How to verify a Dutch company (KVK)

Step by step

1. Get the KVK number. Every company in the Dutch Handelsregister has an 8-digit KVK number. Dutch companies print it on invoices, websites and emails.
2. Search it on kvk.nl. The free KVK search shows whether the number exists, the registered name and the place of business.
3. Check the VAT number in VIES. Ask the company for its VAT number and check it in VIES. The Netherlands shares the name with VIES, so compare it with the name in the register.
4. Or automate it. Send the KVK number to LimitGuard's POST /v1/kyb/check as registration_number with country NL. It looks the number up in the Handelsregister and screens the entity_name you send against sanctions lists, then returns a KYB status, a trust score and a sanctions flag, not the name or the register fields. It asks VIES only when you also send the VAT number as vat_number (see “Automate it” below).

What the public register shows, and what it does not

• It shows the company name, trade names, KVK number, legal form, place of business and whether the registration is active.
• It does not show the ultimate beneficial owners. Since the CJEU judgment of 22 November 2022 (C-37/20 and C-601/20), the Dutch UBO register is closed to the general public.
• It does not say whether the company, or anyone behind it, is on a sanctions list.
• For a one-person business (eenmanszaak) the registered address is often a home address. The LimitGuard check does not return addresses.

What it costs

• The KVK search on kvk.nl and VIES are free to use.
• The KVK API is paid per request; KVK publishes its tariffs on its developer portal. One LimitGuard KVK lookup makes several of those requests, which is part of why a fresh check costs more than a cached one.

The API lookup with a sanctions screen: POST /v1/kyb/check, $1.50 fresh or $0.25 on the cached tier, which answers from a recent result for the same company. All prices

Automate it

Test the shape of a check with a free sandbox key (no wallet, mock data); run it for real per call with USDC (x402) or an API key — see every price on the pricing page or start with the API quickstart. A free real check will come with a LimitGuard account once sign-up opens.

Frequently asked questions

Is the KVK search free?

Yes. The search on kvk.nl shows the basic registration of a company for free: its name, KVK number and place of business. Official extracts and the KVK API are paid products of KVK.

Can I derive a Dutch VAT number from a KVK number?

No. A Dutch VAT number (NL followed by nine digits, B and two digits) is not built from the KVK number, so you have to ask the company for it and check it in VIES separately.

Can I look up who owns a Dutch company?

Not in the public UBO register. After the judgment of the Court of Justice of the EU of 22 November 2022 (C-37/20 and C-601/20), the Dutch UBO register is no longer open to the general public.

Does a valid VAT number in VIES mean the company is in good standing?

No. VIES only says that the VAT number is registered for intra-EU trade. It says nothing about insolvency, sanctions or whether the company still trades.