The Netherlands Handelsregister, maintained by the Kamer van Koophandel (KVK), is the statutory source for registered company data. An extract from this register establishes who is recorded as director, what signing authority they hold, and what the company's registered legal form is. Control — in the sense of who can bind the entity — is readable from the extract. Beneficial ownership is a separate layer, held in a separate register under different access rules.
The extract is the starting point for any cross-border verification of a Dutch counterparty. It is not the endpoint.
What the extract showsRegistered name, legal form, KVK number, registered address, directors, authorised signatories, and scope of authority. Source: KVK Handelsregister · verified 2026-09-15 What it does not showShareholders, share capital distribution, and ultimate beneficial owners. Those are held in separate registers with separate access conditions. Source: KVK Handelsregister · verified 2026-09-15 Access conditionExtracts are available to any person with a stated purpose. No national identifier is required from the requester. Source: KVK · verified 2026-09-15 Language of the documentDutch. Certified translation is a separate step. Source: KVK · verified 2026-09-15What the Handelsregister records and what it omits
The KVK Handelsregister is the primary statutory register for all legal entities conducting business in the Netherlands. Registration is mandatory. The register is public in the sense that extracts are available on request without requiring the requester to be a Dutch resident or hold a Dutch identifier.
An extract records the following data points:
- Legal name and any trade names
- Legal form (BV, NV, VOF, and others)
- KVK registration number and RSIN (fiscal identifier)
- Registered office address
- Date of incorporation and, where applicable, dissolution
- Names of directors and their scope of authority (sole, joint, or limited)
- Names of authorised representatives (procuratiehouders) and the limits of their authority
The extract does not record shareholders. For a besloten vennootschap (BV), the shareholder register is a private document held by the company itself or its notary. It is not filed with KVK. Share capital and the distribution of ownership interests do not appear on a standard KVK extract.
The UBO register — the register of ultimate beneficial owners — is maintained separately under the Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme (Wwft). Following the Court of Justice of the European Union ruling in joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20, public access to UBO data was suspended. Access is now restricted to competent authorities and obliged entities with a demonstrated legitimate interest. An international buyer does not automatically qualify. The UBO register is therefore not a freely accessible source for cross-border verification purposes.
Source: KVK Handelsregister · verified 2026-09-15
Control: what the extract establishes and where it stops
The Handelsregister is the authoritative source for one specific question: who is authorised to bind the company in legal transactions, and under what conditions.
The extract states whether a director acts alone (zelfstandig bevoegd) or jointly with one or more other directors (gezamenlijk bevoegd). It states whether that authority is limited by transaction value or subject matter. A procuratiehouder — a commercial proxy — appears separately, with the scope of their authority defined.
This is the control layer that the extract covers. It answers the question of formal signing authority with precision.
What it does not answer is the question of economic control. A director recorded in the register may act under instructions from a shareholder who does not appear anywhere in the public record. A holding structure may place the registered entity several layers below the entity that actually directs it. The extract shows the face of the structure, not its depth.
For a cross-border buyer, the distinction matters. Formal authority and actual control are not the same thing. The extract establishes the first. Establishing the second requires additional sources.
Source: KVK Handelsregister · verified 2026-09-15
Procedure for ordering an extract
An extract from the KVK Handelsregister can be ordered through the KVK online portal. The requester identifies the company by name, KVK number, or address. No registration on the KVK platform is required for a single extract. No Dutch national identifier (BSN) is required from a foreign requester.
The extract is issued in digital form with a digital signature, or in printed form. The digital extract carries a verification code that allows the recipient to confirm authenticity on the KVK website. For use in foreign proceedings or before foreign authorities, an apostille may be required. The apostille is issued by a separate authority and involves a separate procedure.
The KVK does not publish a fixed processing time for standard extracts. Digital extracts are typically available immediately after the order is processed. Printed extracts are dispatched by post. Where a certified translation is required, that step is arranged separately and adds time.
The extract reflects the register as of the moment of issue. It does not reflect historical states of the register. A director who was removed six months ago does not appear on a current extract. Historical data requires a separate request and is subject to different availability rules.
Source: KVK Handelsregister · verified 2026-09-15
The limit of what the sources allow
The KVK Handelsregister is a well-maintained, publicly accessible register. It answers questions about registered identity and formal authority with a high degree of reliability. Its limits are structural, not incidental.
Shareholders are not recorded. For a BV — the most common form for operating companies — the shareholder register is private. It is held by the company or its notary. It is not filed with KVK and is not accessible through the register.
Beneficial ownership is not accessible to the general public. The UBO register exists, but access is restricted following the CJEU ruling. An international buyer without a specific legal basis for access cannot retrieve UBO data through standard channels.
Historical states of the register are not automatically available. A current extract shows the present record. Establishing who held a directorship at a specific past date, or what the registered address was at the time of a transaction, requires a separate historical extract request. Availability of historical data is not guaranteed for all periods.
The extract does not cover insolvency. Insolvency proceedings in the Netherlands are published in the Centraal Insolventieregister (CIR). A KVK extract does not incorporate CIR data. A company can be in insolvency proceedings and still show as active on a KVK extract if the CIR has not yet been cross-referenced.
The extract does not cover encumbrances. Pledges over shares or assets, and certain security interests, are registered in separate registers. They do not appear on a KVK extract.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment. Where a source does not reach, the report states the gap explicitly.
Source: KVK Handelsregister · verified 2026-09-15
Where the sources disagree
A KVK extract and a company's own articles of association (statuten) may state different things about the scope of director authority. The statuten are filed with the notary and, for certain changes, deposited with KVK. However, the extract reflects what KVK has recorded, which may lag behind the most recent notarial amendment.
Similarly, a company's internal shareholder register may record a transfer of shares that has not yet been reflected in any public document. The KVK extract will show the same directors as before. The economic ownership of the company may have changed entirely.
Where a cross-border transaction depends on the current state of ownership or authority, the extract is a necessary but not sufficient document. The gap between the public record and the private record is a structural feature of Dutch corporate law, not an anomaly.
Source: KVK Handelsregister · verified 2026-09-15
Scope and fixed price
| Tier | Price | What is included | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €440 | KVK extract (current), directorship and authority mapping, language summary in English, source badge with extraction date | Historical extracts, shareholder register, UBO data, insolvency check, apostille |
| Standard | €890 | All Signal items, plus: Centraal Insolventieregister check, cross-reference of statuten on file, summary of authority limits and any recorded restrictions | Shareholder register, UBO data, apostille, certified translation |
| Extended | €1800 | All Standard items, plus: historical extract for a specified date, cross-reference with Chamber of Commerce filing history, written analysis of gaps between public record and known transaction documents | UBO register data (not accessible under current rules), notarial shareholder register, legal qualification of findings |
FAQ
What is the KVK number and why does it matter? The KVK number is the unique identifier assigned to every entity registered in the Handelsregister. It is the reference point for all official correspondence, tax filings, and contract verification. An extract ordered without the KVK number relies on name matching, which carries a risk of confusion between entities with similar names.
Does a KVK extract confirm that a company is solvent? No. The extract confirms registered status. Insolvency proceedings are recorded in the Centraal Insolventieregister, which is a separate database. A company can be subject to a bankruptcy petition and still appear as active on a KVK extract. A solvency check requires a separate CIR query.
Can a foreign buyer order a KVK extract directly? Yes. The KVK portal accepts orders without requiring a Dutch identifier. The extract is issued in Dutch. For use in foreign proceedings, a certified translation and, in some jurisdictions, an apostille are required. Those steps are arranged separately.
What is the difference between a director and a procuratiehouder? A director (bestuurder) is a statutory officer of the company with authority defined by the articles of association and recorded in the register. A procuratiehouder holds a commercial proxy — authority delegated by the board, also recorded in the register, but limited in scope. Both appear on a KVK extract with their respective authority limits stated.
Why does the shareholder register not appear in the KVK extract? Dutch law does not require BV shareholders to be recorded in the public register. The shareholder register is a private document. Notarial deeds recording share transfers are filed with the notary, not with KVK. This is a structural feature of Dutch corporate law. It means that economic ownership of a BV is not verifiable through the Handelsregister alone.
What happened to public access to the UBO register? Following the CJEU ruling in joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20, the Netherlands suspended general public access to UBO data. Access is now limited to competent authorities and obliged entities under anti-money laundering legislation. An international buyer does not automatically qualify as an obliged entity. UBO data is therefore outside the scope of what a standard company register report can establish.
Sources: - KVK Handelsregister — https://www.kvk.nl — verified 2026-09-15 - Centraal Insolventieregister — https://www.rechtspraak.nl/Registers/centraal-insolventieregister — verified 2026-09-15 - CJEU joined cases C-37/20 and C-601/20 — Court of Justice of the European Union — verified 2026-09-15
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Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. VLO Law Firm assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@vlolawfirm.com.
Author: Elena Moretti — Partner, Continental Europe, VLO Law Firm
