The Chamber of Commerce (KVK) no longer lists residential addresses in the Trade Register. Branch addresses, however, remain visible. Since January 1, the protected residential addresses can only be viewed by government organizations including the Tax Office. Authorized professional groups such as lawyers and bailiffs also have access to the residential addresses.
The change stems from a change in the law to protect business owners. Addresses listed as business addresses can lead to nuisances such as stalking and threats, according to the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens .
The KVK explains that entrepreneurs can limit their findability in the Trade Register in two ways. They could choose a different business address or a company name that does not refer to their own name. The KVK adds that choosing another business address is not always easy: "Because sometimes you have a practice at home and you simply cannot or do not want to establish it somewhere else. In addition, you are bound by rules."
Entrepreneurs who find themselves in a threatening situation because they cannot choose another business address can contact the Chamber of Commerce about it. The government is working on a definitive Trade Register Data Vision to handle entrepreneurial data from the Trade Register in a different way.
Click here for the parliamentary letter development Datavisie Handelsregister from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
