What the address must be
The registered office is the legal base of the BV. It is the address in the register, where the company receives official mail and where the administration can be reached. Your company has a written right to use the address, such as a tenancy agreement, a purchase agreement or a service contract. Your company is present at the address on a regular basis, and people can reach it there.
The KVK checks the address when you register. It checks the address in the national address register (BAG) and whether your activity suits the permitted use of the building. Banks and other gatekeepers also look closely at the address. A recognised business location with a clear contract makes their checks quicker.
An address in a business centre
In a building with several companies, the KVK asks for a contract that gives your company access to a workstation or a space during opening hours, for a large part of its work. With such a contract, the KVK (the Chamber of Commerce trade register), the bank and the Tax Administration all see the same details. See what is on the KVK extract. You choose the address and sign that contract yourself. For our own services, we check you under the gatekeeper rules. See what advisers must ask you.
When you need an office
The address is for the administration. For tax purposes, you also need substance, which means real presence in the Netherlands. If you claim treaty benefits, ask for a ruling or have a licensed activity, your company needs this presence. The presence matches what you claim: people, decisions and, where needed, premises. See the substance standard. Many companies rent workspace when the first employee joins. See your first Dutch employee. Later, they rent the office the business needs.
See what the law asks of a business address in the Netherlands for the KVK rules in one place.