Trade Register Netherlands
What You Need To Know About The Trade Register In The Netherlands
All companies established in The Netherlands must be included in the commercial register in the Netherlands with a valid registration address, which is named “Kamer van Koophandel” in Dutch. If you do not have such a registration, you basically cannot do business with your company. The Dutch trade register includes both Dutch companies and branches and/or subsidiaries of international companies operating in the country. They must all be included in the trade register in order for the Dutch government to have a correct overview of all the parties who are doing business in the country. Next to that, if you have a Dutch company or subsidiary, you are obligated to pay taxes to the Dutch government. Knowing who has to pay taxes is another important function of the trade register.
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What is the trade register in the Netherlands, and why is it of any significance to you as an entrepreneur?
When starting a business, it’s imperative that you acquire the necessary information before you start. Such as knowing the conditions to start a Dutch company. If you want to establish a Dutch company, one of the conditions of operating legally is that you need to register your business in the Dutch trade register with a valid accompanying registration address. The trade register is a list kept by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the Dutch government, in which legal entities and companies are listed, as well as all their important details, which you can also actively search for.In the Netherlands, the register is regulated by the Trade Register Act and the Trade Register Act BES of March 22, 2007 (effective January 1, 2008). Now, our advisors are asked every day whether someone should register their new Dutch company with the Chamber of Commerce. In essence, you must always register with the Chamber of Commerce if you are an entrepreneur. To find out whether you are considered to be an entrepreneur, you’ll need to meet a number of criteria. These rules are aptly named entrepreneurial criteria. In short, the definition of an entrepreneur is that you must independently supply products or services to others for a (commercial) fee. But in practice, it is almost never that black and white.

What is the KvK in the Netherlands, and should you register your future company with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce?
In order to register your company with the Chamber of Commerce, which is the ‘Kamer van Koophandel’ in Dutch (KvK), you must first meet these three entrepreneurial criteria:
- You independently sell a product or provide a service, or you are preparing to do this in the near future. For example, you have already started purchasing products that you want to sell to third parties.
- You independently sell a product or provide a service, or you are preparing to do this in the near future. For example, you have already started purchasing products that you want to sell to third parties.
- You independently sell a product or provide a service, or you are preparing to do this in the near future. For example, you have already started purchasing products that you want to sell to third parties.
- Do you invest money and/or time in starting your business?
- Do you hire staff?
- Do you work regularly and for longer periods of time for your own company? If you only work during specific timeframes or seasons, keep in mind that you also need to register for large one-off activities such as Christmas tree sales.
- Do you have multiple customers, or do you intend to have more in the future? If you work for one client all year round, it can sometimes look more like you are employed.
- Do you decide how, where and when you do your work? As an entrepreneur you have to be able to decide how and when you do your work, even if you let yourself be hired by a client.