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Connect KVK Dataservice - FAQ's

  • Edited 2 March 2026
  • 1 min

Find the most often asked questions about the KVK Dataservice.

Connection documentation

No, the connection documentation is only available in Dutch. 

 For a production connection

  • Application form
  • Certificate
  • KVK Dataservice contract

Security and certificates

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 PKIoverheid (PKIo) certificate (a Public Key Infrastructure certificate for Dutch government servers);
  • messages are signed via SOAP-WS Security with a qualified PKIo certificate.

A Public Key Infrastructure for Dutch government servers (PKIo or PKIoverheid) is a system of digital certificates that enables organisations to communicate securely and reliably with the government via digital channels. It ensures that the sender’s identity can be verified, that data is sent in encrypted form, and that digital signatures are legally valid. It is, in effect, a kind of digital passport for systems and organisations.

Logius manages PKIoverheid on behalf of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. Only qualified Trust Service Providers are authorised to issue these certificates. You can find more information about PKIoverheid and suppliers on the Logius website.

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.

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More info on certificates for connecting a business

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

The average processing time for an application from an organisation already known to one of the certification bodies is approximately 2 to 5 working days. However, the process may take longer for a completely new application, typically around 1 to 2 weeks.

A PKIoverheid certificate is valid for a maximum of 3 years.

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).

Yes, a customer can query the KVK Dataservice a maximum of 5 times per second.

Data and products

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: