What do we use your personal data for?

Registering your company is a statutory responsibility of KVK, laid down in the Business Register Act.

This data includes:

• your name;
• address details;
• gender;
• date of birth;
• place and country of birth;
• citizen service number (BSN);
• email address;
• telephone number.

What we use this data for

If you register a company in the Business Register, we process some of your and your company’s data as part of our statutory responsibilities.

Your company, like all Dutch companies, must be registered in the Business Register. On the basis of your registration, you will be given a KVK number. This number is your unique entrepreneur ID, so that other entrepreneurs can check who they are dealing with and what business they can contact you for. Management of the Business Register is the statutory responsibility of KVK.

Some of the personal data in the Business Register is made public and provided to third parties upon request. More information can be found under the heading For providing data from the Business Register.

Private addresses of officers of legal entities (for example, the director of a BV) have not been public since 2008. For sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited partnerships and private partnerships, the private addresses of the owner, partners and associates have not been public since 1 January 2022. Only employees of administrative bodies, lawyers, notaries and bailiffs can view this data if they are authorised to do so. Private addresses of UBOs are also not public. Only employees of certain competent authorities, such as investigative agencies, can view this data if they have authorisation to do so.

Only in very exceptional situations can we shield your business address.

The Business Register is a public register. Management of the Business Register is the statutory responsibility of KVK. The register is intended for entrepreneurs wishing to find other entrepreneurs: to know whether the company with which they do business exists, to find new customers, or to get to know the market. This stimulates the economy.

This concerns the following data:

• your name;
• date of birth;
• place of birth;
• business name (name of your company);
• your company’s address details;
• legal form;
• email address;
• telephone number.

What we use this data for

The vast majority of the data from the Business Register is used for public services. All public authorities, such as municipalities, provinces, and water boards, make use of the Business Register in carrying out their tasks. In addition, KVK provides data from the Business Register to private parties, in return for payment. See With which third parties does KVK share my personal data? for more information.

These parties use this data for compliance purposes, legal certainty, market analysis, or contacting new customers.

Your data in the Business Register may also be used by third parties for marketing purposes. KVK is legally required to provide public data to individuals or companies that request it, regardless of their purpose.

However, recipients of data from the Business Register must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation and the Telecommunications Act when using your data. This means that they cannot use your data for marketing or other purposes unconditionally.

In almost all cases, anyone who uses your data must inform you that they are doing so. They often also need your consent (for email marketing), or must allow you to object if they approach you for marketing purposes (for postal or telephone marketing).

KVK tracks a so-called ‘Non Mailing Indicator’ and also provides it to persons or companies requesting your data. If you activate this Non Mailing Indicator, all recipients of Business Register data are informed that you do not want to receive unsolicited post or an unsolicited visit to your home. Recipients of data from the Business Register must comply with this requirement.

We see it as our responsibility to inform users of data from the Business Register that they must have a basis for processing your data.

Unfortunately, we also know that not everybody complies with the General Data Protection Regulation, the Telecommunications Act, and/or the Non Mailing Indicator when using data from the Business Register. KVK disapproves of this, and is exploring with the legislator and supervisory authorities how to address this issue in the future.

If you are confronted with unwanted marketing on the basis of Business Register data, you can lodge a complaint with the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM – for direct marketing by email) or the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP – for direct marketing by post or telephone, or any other unwanted use of your data).

For complaints about spam (email, social media, text messages), see the ACM’s page (in Dutch).

For complaints about the use of personal data, see the AP’s page (in Dutch).

For example, when you buy an extract from us or register for an event. This is part of our statutory duty to provide information and advice to entrepreneurs.

This concerns the following data:

• your name, address, and place of residence;
• email address;
• telephone number;
• bank account number.

What we use this data for

• To register you for an event or meeting.
• For identification purposes, for example when you register for the first time, or for displaying on a badge when participating in an event.
• Your name and address to ensure that a product can be addressed to you personally and (if applicable) sent to the correct address.
• With the correct bank details, we can ensure that a payment or invoice is processed with the correct details.
• To get in touch with you when needed, and to actually reach you personally, we register your phone number and email address.

This list of data will be updated if anything changes.

For example, when you call or email us with a question. This is part of our statutory duty to provide information and advice to entrepreneurs.

This concerns the following data:

• identification data;
• questions that you have asked;
• contact history (when there was contact, with which department, via which channel);
• information from a submitted complaint;
• email correspondence;
• contact details of your social media accounts (if we want to answer a question you have asked via Twitter or Facebook).

What we use this data for

• To be able to answer questions you have asked, we register the original question, any clarifications, and the subsequent actions taken. We can also serve you better if we know what interactions have taken place earlier. If we have arranged an appointment with you, we will also record this.
• In the event of a complaint or complex question, information about the content is kept in order to ensure that your question is answered correctly. We also use this data to learn and to improve our service.
• We respond to questions and other expressions on social media.

For example, because we want to know what you think about our products and services and what can be improved next time. We do this as part of our statutory duty to provide information and advice to entrepreneurs.

This concerns the following data:

• identification data;
• questions that you have asked;
• contact history (when there was contact, with which department, via which channel);
• information from a submitted complaint;
• email address;
• email correspondence;
• contact details of your social media accounts.

We record the content of the contact you have had with us, for example, by recording telephone calls and chats. We also store and read cookies when visiting the website. More information can be found on our cookie page.

What we use this data for

• To better understand who uses our products, when they do so, and how often. With this information, we can make improvements so that our products better meet the needs of entrepreneurs.
• To gain a better understanding of our customer groups, which helps us to better identify who is relevant to our products.
• To measure and evaluate customer satisfaction by means of customer satisfaction surveys by email, to determine which of our services and products are valued and which ones need improvement.

This concerns the following data:

• name of the entrepreneur;
• email address;
• telephone number;
• date of birth;
• gender;
• postal address and postcode of the company.

What we use this data for

• We would like to keep you informed about our products and services.
• If we do so by email, we always ask for your consent (opt-in).
• For example, you can register for our newsletter and emails.
• To make emails as relevant for you as possible, we ask you a few questions to get to know you better. We also link your KVK data, your favourite topics, and your preferences to your newsletter profile, so that we do not send you information on topics that do not interest you.
• We keep this profile until you unsubscribe. Every email and newsletter you receive contains an option to unsubscribe.
• In some cases, we also approach you by post or telephone, for example to invite you to a seminar or event or to draw your attention to products or services that you have expressed an interest in.
• Whenever we approach you by post or telephone, we give you the option to opt out of this means of contact.
• We analyse your data to understand the needs of entrepreneurs and to tailor our services as much as possible.

Good to know

We will not use your email address for marketing purposes unless you have given us your consent. You can stop marketing by email, post, or telephone at any time using the method indicated in the communication.

This information relates only to KVK’s own marketing. Third parties sometimes use data from the Business Register for marketing purposes. See the heading For providing data from the Business Register for more details.

This concerns the following data:

• identification data (name, address, date of birth, etc.);
• identity documents;
• photos and camera recordings.

What we use this data for

• Cameras with a recording function are located at all entrances to KVK premises for your safety and those of all visitors. Visitors at the office or at an event organised by KVK will only be allowed access after registration, and should report to and identify themselves at the reception.
• Upon registration in the Business Register, the passport or identity card of the person concerned is scanned for validation purposes.

This concerns the following data:

• IP address;
• details of visits to our websites (times of visits, pages viewed, keywords);
• devices used (PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet);
• personal data processed in cookies.

What we use this data for

• Your IP address is processed by default when visiting websites. KVK uses the IP address solely to allow you to participate in surveys (for example, testing a new website) and to participate in events.
• By monitoring visits to and use of the website, we can improve your user experience by making it easy to navigate between pages and, on the basis of your search behaviour, to better tailor the information displayed to your needs.
• By making sure that the website responds to the device used, all content (text, photos, video) is displayed in optimal form.
• In addition to your browsing behaviour on our website, cookies help customise the information provided. Cookies can also be used to store your personal preferences.

KVK places different types of cookies on your computer. Cookies are small text files placed on your computer by websites when you visit the site. Placing cookies may involve processing personal data if the information contained in a cookie can be traced back to a person, such as by using your IP address. We place cookies to make the website works properly, to carry out statistical analyses, and to be of better assistance to you.

For more information about the cookies we place, see our cookie page.