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- 8 Jun 2023
- 1 min
UBOs and the UBO register
- The UBO register: what and why?
- How to complete the UBO report
- How do you preprare for your UBO report?
- Is everything clear? Move on directly to:
The UBO register: what and why?
UBOs (Ultimate Beneficial Owners) are the ultimate beneficiaries of an organisation, in other words, the persons in charge. For example, in a private limited company (bv) owners of more than 25% of the shares are UBOs. In a general or professional partnerships (vof or maatschap), persons with over 25% economic interest are UBOs. An organisation can have 1 or several UBOs.
Organisations founded on or before 27 September 2020 had to register their UBOs before 27 March 2022. Your UBO registration helps to make doing business in the Netherlands and Europe safer.
The details of the UBOs in the UBO register are not public.
How to complete the UBO report
Step 1
Select your organisation and login using your DigiD
Step 2
Enter the UBO's personal details
Step 3
Indicate what stake the UBO has in your organisation
Step 4
More than 1 UBO? Repeat steps 2 and 3
Step 5
Upload the required documents
Step 6
Enter your details and sign the report
How to prepare for your UBO report
The preparation will make clear to you whether or not your organisation has to register UBOs. You will also find information on the data and documents required to file the report.
Change UBO details
You can use the UBO report to make changes in the stake your UBOs have in the organisation, and for shielding private details of UBOs.
Please note: You must file a UBO report to notify us of any changes in the UBO details within 7 days of the changes becoming official.
Change UBOsDeregister UBOs
You can also deregister persons in the UBO report, if they are no longer UBOs.
Please note: You must file a UBO report to notify us if a person is no longer a UBO within 7 days. When you deregister UBOs, be aware that you may have to register other UBOs in their stead.
Deregister UBOsFAQ about UBO
You can still register your UBOs.
The Economic Enforcement Office (BEH) is responsibile for enforecement. KVK cannot comment about the consequences of a late registration.
KVK will send a confirmation of the UBO registration by post to the organisation and to the registered UBO(s).
The processing time of a UBO report is about 4 weeks. We work hard to process all reports. We will notify you as soon as your UBO report has been processed.
Based on the information in the Business Register, KVK cannot determine who the UBOs of your organisation are. Therefore, we must establish the identity of the authorised signatory, and you must determine who the UBOs of your organisation are. KVK is therefore obliged to request information that you may have provided when registering your organisation in the Business Register.
The legal basis for checking the identity of the authorised signatory can be found in Article 5, paragraph 1 of the Business Register decree ('Handelsregisterbesluit'). Checking the identity of the UBO is stated in Article 15a paragraph 3 of the Commercial Registers Act ('Handelsregisterwet').
For information on determining the UBOs of your organisation, go to:
- Determining the UBOs of a private limited company (bv or SCE, non-listed) or public limited company (nv or SE, non-listed)
- Determining the UBOs of a foundation
- Determining the UBOs of a general, professional, or limited partnership (vof, maatschap, or cv), EEIG, or shipping company
- Determining the UBOs of an association (with full legal capacity or with limited legal capacity, but with a business), a cooperative, or a mutual insurance association
Your organisation can use this information to determine who the UBOs are. KVK cannot advise you on this.
In that case, you need to submit a new UBO report to register the missing UBO.
All EU countries have their own UBO register. This is set out in the European regulation: the 4th Anti-Money Laundering Directive (Directive EU) 2015/849. In the Netherlands, the UBO register is regulated in law in the Wwft Implementation Decree 2018 ('Uitvoeringsbesluit Wwft'), the Business Register Act 2007 ('Handelsregisterwet'), and the Business Register Decree 2008 ('Handelsregisterbesluit'). The UBO register is part of the Business Register.
Read more about the UBO register and the role of KVK. More background information on UBO can be found in this fact sheet (in Dutch).
Yes, KVK will send a confirmation of UBO registration to the organisation and the registered UBO(s).
To check the identity of the signatory. In addition to logging in with DigiD, the 1-cent payment is important for guaranteeing the reliability of the UBO register.
Competent authorities such as investigative agencies can use a copy of a UBO's identity document for investigation purposes if there is a reason to do so. The legal basis for this is laid down in Section 15a(3)(a) of the Commercial Register Act 2007 ('Handelsregisterwet 2007').
KVK checks the BSN you enter in the UBO report against the copy of the proof of identity.
No, KVK has no legal power to grant a deferral. Not even for exceptional cases. This also applies to the Economic Enforcement Office (BEH) of the Tax and Customs Administration, which is responsible for enforcement.