If your business is registered at your home address, that address is public in the Dutch Business Register. With a sole proprietorship, you can ask the KvK to shield your visiting address. You then give a business postal address, for example at a business centre. That postal address is public; your home address no longer is.
Many freelancers and start-ups register their business at their home address. That makes sense, because that is where they work. But it means your home address is public in the Business Register (Handelsregister). Anyone who looks up your business can see where you live. Not everyone is comfortable with that. A business postal address can help. This article explains how that works. It is an explanation, not legal advice: see the KvK (Netherlands Chamber of Commerce) website for the exact rules.
Is your home address visible in the Business Register?
That depends on where your business is registered.
The home addresses of directors and owners are not public in the Business Register. But if your business is registered at your home address, that address is also your visiting address. And by law the visiting address is public, even if it is a home address.
For many sole proprietorships, that means your home address is simply online, on every extract and on websites that copy data from the Business Register.
Can you shield your address?
With a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak), you can always ask the KvK to shield your visiting address. You arrange this via Mijn KVK, or you tick the box when you register. You do then have to give a postal address. That postal address is public and may not be the same as your visiting address or home address.
For other legal forms, such as a general partnership (vof) or private limited company (bv), shielding is only possible in special cases, for example when there is a threat.
Note: even after shielding, your old address remains visible in the history of your registration. And if it is on your website, invoices or in old listings, it can still be found there too.
Need a business postal address?
See the packages with a business postal address
What is a business postal address?
A business postal address is an address where post for your business arrives, but where you do not live. It can be a PO box, or the address of a business centre that receives your post for you. A business centre has an extra advantage: it is a real address in an office building, with someone who takes in your post.
You put it on your website, your invoices and your business cards. That way your home address no longer appears anywhere.
When does a business postal address help?
- You work from home and do not want clients or strangers to know where you live.
- You move often or are living somewhere temporarily. Your business address then simply stays the same.
- You want a professional image, with an address in an office building rather than a residential area.
- You want to keep work and private life apart. Business post no longer arrives at your home.
Postal address or establishment address?
A postal address is something different from an establishment address. At your establishment address you do your work; at your postal address your post arrives. If you work at home and only want your post to arrive somewhere else, you need a postal address. If you want to actually base your business at a different address, other rules apply. You can read about them in “Business address at the KvK: what is and is not allowed?”
How to arrange it
- Choose a postal address. For example, a virtual office at a business centre near you.
- Give the postal address to the KvK and, if you have a sole proprietorship, ask for your visiting address to be shielded.
- Update your details on your website, invoices, email signature and profiles.
- Tell your clients and suppliers that you have a new postal address.
A business postal address at Element Offices
With the virtual office from Element Offices, you get a business postal address at one of our locations with a reception. Your post arrives there and you collect it from reception. Forwarding or scanning is available as an extra option. If you also want to register your business at our address with the KvK, there is the virtual office+. See the packages on Virtual office or read “What is a virtual office and what do you get for it?”
Frequently asked questions
Is my home address visible in the Business Register?
Yes, if your business is registered at your home address, because that address is then your visiting address, and that is public. The home addresses of directors and owners themselves are not public.
What is a postal address for your business?
The address where post for your business arrives. It can be a different address from where you work, such as a PO box or the address of a business centre. A postal address is in the Business Register and is public.
Can I shield my address with a bv?
Only in special cases, such as a specific threat. With a sole proprietorship it is always possible. See the KvK website for the conditions.
