Connect KVK Dataservice - FAQ's

No, the connection documentation is only available in Dutch. 

 For a production connection

• Application form
• Certificate
• KVK Dataservice contract

You can find more information here: 

Connect a business - certificates

Overheid aansluiten - certificates (in Dutch)

We do not give advice on the choice for a supplier, but we can make suggestions on how to choose.

No, the requirements for a test certificate are less strict than those for a production certificate. Find more information on certificates in the articles about connecting a business or a public body (in Dutch). 

KVK Dataservice has two layers of security:

• transport is secured via a two-way TLS protocol connection that uses a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate;
• messages are signed via SOAP-WS Security with a qualified PKI certificate.

A Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a system that enables the issuance and management of digital certificates. The use of a robust PKI makes it possible for a certificate managed by a certificate authority (CA) to be used by its owner in its relationship with another individual or system. The CA guarantees the integrity and authenticity of the certificate and therefore vouches for the identity of the certificate holder.

There are various suppliers of qualified PKI certificates. You can choose your own supplier. The terms of use, costs, and support vary per supplier. The preconditions that the KVK imposes on the certificate can be found here: connect a business - certificates or connect a public body - certificates (in Dutch).

KVK's preconditions state that you must have at least a domain validation certificate for the test (PREPROD) environment and an organisation validation certificate for production (PRD). The certificate supplier carries out various checks before issuing an SSL certificate. For domain validation certificates, they check whether the specified internet domain is under your control. Organisation validation certificates are only issued after extensive checks. These checks consist of company validation with KVK, WHOIS for ownership of the internet domain, telephone validation/on-site validation, and technical validation. The checks may vary depending on the supplier.

View image

More info on certificates for connecting a business

More info on certificates for connecting a public body (in Dutch)

The delivery time for a PKI certificate varies depending on the supplier. The average processing time for an application is 16 to 18 weeks, depending on your supplier. However, the procedure may take longer because the certificate administrator for your organisation must be identified.

The validity of a PKI certificate depends on your preference. You can choose a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years for qualified SSL certificates. We recommend always choosing a validity period of 3 years for the KVK Dataservice.

Transport Layer Security (TLS) and its predecessor Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) are encryption protocols that secure communication between computers. TLS ensures that the transport of critical data is encrypted. This means that the data can only be read by those for whom it is intended. SSL certificates provide:

• authentication: certainty about the identity of the server 
• encryption: encryption of communication data so that it is sent in a form that is unreadable to third parties

KVK follows the guidelines of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which recommends TLS 1.x as the standard to be followed.

SOAP Web Services security, or WS-Security, is a standard for securing SOAP requests at the message level using a digital signature. A 'Security header' is used to define the message authentication, message integrity, and confidentiality of the message. KVK Dataservice XML and StUF messages are provided with an X.509 signature and timestamps at multiple levels. More information in standards for connecting a business or a public body (in Dutch).

In the Data Catalogue and product descriptions (both in Dutch) you will find more information about the products and data featured in KVK Dataservice. The Data Catalogue is a technical catalogue, to be used by analysts. The product descriptions are easier to read and use for business functions. 

The product descriptions (in Dutch) for every product state which messages you can expect to receive, including error messages.  

You can view several examples of the request and response messages in the message examples: 

• Business connection
• Public body connection (in Dutch)