Netherlands (NL)
Overview of Dutch company data coverage, registers, and legal forms
Overview
The Netherlands maintains the Handelsregister (Trade Register), operated by the Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) - the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. All businesses operating in the Netherlands must register with KVK.
Register
KVK — the Kamer van Koophandel, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, maintaining the trade register (Handelsregister) of all Dutch businesses.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Handelsregister |
| Managing authority | Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) |
Identifiers
Dutch companies are identified primarily by their KVK number:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
nl_kvk_number | 8-digit KVK number (primary identifier) | 68750110 |
nl_vestigingsnummer | Optional 12-digit establishment number | 000037178598 |
nl_rsin | Optional 9-digit corporate entity number | 857587973 |
Only the KVK number is used for company identification. RSIN and vestigingsnummer are stored for reference.
Legal Forms
Corporations
| Legal Form | Full Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| B.V. | Besloten vennootschap | Private limited company (most common) |
| N.V. | Naamloze vennootschap | Public limited company |
| SE | Societas Europaea | European company |
Partnerships
| Legal Form | Full Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| V.O.F. | Vennootschap onder firma | General partnership |
| C.V. | Commanditaire vennootschap | Limited partnership |
| Maatschap | - | Professional partnership |
Other
| Legal Form | Full Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Eenmanszaak | - | Sole proprietorship |
| Stichting | - | Foundation |
| Vereniging | - | Association |
| Coöperatie | - | Cooperative |
Shareholder Graph
The Dutch Handelsregister only publishes a limited subset of ownership data, so coverage varies by legal form. Kausate surfaces everything KVK makes available — and nothing beyond it. Percentages are returned as null unless the source explicitly states them; we do not infer or redistribute ownership.
| Legal Form | Shareholders returned | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| B.V. / N.V. (sole-owned) | The Enig aandeelhouder entry | 100% (implied by the sole-shareholder filing) |
| B.V. / N.V. (multiple owners) | Typically empty — KVK rarely publishes identities (see below) | null on any entries that do appear |
| V.O.F. / C.V. / Maatschap | All named partners (Vennoot, etc.) | null |
| Eenmanszaak | The registered Eigenaar (owner) | null |
| Stichting / Vereniging | Empty — no shareholders by definition | — |
Why multi-shareholder B.V./N.V. returns are typically empty: the full shareholder register (aandeelhoudersregister) for a private company with more than one shareholder is held privately by the company and is not filed with KVK. This is a registry-level limitation that applies to every data provider. Occasional filings may list an Aandeelhouder or Houder van aandelen op naam — we surface those entries when they appear, with percentage left as null since the register does not publish ownership splits.
Even when no shareholders are returned, the response still includes company-level capital amounts (issued or authorised share capital) where filed.
UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) data is separate. The KVK UBO register has been closed to public access since November 2022 — we will expose UBO data once KVK re-enables programmatic access via the planned UBO Dataservice API.
Other data sources
Company data in every jurisdiction is also spread across sources outside the commercial register — the central bank, the official gazette, the financial supervisor's authorisation registers, the statistical office and the tax authority among them. Kausate draws only on the sources described on this page; when you need something the API does not carry, those are where to look.
Coverage
- All Dutch provinces
- All company types registered with KVK
- Sole proprietors (Eenmanszaak)
- Branch establishments of foreign companies
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