Registering a vof with natural and non-natural persons

The vof has partners who are persons (of flesh and blood) and partners that are non-natural persons (such as a bv, cv, association, cooperative, vof or maatschap).

Before you register

1. Contact UWV or your municipality if you are on benefits.

Do you want to start a business, and do you receive benefits? Then discuss your plans with UWV first. Or, if you are on welfare, with your municipality. 

2. More about the vof (vennootschap onder firma)

Do you want to start a company with a business partner under a shared company name? The legal structure vennootschap onder firma (vof, general partnership) may be the right choice for you. Read more about the vof. 

3. The difference between natural persons and non-natural persons

A natural person is a human being of flesh and blood. A non-natural person is an organisation. For example, a bv, cv, maatschap, vof, cooperative, vereniging (association), or stichting (foundation). This article is about registering a vof with natural persons and non-natural persons as its partners. You can also: 

Registering a vof step by step

1.    Fill in the registration form

Fill in the digital registration form to the best of your ability. The more complete the form, the less time you will need to spend on your registration appointment at KVK. 

Do not use punctuation or diacritics in your name

In the field "uw naam" (your name), do not use punctuation marks or diacritics, such as an umlaut or accent. The system cannot handle these, and this will cause an error that makes it impossible for us to send you an email. This means you cannot continue with your registration. You can adjust your name to the correct spelling during your appointment at KVK.  

Consult the pdf for the English terminology

The online registration process is only available in Dutch. To find out what is being asked of you, you can consult form 2 for registering a vof (PDF). You can also opt to fill out the form, print it, and bring it to your appointment.

Start registration

2. Register UBOs

UBOs (ultimate beneficial owners) are the persons who have the ultimate stake in an organisation. You must register your UBOs when you start a new vof. First determine who are the UBOs for your organisation. Then fill in form 32 and bring it to your appointment.  

Download form 32

3. Make an appointment

Have you completed the forms? You can make an appojntment at a KVK office of your choice. Login using DigiD at the bottom of this page to make the appointment. 

About the appointment

The natural partners come to the office and bring:  

  • valid proof of their identity.   
  • form 10: 'Registration of a partner (vennoot)'. Fill in the details of the partner that is a legal entity.
  • a copy of a valid ID of the person who has signed for the partner that is a legal entity. 

A KVK employee will check the forms and IDs. 

Is your starting date over 2 months ago? 

You must prove that your business has been active since the starting date on the form. Such as documents that prove you have made investments or executed assignments. Bring these to your appointment. 

Registration fee

Login using DigiD

FAQ about registering a vof

You will find all frequently asked questions about making an appointment in Help and Contact.

At Help & Contact you will find all frequently asked questions about DigiD.

Only one of the partners in the vof can register. You can help someone else with the registration, but a partner must log in with their own DigiD.

We advise you to document the agreements you make with your partners in a partnership contract (a vof contract). In this contract, you also document the authority of each partner. Bring the vof contract to your KVK appointment, or send it to KVK by post (if you do not have to make an appointment in person). 

You register your business 1 week before or after the start of business activities. Prepare your registration online. Then schedule an appointment for the identification check and the completion of your registration. You will then immediately receive your KVK number. Registering is possible at any KVK office in the Netherlands.

You can also visit us earlier for the check of your pre-completed details and proof of identity. This is possible up to a maximum of 3 months before your start date. In this case, you will receive your KVK number by post in the week prior to your start date. You can schedule an appointment up to 8 weeks in advance.

You will receive a KVK number when you register in the Business Register. You can register from 1 week before the start date of your company, but you can also visit the KVK earlier to prepare your registration. You can do this up to 3 months before the start date. In this case, the actual registration (with KVK number) will take effect 1 week before the start date of your company. You do not need to return to the KVK offices for this.

Registration in the preparation phase is possible in some cases. Preparations include ordering goods, applying for permits, or renting business premises. To complete the registration, make an appointment online by logging in with DigiD. Registration is possible at any KVK office in the Netherlands.

All the FAQs about UBOs can be found under Help & Contact. 

You do not need to register separately with the Netherlands Tax Administration. You submit information when preparing your registration, which the KVK forwards in digital form to the Tax Administration. You will receive a letter of confirmation for your registration with the Tax Administration. After around 10 working days, you will receive a notification from the Tax Administration.

Is your question not included? More frequently asked questions can be found on our Help and contact page. It also states how you can contact us.