Knowledge
Legal requirements for a Dutch website.
Dutch law keeps website obligations refreshingly compact — but it does have them, and Dutch customers notice when they are missing. Here is the complete checklist in plain English.
Updated 1 August 2026
The short answer
A business website in the Netherlands must state the company’s registered trade name, KvK number and contact details (including a reachable email address); webshops and service providers also display the VAT identification number. Processing personal data — a contact form already counts — requires a GDPR-compliant privacy statement, and tracking cookies require prior consent. Webshops add consumer-law duties: complete pre-purchase information, prices including VAT, and the 14-day right of withdrawal, clearly explained.
The identity layer: who is behind this site
The rule is simple: a visitor must be able to establish who they are dealing with. In practice that means footer and contact page carry your trade name exactly as registered, the eight-digit KvK number, an email address, and for shops and service providers the btw-id. Complete identity details do double work — they satisfy the law and they answer the first silent question of every Dutch visitor: is this business real?
The data and commerce layers
The moment your site processes personal data — forms, analytics, newsletters — the GDPR applies: a clear privacy statement, a lawful basis per purpose, and processor agreements with your tools. Cookies that track require consent before placement; purely functional cookies are free to run. Selling online adds the consumer layer: full information before purchase, consumer prices including VAT, delivery and return terms stated plainly, and the withdrawal right honoured with refunds on time. Each layer fits on one honest page — which is exactly how we build them.
Frequently asked questions
Do these rules apply to a simple portfolio site?
The identity duties apply to every business website, however small; the privacy statement applies as soon as any personal data flows — and a contact form counts. The consumer-commerce layer only joins once you sell online.
What happens if my website is missing these details?
Enforcement ranges from warnings to fines — the privacy regulator (AP) and the consumer authority (ACM) both act on complaints. The commercial damage tends to arrive first: Dutch buyers treat missing company details as a red flag and quietly leave.
My site is in English — do Dutch rules still apply?
Yes: the rules follow your establishment and your market rather than your language. An English-language site run from the Netherlands, serving Dutch customers, carries the full checklist — in whichever language your visitors read.
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