Why do verenigingen and stichtingen need to register UBOs?

  • Q and A
  • Edited 21 February 2025
  • 1 min
  • Secure business

UBO registration is required by law to prevent fraud. Are you the treasurer for the local gardening club? Or are you a director of the local football club? Then you might not expect to have to register a UBO, or beneficial owner, in the UBO register. Yet all stichtingen (foundations) and many verenigingen (associations) have to register their UBOs.

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Help prevent fraud

Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs) are the people who ultimately own an organisation or may make decisions about it. These are, for example, people who are entitled to more than 25% of the organisation's assets or have more than 25% voting rights. A UBO register is mandatory for all EU countries under European regulations. KVK manages the UBO register. The UBO register shows who has control in an organisation. In doing so, the register should help prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

The law states that all stichtingen and verenigingen must register UBOs. So also  small foundations with hardly any money. There are 2 exceptions to this. These verenigingen do not have to register UBOs:

Avoid a fine

Do you not register the UBOs for your vereniging or stichting? Then you risk a fine of up to €22,500. The Bureau Economische Handhaving (BEH, in Dutch) checks the registrations and imposes any fines. BEH is part of the Netherlands Tax Administration.

Registering UBOs

Prepare well so you can register the UBOs in one go. You register UBOs with a UBO report. If you are the authorised signatory of a vereniging or stichting, you can see who are already registered as UBOs. Check out these examples of UBO's for a foundation or association. 

Reporting changes

Does the board or statutes of your association or foundation change? Report these changes to KVK within 1 week. Process the changes for your vereniging or stichting in the KVK Business Register first, and then the UBO register.

Your association or foundation will continue to develop and your situation may change. So, check regularly whether the information in the Business Register is still correct.

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