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019 (2026).
| Number | Format | Who issues it | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|---|
| KVK number | 8 digits | the KVK, as the register's own number | proof of registration; on letters, orders, invoices and quotations (art. 27 lid 1 HRW) |
| RSIN | part of a legal entity's VAT ID | the KVK, with the KVK number, to every registrant except an eenmanszaak | on the paid extract; publishing it is not mandatory |
| Establishment number (vestigingsnummer) | 12 digits, not derived from the KVK number | the KVK, one per establishment | per establishment of the company |
| VAT ID (btw-id) | legal entity: NL + RSIN + B + 2 digits; eenmanszaak: NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits; example NL000099998B57 | the Belastingdienst, after KVK registration | checked through VIES |
| LEI | – | bought from the KVK: EUR 80.00 first registration or reopening, EUR 49.20 annual renewal (2026) | – |
These are five different numbers, and none stands in for another. In the KVK's words, "Your business or organisation has an 8-digit KVK number. That number is proof of your registration at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce KVK." The VAT number follows KVK registration without a separate application; business.gov.nl gives within 10 working days, and the KVK's page for a BV or NV says by post within 2 weeks. Where the KVK number must appear is covered in the KVK number guide. The tax side, meaning which number identifies a Dutch company for tax, turns on the RSIN and the VAT ID.
How do you check a company name in the Netherlands?
The KVK's Name Check tool searches two registers at once: "The results will show if there are similar names in KVK's Business Register or BOIP's trademark register." One search therefore covers the Benelux trade mark register as well as the Dutch Business Register.
Under the Handelsnaamwet (Trade Names Act) a trade name may not confuse or mislead, and some words are protected: bank, architect, accountant, lawyer, civil-law notary, bailiff and the medical titles. A legal form such as BV may appear in a trade name only where the trade name is the same as the statutory name. The KVK may also refuse a filing that conflicts with data already recorded (art. 5 HRB).
What will the register show about your own BV?
From registration, the register publishes a BV's directors with dates of birth and powers, any sole shareholder, the issued and paid-in capital, and the visiting and postal address. A Dutch BV is not anonymous, although its UBOs are closed to the public. A BV or NV cannot have its visiting address shielded for a probable threat (art. 51 lid 6 HRB), a ground open only to non-capital companies; an eenmanszaak can, where a public postal address exists (art. 51 lid 3 HRB). Unwanted solicitation can be limited with the KVK's Non-Mailing Indicator. The address a company gives is public; how a registered address for a Dutch company works is a separate subject.
Your BV in the register: duties and deadlines. Sources: Handelsregisterwet 2007; Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 2; fee from the Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019 (2026).
| Rule | Detail | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Who files | the directors must register the BV and deposit an authentic copy of the deed; in practice the notary registers the BV, its directors and its UBOs, and the founder need not visit the KVK | art. 2:180 lid 1 BW; KVK page for a BV or NV |
| First registration | within one week of the event that creates the duty | art. 20 lid 1 HRW |
| Every later change | within one week of the event | art. 20 lid 2 HRW |
| Registration fee | EUR 85.15 one-off (2026), the same for every legal form and filing method | art. 5 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019; art. 1 lid 2 Financieel besluit handelsregister 2014 |
| KVK number on paper | on letters, orders, invoices and quotations; a BV has no exemption for letters and orders | art. 27 leden 1 and 3 HRW |
| Failure to file | prohibited | art. 47 HRW |
| Dissolution by the KVK | possible when at least two of four neglect conditions are met, after eight weeks' notice | art. 2:19a leden 1, 3 and 4 BW |
In short: a notary executes the deed and files the registration, the directors' duty stands in art. 2:180 lid 1 of the Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 2, the deadline is one week and the state fee EUR 85.15 (2026). The incorporation itself is on the service page below.
From our practice
Joost van Leeuwen, Company formation and company law lead, eleven years on Dutch company files, runs the buyer-side checks when a client buys an existing BV through a notarial share transfer. The check starts from the extract of the principal establishment. The item a foreign reader most often misreads is a branch extract: it lists no officials, so the people who run the company are not on it.
Reviewed by Ilse Brouwer, Tax, VAT and licensing lead, on 4 October 2026.
Sources
- Handelsregisterwet 2007, arts. 2, 5, 6, 9, 12, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 22a, 24, 25, 27 and 47, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 29 September 2026
- Handelsregisterbesluit 2008, arts. 5, 22, 41a and 51, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 29 September 2026
- Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, tariff list and art. 5, version in force from 1 July 2026, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 29 September 2026
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 2, art. 2:19a and 2:180, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, What information does the Dutch Business Register contain?, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, KVK Business Register extract, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, Apply for an access code, checked on 3 October 2026
- KVK, What information is in a KVK Business Register extract?, checked on 3 October 2026
- Court of Justice of the EU, joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20, judgment of 22 November 2022, EUR-Lex, checked on 29 September 2026
- Rechtspraak, Central Insolvency Register, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, Director disqualifications, checked on 29 September 2026
- KVK, European business registers (edited 11 March 2025), checked on 3 October 2026
- Financieel besluit handelsregister 2014, art. 1 lid 2: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0034829
- Wet op de Kamer van Koophandel, art. 2: https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0034331
- KVK, Reduce your risks: check the Business Register extract: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/reduce-your-risks-check-the-business-register-extract/
- KVK, KVK UBO register extract: https://www.kvk.nl/en/ordering-products/kvk-ubo-register-extract/
- KVK, API pricing: https://developers.kvk.nl/en/pricing
- KVK, Business Register open data set: https://www.kvk.nl/en/ordering-products/kvk-business-register-open-data-set/
- KVK, The KVK number: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/kvk-number-all-you-need-to-know/
- KVK, RSIN number: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/rsin-number/
- KVK, Establishment number: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/branch-number/
- business.gov.nl, Numbers for VAT: https://business.gov.nl/finance-and-taxes/vat/numbers-for-vat/
- business.gov.nl, Using and checking VAT numbers: https://business.gov.nl/regulations/using-checking-vat-numbers/
- business.gov.nl, LEI, RSIN, VAT and KVK number: which is which?: https://business.gov.nl/starting-your-business/registering-your-business/lei-rsin-vat-and-kvk-number-which-is-which/
- KVK, Registering a Dutch BV or NV: https://www.kvk.nl/en/registration/registering-a-dutch-bv-or-nv/
- KVK, Current processing times (edited 15 September 2026): https://www.kvk.nl/en/help-and-contact/current-processing-times/
- KVK, KVK Corporate History: https://www.kvk.nl/en/ordering-products/kvk-corporate-history/
- KVK, Group Structure Overview: https://www.kvk.nl/en/ordering-products/kvk-group-structure-overview/
- KVK, Filed documents: https://www.kvk.nl/en/ordering-products/filed-documents/
- KVK, Choosing a business name: https://www.kvk.nl/en/starting/choosing-a-business-name/
- KVK, Islands of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/islands-of-the-kingdom-of-the-netherlands/
- Rechtspraak, Central Register of Curatorship and Administration: https://ccbr.rechtspraak.nl/
- KVK, Authorisations to view non-public data: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/authorisations-to-view-non-public-data/
- KVK, Terms of use of the Business Register: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/terms-of-use-business-register/
- KVK, Frequently asked questions about the Business Register: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-kvk/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-business-register/
- KVK, Shielding your business address: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/shielding-your-business-address-what-are-the-options/
- KVK, How to limit unwanted commercial solicitation: https://www.kvk.nl/en/about-the-business-register/how-to-limit-unwanted-commercial-solicitation/
- Staatsblad 2026, 125, recording that the Wijzigingswet beperking toegang UBO-registers entered into force on 16 July 2025: https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stb-2026-125.html
Related service
DutchRegist: Company Registration in the Netherlands Forming the Dutch BV you have just learned to look up: what the notary needs from you, how the KVK filing follows the deed, and what the register will publish about the company from its first day.