What does the Dutch business register offer?
The Dutch business register is owned and maintained by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel), as authorised by the government through the Business Register Act.
The register offers an overview of all (legal) relevant information on all relevant economic relevant entities in the Netherlands. All entities are registered. This includes:
- Companies (private and public limited companies: BVs and NVs)
- Sole traders
- Associations
- Foundations
- Professionals (e.g. lawyers, doctors, artists)
- Owners' associations
- Churches and
- Government offices.
The amount of data registered varies according to the legal form of the organisation. The most important registered data are:
- (Legally registered) Name
- Other trading names
- Seat
- Addresses
- Capital (shares)
- Directors
- Persons with power of attorney
- Branches
- Contact details
- Activities (according to NACE classification).
The register contains approximately 2.5 million entities.
According to Dutch law, the information in the register is valid (and binding for third parties), unless otherwise indicated. The obligation to register (and register any changes) lies with the organisations themselves. Every change must be registered within one week of its being made.
Registration does not form part of the process of establishing a company in the Netherlands. From a legal point of view, a company can exist in the Netherlands without being registered. Thus, although it is illegal not to register, a non-registered company does exist and can act as a company (contrary to, e.g., the situation in the UK).
Dutch (un)limited companies also have to file their annual account with the business register. This applies to approximately 900 000 companies. The majority have only to file a balance sheet, while large companies (approx. 20 000) must also file their profit and loss account.
Is access to the Dutch business register free of charge?
The basic information on the Dutch business register is available free of charge through the internet, but for some services (e.g. official extracts) a fee is payable.
Organisations pay just once to be registered in the business register. There is no annual fee, nor do they have to pay for filing changes.
To which extent can the documents in the register be relied upon?
Directive 2012/17/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2012 amending Council Directive 89/666/EEC and Directives 2005/56/EC and 2009/101/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerns the interconnection of central, commercial and companies registers. It provides for the creation of a European central platform. The system of interconnected registers then consists of this platform, the registers of the Member States and a portal which serves as the European electronic access point.
The Directive sets two deadlines for entry into force. With the exception of a small number of articles, Member States had to comply with the provisions of the Directive by 7 July 2014. The remaining articles must be transposed within two years of the European Commission adopting the implementing acts.
Dutch legislation already complies with the requirements laid down in the articles in question. No further amendments to the 2007 Business Register Act or the secondary legislation based on it are required in order to meet either of the deadlines for transposition. A notice to this effect was published in the Government Gazette of 4 July 2014.
How to search the Dutch business register
You can search the Dutch business register by:
- (Part of the) company name
- Official business register number
- Address and
- Postal code range.
History of the Dutch business register
Information dates from the start of the current register (1920). Data are also available for older companies.
Links
European Business Register, Kamer van Koophandel
