KvK Handelsregister — the Chamber of Commerce

The KvK (Kamer van Koophandel) is the Dutch public institution that maintains the Handelsregister, the country's mandatory business register. Its 8-digit number is the pivotal identifier of the digital ecosystem: ICD 0106 in PEPPOL, SBR join key, KYC/UBO base. Without a KvK number, no NLCIUS-compliant electronic invoice.

The KvK — public institution

The Kamer van Koophandel ("Chamber of Commerce") has, since 1 January 2014, been the unique Dutch public institution resulting from the merger of the 12 pre-existing regional chambers. Legal status: Zelfstandig Bestuursorgaan (ZBO) under the Wet Kamer van Koophandel of 25 June 2013, under administrative oversight of the Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat (EZK).

Three main missions:

Handelsregister maintenance — central registry of all Dutch businesses, online-accessible via the public API.
Advice and training — business creation support, training, thematic events (free for registrants).
Economic representation — to government, EU institutions and internationally (with Eurochambres and ICC).

Handelsregister — legal basis

The Handelsregister ("Commercial Register") is governed by:

Handelsregisterwet 2007 (law of 22 March 2007, Stb. 2007, 153) — main framework, defines scope and obligations.
Handelsregisterbesluit 2008 (decree of 19 May 2008) — operational arrangements for registration, modification, deregistration.
Wijzigingsbesluit 2020 — UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owners) extension transposing the 4th AML directive.

Mandatory inscription in the Handelsregister includes:

All commercial companies (BV, NV, Coöperatie, OvR, VOF, CV, Maatschap)
All sole proprietorships (Eenmanszaak)
Associations and foundations carrying out a commercial activity
Branches of foreign companies (Wet op de Stamboekverklaring)
Commercial public bodies (commercial ZBOs, NS, ProRail, etc.)

The 8-digit KvK number

The KvK number (KvK-nummer or KvK-nr) is an 8-digit identifier, allocated sequentially upon registration. Characteristics:

Format: 8 decimal digits, no checksum.
Current range: approximately 10000000 to 99999999 (businesses created since ~2009 have numbers > 30 million).
Permanence: the number persists for the entire life of the business and ~10 years after deregistration (statutory retention).
Display: must be shown on all commercial documents (invoices, quotes, letters, website, email signature).

Hoofdvestiging vs nevenvestiging

A KvK-registered business can have multiple physical vestigingen (establishments). The system distinguishes:

Hoofdvestiging (main establishment) — one per business. Identifier vestigingsnummer 12 digits.
Nevenvestigingen (secondary establishments) — additional sites (warehouses, branches, agencies). Each with its own 12-digit vestigingsnummer.

In PEPPOL, only the 8-digit KvK-nr of the legal entity is used. The vestigingsnummer is used internally in SBR for the Belastingdienst.

PEPPOL ICD 0106

The KvK number is registered as ICD 0106 in the PEPPOL ICD (International Customer Domain Numbers) registry, managed by OpenPEPPOL in collaboration with ISO 6523. This registration allows any PEPPOL AP worldwide to discover and address a Dutch business via its KvK number.

xml kvk-in-ubl.xml

<!-- Reference an NL supplier by KvK number -->
<cac:AccountingSupplierParty>
  <cac:Party>
    <cbc:EndpointID schemeID="0106">12345678</cbc:EndpointID>
    <cac:PartyIdentification>
      <cbc:ID schemeID="0106">12345678</cbc:ID>
    </cac:PartyIdentification>
    <cac:PartyLegalEntity>
      <cbc:RegistrationName>Voorbeeld B.V.</cbc:RegistrationName>
      <cbc:CompanyID schemeID="0106">12345678</cbc:CompanyID>
      <cac:RegistrationAddress>
        <cbc:CityName>Amsterdam</cbc:CityName>
        <cac:Country><cbc:IdentificationCode>NL</cbc:IdentificationCode></cac:Country>
      </cac:RegistrationAddress>
    </cac:PartyLegalEntity>
  </cac:Party>
</cac:AccountingSupplierParty>

<!-- ICD 0106 = Handelsregister NL — registered by OpenPEPPOL in 2014 -->

Public API and KvK Profile

The KvK offers several public APIs to query the Handelsregister:

API Zoeken — free search by name, city, sector. Endpoint https://api.kvk.nl/api/v1/zoeken.
API Basisprofiel — structured data of a business (number, RSIN, address, name).
API Vestigingsprofiel — details per vestiging (establishment).
API Naamgevingen — history of trading names.
API UBO Registratie — ultimate beneficial owners (UBO Register since 2020).

Authentication: API key + HMAC signature. Pricing: 0.32 € per request in production (2026), free for sandbox testing.

json kvk-basisprofiel-snippet.json

{
  "kvkNummer": "12345678",
  "vestigingsnummer": "000022334455",
  "rsin": "001234567",
  "indNonMailing": "Nee",
  "naam": "Voorbeeld B.V.",
  "adressen": [
    {
      "type": "bezoekadres",
      "straatnaam": "Voorbeeldstraat",
      "huisnummer": 12,
      "postcode": "1011AA",
      "plaats": "Amsterdam",
      "land": "Nederland"
    }
  ],
  "_links": {
    "basisprofiel":   { "href": "/api/v1/basisprofielen/12345678" },
    "vestigingen":    { "href": "/api/v1/vestigingen?kvkNummer=12345678" },
    "naamgeving":     { "href": "/api/v1/naamgevingen?kvkNummer=12345678" },
    "ubo":            { "href": "/api/v1/ubo-registratie/12345678" }
  }
}

PSD2, KYC and UBO

The KvK is a central actor in Dutch PSD2 (Payment Services Directive 2) and KYC (Know Your Customer) frameworks:

PSD2 — Account Information Services: regulated fintechs (Adyen, Bunq, Mollie) use the KvK API to verify the identity of a business customer before opening a business account.
KYC AML 4/5: banks (ING, Rabobank, ABN AMRO) integrate the KvK Basisprofiel to meet anti-money-laundering obligations.
UBO Register: since 27 September 2020, every Dutch business must declare ultimate beneficial owners (Ultimate Beneficial Owners) > 25% in the UBO register held by KvK. Partial public access, full access for competent authorities.
Wwft (Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme): KvK is sanctionable by DNB and AFM in case of UBO failure.

Foundations

Standards

Flagship messages

Tools