Remove your visiting address from the Business Register. What are the options?

All businesses and legal entities in the Netherlands are registered in the Business Register. Some of this data is public. Anyone can view it. This makes doing business safer because you can always see who you are dealing with.

Unfortunately, there are also disadvantages to this openness. For instance, it has become more common for people to be threatened at their work or home address. That is why it is sometimes possible to remove the visiting address from the Business Register. This is also known as ‘shielding’.

Does 'shielded' really mean invisible?

When KVK shields your visiting address, it is no longer mentioned anywhere in the Business Register. Even if you request an extract yourself, the visiting address is not shown. Almost everyone who requests your information will not see the address. This applies to all clients or suppliers who look up your information. This also includes banks and insurers, for example. Only civil servants, lawyers, notaries, and bailiffs can see your address, if they have permission to do so.

Disadvantages of shielding

Your shielded visiting address may make it harder for you to arrange things. For example, opening a bank account or taking out insurance. KVK is not responsible for solving this. You have to contact these parties yourself and send them the necessary evidence, such as a rental contract. If you choose, KVK can cancel the shielding. Your visiting address will then be public again.

Condition: a postal address is needed

Is your visiting address shielded? Then you must always register a postal address in the Business Register. This may not be your home or visiting address. It can be a PO Box.

Who can apply for shielding?

Anyone who is authorised to make decisions on behalf of the organisation or business can ask for shielding of the visiting address. This shielding is possible for most legal structures, except incorporated companies. For example, not the besloten vennootschap (bv, private limited company), naamloze vennootschap (nv, public limited company), or other non-Dutch variants. This is due to European legislation (in Dutch).

Shielding of visiting address for an eenmanszaak

If you have a sole proprietorship or intend to register one, you can shield your visiting address. Even if this address is not the same as your home address.

Do you still need to register your sole proprietorship? In that case, you can select ‘yes’ under the question 'Do you want to shield your visiting address so that it is no longer visible in the Business Register?' when completing your registration.

Shielding a visiting address in case of a threat

You do not have a sole proprietorship, but you still want to remove your visiting address? This is only possible if there is a threatening situation. There are 2 types of threats: clear and probable. Below is the information you need for both situations.

A clear threat

A clear threat means there is a high probability that something dangerous will happen. This could be threats made by email or social media, for example. This requires the shielding of one or more visiting addresses.

To remove a visiting address from the Business Register, KVK needs proof of the threat. For example, a record of an official report to the police or documents showing police protection.

Complete the form and email it to afschermenadres@kvk.nl. With this request, your new postal address does not have to be arranged yet. If it is urgent, also put 'spoed/urgent' in the subject field of the mail. KVK will make your entire registration 'invisible' as soon as possible. This is usually done within 1 working day. After you have shared the new postal address with KVK, your registration will quickly be made visible again, but without the visiting address.

A probable threat

A probable threat means there is no immediate threat yet. But you do expect that something dangerous could happen by carrying out your profession (or the profession of someone you share a house or office with, who is registered with KVK).

For shielding in the case of a probable threat, the following rules apply in addition to the mandatory postal address:

• The visiting address is the same as your home address.
• Agreements on probable threats have been made with the relevant sector or professional organisations, or those of your office colleague or housemate. These agreements are set out in a covenant.
• The visiting address is of a vennootschap onder firma (vof, general partnership), commanditaire vennootschap (cv, limited partnership), maatschap (professional partnership), vereniging (association), or stichting (foundation).

Covenants

Agreements have been signed with the organisations listed below. Check the information on these pages to see if you are covered by the agreement and whether you can apply for shielding due to probable threat on that basis.

• Covenant Netherlands Police
• Covenant Goede Doelen Nederland
• Covenant Senate of the States General
• Covenant Public Prosecution Service
• Covenant House of Representatives of the States General
• Covenant Dutch Association of Journalists (NVJ)
• Covenant Beroepsvereniging van professionals sociaal werk (BPSW)
• Covenant Brancheorganisatie Voor Professionele Bewindvoerders (NBBI)
• Covenant Horus Branchevereniging voor wettelijk vertegenwoordigers
• Covenant The Netherlands Bar (NOvA)
• Covenant Council for the Judiciary
• Covenant Decentralised political public office holders
• Covenant Koninklijke Royal Dutch Association of Civil-law Notaries (KNB)
• Covenant Royal Dutch Organisation of Bailiffs (KBvG)
• Covenant Mentorschap Nederland

Is shielding not possible?

If shielding your visiting address is not possible, you can decide to change the address of your business or organisation. In that case, you do not have to move immediately. For example, you can also put a different address in all the places where your address is currently shown. For example, an address of a multi-company building where you register. You can also agree with your professional organisation or accountant that you can use their address.

What else is important?

Shielding in the Business Register is not always enough to hide your address from others. You are often still visible online. Especially if your visiting address has been public for some time. So, it is smart to take extra measures:

• Shield your address in the Personal Records Database (Basisregistratie Personen, BRP). You can do this at your municipality.
• Make sure your telephone number is not public. More information on how to shield your phone number is available on the ACM website (in Dutch).
• Make sure your details cannot be found on your own website, third-party websites, (online) phone directories, and social media.
• Check if your details can be found through other public registers, such as your sector organisations or the Land Registry Office (Kadaster).

Please keep in mind that the old visiting address will still be visible in the historical data of your business registration.

Make an address visible again

Do you want to make a visiting address visible again in the Business Register? For an eenmanszaak, you can do this online (in Dutch). Do you have another legal structure? Then use this form to cancel shielding. Your visiting address will then be public again.