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

In the Netherlands, a business must register a visiting address, and a home-based sole proprietorship may use the owner's home address. The KvK (Kamer van Koophandel) Business Register makes ordinary register information available, while separate websites and data providers may copy or reuse information from public and commercial sources. This guide explains the current shielding route, who qualifies, and what to do about copies that remain elsewhere.

Key Takeaways

• Sole proprietors can always request shielding of their KvK visiting address ("afschermen"); a safety threat is not required
• You must keep a separate public postal address in the Business Register
• Shielding removes the visiting address from ordinary public extracts, but historical register data and independent copies may remain
• GDPR Articles 17 and 21 may support provider-specific erasure and direct-marketing objections; a controller normally responds within one month, subject to the regulation's exceptions
• The BRP is a separate government register; ask your gemeente which confidentiality or non-disclosure options and exceptions apply
• Dutch telemarketing rules generally require consent, but ACM lists limited exceptions and a right to object

Why Your Home Address Is Public

Every Dutch business must register a visiting address. If a sole proprietorship operates from home, that address may be the home address. The visiting address is ordinarily public, which is why KvK provides a shielding route for qualifying situations. Shielding the register is separate from removing copies held by other websites or providers.

How entity type determines your shielding rights

If you operate a BV or another legal entity, do not assume the sole-proprietor route applies. The entity may need to meet KvK's threat-related conditions, and any separate request to a downstream provider depends on that provider's role, source, and legal basis.

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

Sole proprietors can always request shielding of their visiting address. KvK says a safety threat is not required for an eenmanszaak.

What you need before you start

1. A separate public postal address: required. KvK says the postal address must be different from the visiting address and is itself public. A PO box, business-centre address, or other arrangement may be suitable only if it meets the current KvK requirements; confirm before changing the record.
2. Your KvK number and access to the current Mijn KVK route

The shielding process

1. Open the current address-shielding route through Mijn KVK.
2. Confirm or update the public postal address using KvK's current requirements.
3. Request afschermen van het bezoekadres and save the confirmation or status shown by KvK.

Once shielded, KvK says the visiting address is removed from information that people can request about the business, such as an ordinary extract. The old visiting address can still appear in historical business-registration data, and this step does not control independent providers or copies.

Processing and downstream copies

Do not rely on a universal processing or downstream-removal deadline. Follow the status and instructions in the current KvK route, then check each independent directory or provider separately. KvK also says it does not pass every address change to other organisations automatically, so confirm important changes with the relevant organisation.

Step 2: Request BRP Confidentiality ("Geheimhouding")

The KvK is only one register. Your municipality also holds residential information in the BRP (Basisregistratie Personen), a separate government database. You cannot simply delete a lawful BRP registration to make the address disappear. Ask your gemeente whether a confidentiality or non-disclosure request is available, which organisations can still receive data, and what evidence or exceptions apply.

Government guidance says access to BRP data is limited by the Personal Records Database Act and is available to organisations with a public or social function under the applicable rules. Use the municipality's current instructions rather than assuming that a local request blocks every recipient.

How to request BRP geheimhouding

Request any available BRP confidentiality measure through your gemeente (local council). The application method, supporting evidence, scope, and processing time can differ by municipality. If you face a safety risk, say so clearly and ask the municipality which additional protection or referral route applies.

Step 3: Clean Up Data Already Copied

KvK shielding does not by itself remove data already copied by online brokers, directories, search engines, or other providers. Historical register information may also remain visible under KvK's own guidance.

How to find copies of your address

1. Search your name together with your postcode, street name, or business name.
2. Check the Dutch directories and public or commercial sources that actually show your address; do not assume any one list is complete.
3. If an international people-search provider shows a record, use that provider's current privacy or removal route and verify its matching requirements.

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:

• Under GDPR Article 12, a controller normally responds without undue delay and within one month; it may extend the period for complex requests when it explains why.
• An objection to direct marketing has specific protection under Article 21, but an erasure request can still have legal exceptions. Ask the provider to identify the record, source, and reason for any refusal.
• If a provider ignores the request or gives an inadequate response, consider the current complaint route of the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP).

See the official EU GDPR text, especially Articles 12, 17, and 21, before relying on a template.

Telemarketing complaints

The Dutch telemarketing rules were tightened again on 1 July 2026. Current government and ACM guidance generally requires prior explicit consent for sales calls to consumers and natural persons operating non-legal-entity businesses, such as sole proprietors and partnerships. Companies with legal personality may be called for sales without prior consent; specified charities, charity lotteries, and publishers have limited exceptions for existing or former customers. If a caller does not qualify or ignores your objection, use the current ACM guidance and complaint route.

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 the public postal address for new registrations and correspondence where appropriate, while checking the legal requirements for each document or registry
• Review each official filing or registry separately (including UBO-related records, if relevant); do not assume KvK shielding changes another register
• Review your website's "About" or "Contact" page: remove any home address
• Review domain-registration privacy settings where the registrar and registry offer them
• Choose a repeat-check cadence that fits your risk, business changes, and the providers you found

Don't Forget the US Brokers

Some international people-search providers may show Dutch residents, but coverage, matching, and removal eligibility vary by provider. KvK and BRP measures do not control independent commercial sites, so review that layer separately.

OfflistMe can help you review recorded provider routes for supported US data-broker workflows. It creates browser-local, user-reviewed drafts; you submit each request to the provider yourself. Coverage and provider requirements vary, so treat this as a separate layer alongside the Dutch registry steps rather than a way to close both feeds automatically.

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 request shielding of the visiting address, provided they keep a separate public postal address. Other legal forms have different conditions, so check the current KvK route.

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

No. It removes the visiting address from ordinary public KvK extracts, but historical register data and independent copies may remain. Review each current listing and use the provider's route, including a GDPR request where appropriate.

Can I opt out of the BRP residents' database?

You generally cannot delete a lawful registration simply because you want the address hidden. Ask your gemeente about any BRP confidentiality or non-disclosure option, its scope, and the organisations that remain entitled to receive data.

Is telemarketing allowed in the Netherlands?

Current government and ACM guidance generally requires prior explicit consent for sales calls to consumers and natural persons operating non-legal-entity businesses, such as sole proprietors and partnerships. Companies with legal personality may be called for sales without prior consent; specified charities, charity lotteries, and publishers have limited exceptions for existing or former customers. You can object during a call, and you can report calls that do not comply through the current ACM route.

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

A post-office box, business-centre address, or other postal arrangement may work, but the address must meet the current KvK requirements and remain public. Confirm the requirements before using it; price and availability vary.

How long does KvK address shielding last?

The current KvK guidance does not state a universal expiry period for an approved sole-proprietor request. Keep the required public postal address, review the record when your business details change, and check KvK's current instructions if you want to end shielding.

Review supported US provider routes for Dutch residents →

KVK Shielding: Sole Traders vs. Other Legal Forms

The current KvK guidance distinguishes sole proprietorships from other legal forms:

• An eenmanszaak owner can request shielding of the visiting address, even when it is not the home address, but must have a postal address recorded in the Handelsregister. The request can be made through Mijn KVK.
• For a partnership or legal entity, shielding is subject to additional conditions, including the relationship between the visiting address and a functionary's home address and the applicable threat or sector arrangement. Do not assume that a BV, foundation, or other entity has the same automatic route as an eenmanszaak.
• Shielding removes the address from ordinary public extracts, but the address may remain in the company's historical information and may already have been copied by other websites or data providers.

This Handelsregister step is separate from GDPR requests to downstream providers. If an old address appears on a directory or broker, check that provider's current privacy route and describe the specific record you want reviewed.

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• How to Remove Yourself from People-Search Sites
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• Doxxing Prevention Guide 2026