How to share general terms and conditions

Edited 22 October 2026
3 min
Rules and laws

Do you use general terms and conditions? If so, you must give your customers the opportunity to read them before they make a purchase or enter into a contract. Otherwise, the general terms and conditions may not be valid.

Refer your client to your general terms and conditions

Your general terms and conditions only apply if:

your client knows there are general terms and conditions.
your client has had the opportunity to read them.

An agreement from your customer is not necessary. But can be useful if you get into a dispute about the terms and conditions.

Share general terms and conditions correctly

You can share general terms and conditions digitally and on paper. According to the law, the way you may share them depends on how you operate.

If you sell online, you can put terms and conditions on your website or email them to your customer. If you sell goods or services in a shop or over the phone, you may only refer to your website or mail the terms and conditions if your customer agrees. Otherwise, you should choose one of the other ways to share them.

Putting them on your website

If you put the terms and conditions on your website, customers should also be able to download and save them. For example, offer them as a PDF via a URL such as www.companyname.nl/termsandconditions.

Link to the terms and conditions from logical places on your site. On your product pages, in your offer, and on an order form for example.

Send via post or email

Send the client your terms and conditions by post or via email. For example, as a PDF.

4. Offer a printed copy

If you are face to face with your customer, for example, in your shop or at the door, you can give them a printed copy of the terms and conditions. You can also do this by printing the terms and conditions on the back of a contract as standard.

5, Have available to read at the place where you sell

You can allow your client to read the general terms and conditions, for instance in your shop or office. In that case, you do not give them a printout.

Do you only sell services?

If you only sell services, for example as an adviser, broker, or IT professional, the rules are more flexible. Legally you are then a 'service provider'. If your sales are not via the internet, you may still offer your general terms and conditions digitally without your client's consent. For example, by emailing them or with a link to a PDF on your website.

Proof of agreement: not mandatory but useful

It can be useful to have your customer’s agreement. That way, in the event of a dispute, you’ll have proof that your customer was aware of the general terms and conditions. You can do this in several ways. For example:

Include a standard sentence in your contract, quotation, or order confirmation saying you use general terms and conditions. Make it clear that your customer agrees to these terms when doing business with you. If your customer signs such a document, you will have proof that they were aware of the terms and conditions.
Have your client sign the general terms and conditions separately, alongside the contract.
Ask the customer via email to agree to the terms and conditions.
Ask clients to agree to your terms and conditions by checking the box on your website. For example, many online shops ask for agreement in a mandatory box in the online shopping basket, just before the customer pays.
Ask for verbal agreement, for instance in a telephone conversation. The disadvantage is that you then have no proof. So it is wise to confirm the verbal agreement by email, letter, or online form.

Filing your terms and conditions

To be on the safe side, you can file general terms and conditions with KVK or the court. They will then keep them for you.

Filing is especially useful if you or your clients think it is important to have proof of which conditions applied at which time. This is useful in case of a dispute or lawsuit in which the general terms and conditions play a role.

Anyone can request and view your general terms and conditions at KVK or the court. You pay a fee for filing them. A person who wants to view them must also pay.

Checklist for valid general terms and conditions

Do you want to be sure that your general terms and conditions are valid?

You have drawn your customer’s attention to the general terms and conditions.
Your customer was able to view the general terms and conditions before the purchase or agreement.
The general terms and conditions are available online or on paper.
You can prove that you have shared the general terms and conditions.

Check what you are and are not allowed to include in your general terms and conditions.