Knowledge
What is a KvK number?
Eight digits that identify every Dutch business: the KvK number. Issued by the Kamer van Koophandel at registration, it is the company registration number you will quote on invoices, contracts — and, by law, on your website.
Updated 3 September 2026
The short answer
A KvK number (KvK-nummer) is the eight-digit registration number every Dutch business receives when it registers in the Handelsregister, the trade register kept by the Kamer van Koophandel — the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. It is the official company identifier in the Netherlands: banks, suppliers, customers and government bodies all use it to verify who they are dealing with. Dutch law requires businesses to display the number on their website and correspondence, and anyone can look it up in the public register.
One number, many doors
The KvK number is the key that opens Dutch business infrastructure: a business bank account, a btw-id (VAT identification number) from the tax authority, contracts with Dutch suppliers, payment providers such as iDEAL, and listings in trade directories. Each of these checks the number against the register, which is why a correct and current registration sits underneath everything else you build in this market.
Where the number lives online
Dutch law places the KvK number on your website — the footer and the contact page are its natural home — and on invoices and formal correspondence. Beyond compliance, displaying it works as a trust signal: Dutch visitors recognise the pattern instantly and read it as proof of a real, registered company. Webshops pair it with the btw-id, and AI systems reading your site use the same consistent details to confirm who you are.
Reading a number you found
Looking up a KvK number in the public Handelsregister shows the legal name, legal form, registered address, directors and authority to sign. Dutch companies check each other this way as routine due diligence — before signing, before shipping, before paying. Make the habit yours: an extract costs a few euro and reads in minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find my KvK number?
On your registration confirmation and extract from the Kamer van Koophandel, and in the public Handelsregister by searching your company name. Once issued, the number stays with the company for its entire life.
Is a KvK number the same as a VAT number?
They are two separate identifiers: the KvK number comes from the Chamber of Commerce and identifies the company; the btw-id comes from the Belastingdienst and identifies it for VAT. A Dutch webshop displays both.
What does a KvK number look like?
Eight digits, no letters, no prefix: for example 42038397. It is printed on every invoice, on the website and in the email footer of a Dutch company. A number with the letters NL and a B in it is not a KvK number but a VAT identification number.
Why does a bank, client or screening company ask for my KvK number?
Because it is the one number that proves a Dutch company exists and identifies it uniquely. Banks use it to open an account, clients and screening companies to check who they are dealing with, and platforms to verify a business account. Anyone can look the number up in the public trade register.
Does a KvK number have to be on my invoice and website?
Yes. Dutch law requires the KvK number on invoices and on the website of every registered business, together with the company name and, for webshops, the VAT number. See the full checklist for a Dutch website →
Do foreign companies need a KvK number?
A foreign company with a branch or permanent establishment in the Netherlands registers that branch in the Handelsregister and receives a KvK number for it. Selling into the Netherlands from abroad, purely at a distance, sits outside the register.
Partner — Holdwise
Planning to enter the Dutch market? Our partner Holdwise handles the incorporation of a Dutch private limited company (BV) fully remotely: notary, registration in the business register of the Chamber of Commerce (KvK), value added tax (VAT) number and a business address — in writing, structured and at a fixed fee.
INCORPORATE WITH HOLDWISEFurther reading
Free advice
Shall Ovolum take a look at your website?
Ask your question — you will receive a personal, written answer within one working day. Free of charge, with full attention.