Quality of the Business Register

  • Edited 22 January 2026
  • 1 min

You look up company data in the Business Register. For example, via the search bar on kvk.nl/en, via an extract, or via an API link in your system. Everyone needs to be able to rely on this data. That is why it is important that the details in the Business Register are correct and up-to-date. Read how KVK ensures the quality of the Business Register.

Businesses and organisations are legally obliged to maintain their details correctly in the Business Register. Think about updating the business address, the number of people employed, or the description of activities. Not everyone does this on time. In that case, the reality is different from what is recorded in the Business Register.

What if details are incorrect?

More than 3.7 million companies and organisations are registered in the Business Register. Every year, there are over 2.5 million changes. In order to do business safely, it is important that the details in the Business Register are up-to-date and correct. Legally, this information is what is valid. This means that if a business has not reported changes, what is in the Business Register still applies. This is called third-party effect and is stated in the Business Register Act 2007 (Handelsregister Act 2007, in Dutch).

Quality standards

Strict quality standards apply to what is called authentic data. These include the trade name, statutory name, KVK number, address, and legal structure.

As well as authentic data, the Business Register also contains other details, such as officials, the number of people employed, contact data, activity description, and SBI code(s). KVK also checks this data. If there are discrepancies, they usually concern the contact details of businesses and organisations. These include email address, telephone number, and domain name.

Scores second half of 2025

StandardTargetScore achieved
Completeness – authentic data of businesses and organisations in the Business Register is complete99,8%100%
Up-to-date - changes to data are processed within 1 day of online reporting and within 5 days after reporting by post 98%95,4%
Administratively correct – authentic data matches the data on source documents99,5%99,8% (research by accountant, PDF in Dutch)
Factually correct - details match the actual situation99,5%99,5%*

* This score excludes contact data

KVK ensures reliable registers with:

  • Automatic processes, such as mandatory fields when entering data and automatic recognition when someone enters a non-existent address.
  • Linking to  the Basisregistratie Personen (municipal personal records database, BRP) and the Basisregistratie Adressen en Gebouwen (addresses and buildings key register, BAG, in Dutch). Changes in there registers are automatically processed in the Business Register. 
  • External review. An accountant checks every 3 years with a sample of entries whether the authentic data of businesses and organisations match the original information they submitted to KVK.
  • Ongoing, internal spot checks verifying administrative and factual accuracy.
  • Registration and verification of data by certified employees.
  • Investigation and improvement based on signals from users about possible incorrect data in the Business Register.
  • Informing businesses and organisations of the importance of reporting changes on time.