This guide is for someone in the first weeks of setting up a business in the Netherlands who has never dealt with the KVK. It takes the questions in the order a starter meets them: whether registration applies, who files for which legal form, what must exist before the appointment, the steps and official waiting times, the 2026 fee, what becomes public, and what the number does afterwards.
It does not search the register, and it does not say which legal form suits anyone: it gives the conditions, and that choice belongs in a conversation. For a newcomer, the slow part comes before the KVK: the BSN and the DigiD login.
What is the KVK, and what does registering with it mean?
The KVK is the Kamer van Koophandel; in English, the KVK and the government business portal business.gov.nl call it the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce KVK. It keeps the Dutch Business Register (Handelsregister), and business.gov.nl's page about the KVK says registration in it is compulsory for every company and almost every legal entity.
Registering gives the business an entry in that register and, per the KVK's page on the number, an 8-digit KVK number as proof. Who makes the entry depends on the legal form: the owner, the partners or a notary.
Do you have to register with the KVK?
The Handelsregisterwet 2007 registers an enterprise established in the Netherlands that belongs to a natural person (art. 5), and that person files the registration (art. 18 lid 1), per wetten.overheid.nl. The KVK turns this into a practical test, on a page edited 10 August 2026.
The KVK's three conditions
The KVK says to register if all three apply:
- You supply products or services independently, or you are preparing to do so.
- You charge a price that generates income, so it is not a hobby that costs money.
- You supply products or services regularly, to people other than family and friends.
When the three conditions are not the whole answer
The same page adds that a person who does not meet all three may still be an entrepreneur, and asks four questions: do they spend time or money on the business or take on staff, work for it regularly and for longer periods, have or look for several customers, and decide themselves how to organise the work? The unsure are sent to the KVK's examples and its advice team. This guide does not decide anyone's case.
If you are not an entrepreneur
A person who is not an entrepreneur is not registered and receives no KVK number; in some cases they can start without one, using the Belastingdienst form Opgaaf Startende Ondernemer (a declaration for a new business, in Dutch). In the KVK's example, a student takes catering work through a platform that sets the price, finds the customers, sends the invoices and asks her for a KVK number; she does not register.
Some freelancers doubt the test because of the Wet DBA, the rules on false self-employment, which sit outside this guide. Not registering when the test is met is covered under changes, below.
Who registers which business: the owner, the partners or the notary?
Who files for each legal form, per the KVK's registration pages and art. 20 Handelsregisterwet 2007.
| Legal form | Who files | KVK visit | How the number arrives | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eenmanszaak (sole proprietorship) | The owner only, online with their own DigiD or the European eID | Yes, in person, with a valid proof of identity | At the visit inside the window; by post in the start week after a pre-registration visit | KVK eenmanszaak and identity pages |
| VOF (general partnership) | One partner starts the registration | Every partner who is a person attends, with a valid proof of identity | Not stated in this guide | KVK VOF page |
| BV (private limited company) | Usually the notary, for the BV and its UBOs | No KVK counter for the founder | By letter at the postal address the notary entered; filing within one week of the deed | KVK BV page; art. 20 Hrw 2007 |
| Foreign company with an establishment in the Netherlands | Must register; the route is outside this guide | Not covered here | Not covered here | KVK page on foreign companies |
Only the owner can register an eenmanszaak, logging in with their own DigiD or the European eID and identifying themselves in person, per the KVK's eenmanszaak page; others may help but cannot register it. The maatschap, the CV and the rederij follow the owner's route too, per the KVK's page on a new business. The page on registering an eenmanszaak for a newcomer, like our freelancer registration service, covers preparing and checking the documents, the BSN and DigiD route and the visit, and accompanying the owner, who registers.
For a vennootschap onder firma (VOF, general partnership), one partner starts the registration and every partner who is a person attends with a valid proof of identity, per the KVK's VOF page, so the second partner's BSN, DigiD and ID matter as much as the first's. Preparing VOF registration in the Netherlands keeps the same limit: the partners register.
For a besloten vennootschap (BV, private limited company), the notaris (civil-law notary) usually registers the BV and its UBOs (ultimate beneficial owners), the founder does not go to a KVK counter, and the number arrives by letter at the postal address the notary entered, per the KVK's BV page. The filing is due within one week of the deed (art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007). What it takes to open a BV in the Netherlands has its own page.
A foreign company with a Dutch establishment must also register, per the KVK's page on foreign companies; branches are outside this guide.
What do you need before you register?
In the order things take time; items 2 and 3 must exist before the online form opens.
- A valid residence permit, where needed: the portal lists it first; it is outside this guide.
- A BSN (burgerservicenummer, citizen service number), from the municipality or an RNI desk.
- DigiD, or the European eID, to log in to the online form.
- An original, valid proof of identity; an emergency passport does not count.
- A Dutch visiting address (bezoekadres) and proof of it.
- A trade name (handelsnaam) that fits the activity and does not give the wrong impression.
- A description of the activities, from which the KVK assigns the SBI code (Standaard Bedrijfsindeling, Standard Industrial Classification).
- A decision on shielding the visiting address, a box on the form.
The municipality registers residents in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP, the personal-records database); the Registratie Niet-ingezetenen (RNI, the non-residents records database) serves stays under 4 months. The whole route is the subject of a separate guide on getting a BSN as a founder. For a business address that differs from the private one, business.gov.nl's registration page asks for the lease or purchase contract of the premises, or a declaration of consent signed by their owner or landlord.
How does KVK registration work, step by step?
For an eenmanszaak or a VOF, with the official waiting time where a source gives one:
Check the KVK's test
If it is not met, there is no KVK number to get. Waiting time: none stated.
Get a BSN
For a qualifying stay, register with the municipality in person by the fifth day (art. 2.38 lid 1 Wet BRP), or risk a fine of up to EUR 325 (art. 4.17). For a stay under 4 months, an RNI desk gives it at once. Waiting time: RNI at once; municipal, none stated.
Apply for DigiD
In the Netherlands the activation letter reaches the address registered with the municipality in 3 to 5 working days, per digid.nl; abroad there is no letter. Waiting time: 3 to 5 working days.
Settle the details
The trade name, the activity description for the SBI code, the proof of the visiting address and the shielding choice. Waiting time: none stated.
Complete the online form
With DigiD or the European eID. It is in Dutch; the KVK's Form 1 shows in English and Dutch what it needs, and progress is saved. Waiting time: none stated.
Book the appointment
Up to 8 weeks ahead at any KVK office; a slot within a week may not exist, per the KVK's appointment page. Lead time: up to 8 weeks.
Attend in person
With the original, valid ID and the address proof. Inside the window the number comes at once; after a pre-registration visit, by post in the start week. Visit length: none stated.
Pay, then wait for the tax letter
The KVK emails the invoice for EUR 85.15 (2026), which cannot be paid in cash, and passes the details to the Belastingdienst, whose letter comes within about two weeks, per the KVK. Waiting time: about two weeks.
A BV skips steps 5 to 7: the notary files. From 2 November 2026 the KVK's Amsterdam office is at Kabelweg 39-47, 1014 BA, by appointment only. The city's own rules for a new business are on our page about launching a business in Amsterdam as a newcomer.
- BSNMunicipality in person by the fifth day (fine up to EUR 325); RNI at once
- DigiDLetter in 3 to 5 working days, per digid.nl; abroad: collection code, then activation code by video call or at a desk
- The Dutch online form, with DigiDNo official time
- AppointmentBookable up to 8 weeks ahead
- VisitInside the window, one week before to one week after the start (art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007): number at once; or a pre-registration visit up to 3 months ahead, number by post in the start week
- Fee invoiceEUR 85.15 (2026)
- Belastingdienst letterWithin about two weeks
BV: the notary files; no KVK visit
Sources: Wet BRP, digid.nl, NetherlandsWorldwide, the KVK, Handelsregisterwet 2007, the 2026 tariff regulation.
When must you register, and how do you plan the start date?
The first registration of an enterprise is filed in a two-week period from one week before to one week after the start of business (art. 20 lid 1 Handelsregisterwet 2007); a BV, within one week of the deed. business.gov.nl's sentence that a starter may begin business activities from 1 week before the KVK appointment is the same window read backwards, not a ban on starting early.
As an illustration on the official figures, not advice for any one case: appointments run up to 8 weeks ahead, a slot within a week may not exist, and the BSN and the DigiD must exist before the form opens. So the start date is set around the appointment, or a pre-registration visit is used, up to 3 months before the start date, with the number by post in the start week, per the KVK's eenmanszaak page.
Where a client or a platform asks for a number before the business has started, the KVK says registration in the preparation phase is possible in some cases. Its page does not list which, and neither does this guide.
Registering from abroad or as a non-EU founder
Three extra questions arise for a founder abroad or from outside the EU.
When a sole proprietor abroad does not register
Per the KVK's page for a sole proprietor who lives abroad, someone who runs the business from abroad without a Dutch branch does not have to register the sole proprietorship. Registering needs a Dutch visiting address, and one person can register a maximum of 1 sole proprietorship.
The BSN and the DigiD from abroad
Without a BSN, a founder registers at an RNI desk, in person and free of charge, for a stay under 4 months, per NetherlandsWorldwide. Dutch, EU, Norwegian, Icelandic, Liechtenstein and Swiss nationals choose among the 19 municipalities with a desk; anyone else can use only the desks in Breda and Venlo. DigiD from abroad comes without a letter: a collection code valid for 30 days, then an activation code valid for 21 days, given by video call or at a DigiD desk, per NetherlandsWorldwide's DigiD page.
What to bring to the KVK office
For an office visit by a founder who lives abroad, the KVK lists:
- A valid proof of identity, shown in person at a KVK branch in the Netherlands.
- The BSN from the RNI, and the DigiD applied for with it.
- An original foreign population-register extract showing the residential address, no more than 2 months old, in Dutch, English, French or German or with a sworn translation, legalised outside the EU.
- A copy of the agreement for the Dutch visiting address, signed by both parties.
- A visiting address abroad only in the KVK's border-region case.
The portal's list of preparations starts with a valid residence permit, which is outside this guide.
Starting from abroad and unsure what to prepare? We prepare the documents, the BSN and DigiD route and the visit with you; you register.
What does KVK registration cost in 2026?
The one-off registration fee is EUR 85.15 in 2026, under art. 5 of the Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019 in the version in force from 1 July 2026; the Financieel besluit handelsregister 2014 (art. 1 lid 2) charges it whatever the legal form or the way of filing.
What the state and the notary charge in 2026, per the tariff regulation and the KVK.
| Item | Amount (2026) | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration fee, one-off | EUR 85.15 | Every legal form and every way of filing; updated every year; tax-deductible for entrepreneurs; invoiced by email, no cash | Tariff regulation, art. 5; KVK fee page; business.gov.nl |
| Digitally certified extract | EUR 9.60 per extract | Optional; some banks and most wholesalers ask for one | Tariff regulation, art. 1; KVK fee page |
| Certified extract on paper | EUR 19.20 per extract | Optional | Tariff regulation, art. 2; KVK fee page |
| Notary's charge for a BV | EUR 500 to EUR 1,500 | The KVK's indication, depending on the notary; a private cost, not a state charge and not our price | KVK BV page |
Per business.gov.nl's registration page, the invoice comes by email after the visit and cannot be paid in cash. An extract is optional, though some banks and most wholesalers ask for one. A BV also pays a notary: the KVK's BV page puts that private cost at EUR 500 to EUR 1,500 in 2026, depending on the notary.
What becomes public in the Business Register, and how does shielding work?
Part of every entry is public; for an eenmanszaak, the visiting address can be shielded at the form.
Public and non-public details
Per the KVK's page on what the Business Register contains, the public details include the visiting address, the postal address, the email address and the website address. Not public: telephone numbers, the BSN, sex, country and place of birth, the home addresses of officials, and shielded visiting addresses.
- Visiting address
- Postal address
- Email address
- Website address
- Telephone numbers
- BSN
- Sex
- Country and place of birth
- Home addresses of officials
- Shielded visiting addresses
- Customs and VIES checks use the postal address
- A bank or insurer may ask for the lease
- The old visiting address stays in the history
Sources: the KVK's register and shielding pages.
Shielding the visiting address of an eenmanszaak
For an eenmanszaak, shielding is always possible, per the KVK's shielding page. The owner selects afschermen bezoekadres (shield visiting address) when registering, and the register then needs a public postal address (postadres) that differs from the visiting address. The statutory basis is art. 51 of the Handelsregisterbesluit 2008. Other legal forms have other conditions, not covered here.
Our pages on a registered office in Amsterdam and the virtual office page describe a business address used as a postal address, never as a visiting address. That address is a separate service: a client who takes it takes no other service from us.
What shielding changes in practice
The KVK names three effects:
- Customs and VIES checks use the postal address, which can cause problems in international trade.
- Banks and insurers may ask for the lease.
- The earlier visiting address stays visible in the history of the registration.
What is the KVK number?
The KVK number is an 8-digit number that proves the registration, and every business has only one, per the KVK's page on the number; business.gov.nl also calls it the HR number. "CCI number" is not a label the KVK or the portal uses: the Dutch equivalent is the KVK number. As proof for a bank or a supplier, the number itself serves, or a paid extract where one is asked for.
Which business number is which, per the KVK and business.gov.nl.
| Number | Issued by | Who receives it | Where it goes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KVK number (HR number), 8 digits | The KVK, on registration | Every registered business, one each | Letters, orders, invoices, quotations, the website | KVK number page; business.gov.nl; art. 27 Hrw 2007; art. 3:15d BW |
| RSIN | Not stated in this guide | Not a sole proprietor | Not stated in this guide | business.gov.nl business numbers |
| VAT identification number | The Belastingdienst, after the KVK passes the details | The business; business.gov.nl says within 10 workdays of registration | Invoices, quotations, the website | KVK VAT tax number page; business.gov.nl |
| VAT tax number (omzetbelastingnummer) | The Belastingdienst | The business; a sole trader's contains the BSN | Not on invoices, quotations or the website | KVK VAT tax number page |
Per business.gov.nl's overview, the RSIN is a different number, which a sole proprietor does not receive. On invoices, quotations and the website, the KVK's VAT tax number page asks for the VAT identification number, not the VAT tax number (omzetbelastingnummer), which for a sole trader contains the BSN.
What do you do with the KVK number in the first weeks?
The statute and the KVK each say where the number goes; the list keeps them apart.
- On letters, orders, invoices, quotations and other announcements, advertising excepted (art. 27 lid 1 Hrw 2007).
- On the website, the site of a Dutch webshop included: the register and the number permanently accessible (art. 3:15d lid 1 BW).
- In business emails: the KVK's own reading on its number page, not statute text.
- With banks, insurers and suppliers: the KVK says every business purchase, subscription or insurance needs it.
- For a business bank account, which usually needs it first, per business.gov.nl (see the business bank account page).
- On the invoice, beside it: the VAT identification number, never the VAT tax number.
The KVK passes the details to the Belastingdienst automatically. The founder is notified by post within 2 weeks of registration, per the KVK's page for a sole proprietor abroad, and business.gov.nl puts the VAT number at 10 workdays after registration; the two sources count differently, so this guide says about two weeks. How to get the VAT identification number of a new business is the subject of a separate guide.
How do you report changes, and what happens if you do not register?
Every registrable change is reported within one week of the fact (art. 20 lid 2 Hrw 2007), through My KVK. On the KVK's page of current processing times, edited 15 September 2026, a change takes 3 working days online and 7 by post.
Registration also has an effect on others: a fact that had to be registered and was not cannot be invoked against third parties who did not know of it (art. 25 Hrw 2007).
If the KVK's criteria are met and the person does not register, the KVK states that they commit an offence under the Wet economische delicten (Economic Offences Act) and risk a fine, community service or even a prison sentence.
From our practice
Before a newcomer's KVK appointment we check, in this order: that everyone who must attend has a BSN, a DigiD and a valid ID, the second VOF partner included; that the start date sits inside the registration window, given the appointment calendar; and that the shielding choice is made before the form goes in. The owner registers; we prepare and accompany.
Sources
- Handelsregisterwet 2007, arts. 5, 18, 20, 25 and 27, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 29 September 2026
- Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, arts. 1, 2 and 5, version in force from 1 July 2026, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 3 October 2026
- Wet basisregistratie personen, arts. 2.38 and 4.17, consolidation of 1 October 2026, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 4 October 2026
- Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 3, art. 3:15d, wetten.overheid.nl, checked on 8 October 2026
- Whether you need to register your business with KVK, KVK, page edited 10 August 2026, checked on 29 September 2026
- Registering a Dutch eenmanszaak and making an appointment, KVK, checked on 8 October 2026
- Registering a Dutch BV or NV, KVK, page edited 12 June 2026, checked on 29 September 2026
- Making an appointment to visit the KVK, KVK, checked on 3 October 2026
- Registering a sole proprietorship while living abroad, KVK, page edited 8 August 2025, checked on 3 October 2026
- Shielding your business address, KVK, page edited 21 April 2026, checked on 29 September 2026
- Applying for DigiD, digid.nl, checked on 9 October 2026
- Registering in the non-residents records database (RNI), NetherlandsWorldwide, checked on 9 October 2026
Also cited by name in the text: the KVK's pages on registering a new business, the VOF, foreign companies, a valid proof of identity, current processing times, what the Business Register contains, the KVK number, the VAT tax number, the Amsterdam office and the registration fee; business.gov.nl on the KVK, registration at the KVK, the Dutch business numbers, the business bank account and SBI codes; NetherlandsWorldwide on DigiD abroad; the Handelsregisterbesluit 2008, art. 51; and the Financieel besluit handelsregister 2014, art. 1.
Prepare a sole proprietorship or freelancer registration: we prepare the documents and the visit with you, and you register. Request a preparation call
Freelancing in the Netherlands as a ZZP'er and What the Status Means: the freelancer's status, for anyone unsure about the KVK's test.
How to Start a Food Business in the Netherlands: what a food business arranges beyond the KVK registration.