How to Shield Your Home Address on the KvK (Netherlands, 2026)

In the Netherlands, registering a business means registering an address, and for sole proprietors (eenmanszaken), that address is very often your home. The KvK (Kamer van Koophandel) Handelsregister has historically made that visiting address publicly searchable and even sold register data to third parties, including address resellers. The result: freelancers, consultants, and one-person shops end up with their home address circulating online.

There are an estimated 1.5 million sole proprietors (zzp'ers) in the Netherlands, roughly one in six workers. Many have unknowingly exposed their home address for years through the KvK register without realising the data was being commercially resold. This guide explains how to shield it, who qualifies, the one limitation most guides skip, and what to do about data already copied before you shielded.

Key Takeaways

• Sole proprietors can always shield their KvK visiting address ("afschermen"), no threat required
• You must supply an alternative public postal address (PO box or virtual office) before shielding is approved
• KvK shielding stops new disclosure but does not undo copies already taken by brokers and directories
• GDPR Articles 17 and 21 give you enforceable tools to demand erasure from those copies, with a 1-month response deadline
• BRP geheimhouding (residential register confidentiality) is a separate step, handled by your gemeente
• Telemarketing to Dutch consumers requires prior opt-in consent since 2021

Why Your Home Address Is Public

Every Dutch business must register in the KvK Handelsregister. For a sole proprietorship, the visiting address (bezoekadres) defaults to wherever you operate from, which for most freelancers is their home. KvK has historically:

• Published that visiting address in the public register, and
• Sold register data to third parties, including marketing and address resellers

So the exposure is not a leak: it is the register working as designed. The fix is to use the register's own shielding mechanism.

How entity type determines your shielding rights

If you operate a BV but your home address appears as the director's residential address, the BV itself cannot shield without a threat, but you personally can submit a GDPR erasure request for your home address appearing in the commercial data layer.

Step 1: Shield Your KvK Visiting Address ("Afschermen")

Sole proprietors can always shield their visiting address. You do not need to prove a threat: it is an automatic right for eenmanszaken.

What you need before you start

1. An alternative public postal address: required. KvK will not remove your public address without a replacement. Options:

• A PO box from PostNL or your municipality (from €45/year for a basic box)
• A virtual office address (from providers like Regus, IQ Business Centre, or local kantoorruimte services)
• A business centre address if you rent even occasional desk space

1. Your KvK number and login credentials for Mijn KvK (DigiD required)

The shielding process

1. Log in at kvk.nl using DigiD
2. Navigate to Mijn KvK → Handelsregister → Bedrijfsgegevens wijzigen
3. Update your correspondentieadres (postal address) to your PO box or virtual office first
4. Then request afschermen van het bezoekadres, shielding of the visiting address
5. KvK confirms the change typically within 1–3 business days

Once shielded, the visiting address is no longer visible in KvK's public Handelsregister search. It remains on file with KvK itself and is shared only with legally entitled parties (tax authority, law enforcement).

Processing timeline

KvK address changes are processed within 1–3 business days. The public register updates within the same window. Downstream third parties who licensed KvK data receive updates on their own schedule, typically within 30–90 days.

Step 2: Request BRP Confidentiality ("Geheimhouding")

The KvK is only one register. Your municipality also holds your details in the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen), the national residents' database. These are two separate systems.

• You cannot opt out of the BRP: your gemeente is legally required to register you as a resident
• But you can request "geheimhouding" (confidentiality), which stops the municipality from sharing your data with non-obligated third parties such as:
• Churches and religious organisations
• Sports clubs and associations
• Commercial marketing companies
• Research institutions without a legal basis
• Government bodies with a legal entitlement to your data (Belastingdienst, UWV, police) still receive it

How to request BRP geheimhouding

Request geheimhouding through your gemeente (local council). Most offer this via:

• DigiD login on the municipality's website (fastest, often same-day)
• Physical visit to the gemeente loket with ID
• Written request by post with a copy of your ID

Residents in emergency shelters (maatschappelijke opvang) or at immediate risk receive enhanced BRP protection beyond standard geheimhouding: ask your gemeente about the additional shielding available.

Step 3: Clean Up Data Already Copied

Here is the catch nobody warns you about: shielding at the KvK stops new disclosure, but it does not undo data already copied by online brokers and directories before you shielded. If a reseller pulled your address six months ago, shielding now does nothing to that copy.

How to find copies of your address

1. Google your full name + postcode or street name
2. Search the main Dutch online directories: DePersoon.nl, Telefoonboek.nl, Gouden Gids, and similar
3. Check international people-search sites: Whitepages, Spokeo, Radaris: these index Dutch residents too

GDPR erasure and objection requests

For each site still showing your address, send a dual request:

Subject: GDPR verzoek tot wissing en bezwaar: [Uw naam]

Key rules:

• Controllers have one calendar month to respond (extendable to three for complex requests, with written notice)
• The marketing objection (Article 21) is absolute: a controller cannot override it with a legitimate interest claim
• If ignored or refused without valid grounds, file a complaint with the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) at autoriteitpersoonsgegevens.nl/nl/online-tools/klacht-indienen

Telemarketing complaints

Since 2021, telemarketing in the Netherlands requires prior opt-in consent. The old "Bel-me-niet" registry (opt-out model) was replaced. If you receive unsolicited sales calls, you can file a complaint with the ACM (Autoriteit Consument & Markt) at acm.nl/nl/onderwerpen/telecommunicatie/ongewenste-telefoontjes-klacht-indienen.

Step 4: Prevent Future Re-Exposure

Once you have shielded the KvK register and submitted GDPR erasure requests, take these steps to minimise how much new address data enters the pipeline:

• Use your PO box or virtual office for all new business registrations, client contracts, and invoices
• Update your UBO register entry (if applicable) to use your business address
• Review your website's "About" or "Contact" page: remove any home address
• Check WHOIS records for any domains you own, most registrars offer private WHOIS; enable it
• Set a 6-month calendar reminder to re-check your name on the main Dutch directories

Don't Forget the US Brokers

Dutch residents are also indexed by US people-search brokers, Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified, Radaris, and the rest, which resell name, address, and relatives data regardless of where you live. KvK shielding and BRP geheimhouding close the Dutch registry feeds; they do nothing about the US broker layer.

OfflistMe handles that layer: one flat payment, no subscription, generating opt-out requests across 500+ US data brokers from your own verified inbox. Pair it with the Dutch steps above to close both feeds at once.

For your full Dutch rights, the regulator, and every public-record source that feeds brokers, see the Netherlands data removal guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

My home address is public on the KvK: can I hide it?

Yes. Sole proprietors can always shield their visiting address in the Business Register, provided they supply a separate public postal address instead. Other organisations can shield only where there is a proven threat, and officials' home addresses are protected by default.

Does KvK shielding remove my address from Google and broker sites?

No. Shielding stops new disclosure from the register, but it does not undo data already copied by online brokers and directories. Use GDPR erasure (Article 17) and objection (Article 21) requests to clean up existing copies.

Can I opt out of the BRP residents' database?

No: your municipality is legally required to register you. But you can request "geheimhouding" (confidentiality) so your data is not shared with certain third parties such as churches, sports clubs, and non-government organisations. Government bodies entitled to the data still receive it.

Is telemarketing allowed in the Netherlands?

Only with prior opt-in consent. Rules tightened in 2021 replaced the old opt-out "Bel-me-niet" register, so companies may no longer cold-call consumers who have not agreed to be contacted. File a complaint with the ACM if you receive unsolicited calls.

What alternative address can I use for the KvK if I don't want to pay for a virtual office?

A PostNL PO box is the most affordable option (from around €45/year). Some professional associations and trade unions offer member addresses. Your accountant or formation agent's address may also be acceptable: check with KvK.

How long does KvK address shielding last?

Indefinitely, once approved. Unlike Germany's Auskunftssperre (which expires after two years), Dutch KvK shielding does not expire. You must maintain an active alternative postal address registered with KvK for the shielding to remain in effect.

Remove your data from 500+ US data brokers that also index Dutch residents →

KVK Shielding: Sole Traders vs. Incorporated Companies under the AVG

In the Netherlands, shielding a home address registered with the Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) depends entirely on your business structure. The rules are governed by the Handelsregisterwet (Trade Register Act) and the Algemene verordening gegevensbescherming (AVG), which is the Dutch implementation of the GDPR.

For sole proprietors (Eenmanszaken), your business data is legally treated as personal data because a sole proprietorship has no separate legal identity. This means AVG protections apply directly to your registration details. Under AVG Article 21 (Right to Object) and Article 17 (Right to Erasure), you have a right to shield your home address in the Handelsregister.

O. box or a virtual office). The KVK must approve your request without requiring any proof of a threat to your safety.

), the rules are much stricter. V. is a separate legal entity, so its business address is not considered personal data under the AVG.

Consequently, you cannot shield the company's visiting address. The only exception is for the personal home addresses of directors (bestuurders) or Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs).

Under Article 51 of the Handelsregisterbesluit, corporate directors can shield their home addresses only if they face a verified physical security risk (such as stalking or harassment). This threat must be documented with police filings. 's commercial address public.

, it is highly recommended to secure a virtual office address *before* you execute the corporate conversion. V. directly with a commercial address avoids leaking your home coordinates during the transfer process when KVK documents are published.

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