Dutch Website Legal Notice: BW 3:15d Colofon Rules

A legal notice for a Dutch website is required by law. The Dutch Civil Code, Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 3 Article 15d, lists the trader identification data that every commercial website must show. Webshops add a second layer of duties under BW Boek 6 Article 230m through 230v. The Netherlands does not have an "Impressum" in the German sense. The Dutch rule is the trader identification duty in BW 3:15d.

The Dutch rules are less aggressively enforced than the German Impressumspflicht. The duties still exist. A customer, a competitor or the ACM can act on a missing colofon.

The base rules come from a few primary sources. BW Boek 3 Article 15d covers identification for any service of the information society. BW Boek 6 Article 230v adds extra pre contract information for distance sales. Handelsregisterwet 2007 Article 27 requires the KVK number on outgoing communication. The EU origin is Directive 2000/31 on electronic commerce, Article 5.

The 8 required elements

The eight items below are the practical checklist. Each row maps to a primary source. Place the data in your footer or on a dedicated legal notice page linked from the footer.

The next eight subsections explain each item in plain language. If you want a quick read on what your own site is currently showing in the footer, you can scan your website for missing colofon items before you get to the detail.

1. Trader name and legal form

Show the registered business name as it appears in the Dutch Commercial Register (Handelsregister). Add the legal form. Examples are B.V., V.O.F. or eenmanszaak.

Legal basis: BW Boek 3 Article 15d, point (1)(a).

2. Registered address

Show the geographic address registered at the KVK. Sole traders working from home can use a registered office service address. A note like "bezoekadres op afspraak" is allowed if your registered address remains reachable.

Legal basis: BW 3:15d and Handelsregisterwet 2007.

3. KVK number

Handelsregisterwet 2007 Article 27 requires every registered business to state its KVK number on all outgoing correspondence. The KVK confirms that this covers websites. The maximum fine for violation is €22,500 under the Wet op de economische delicten. In practice the rule is complaint driven. Website only omissions rarely lead to fines. The duty itself is clear.

We scanned 499 Dutch restaurant websites. 84% did not display their KVK number on any page.

Where to place it: Footer of every page is the safest pattern. A dedicated colofon page linked from the footer also works.

4. VAT identification number (BTW-ID)

If you are registered for VAT, the BTW-ID must appear on your website. The duty comes from BW 3:15d(2) for electronic services. The format is NL plus 9 digits plus B plus 2 digits, for example NL123456789B01.

When required: Only if you are registered for VAT. Sole traders under the small business scheme (KOR) may not have a BTW-ID. In that case the duty does not apply.

Note: Be careful with your old BTW number. Sole traders whose old BTW number contains their BSN should request a separate BTW-ID from the Belastingdienst. The split between BSN and BTW-ID for sole traders has been available since January 2020.

5. Direct contact details

Provide an email address and at least one other direct way to reach you. A contact form alone is not enough under BW 3:15d. The ACM has stated that "rapid and effective communication" requires an email or phone number, not only a webform.

If you want to limit spam, publish a role address such as info@yourdomain.nl rather than a personal one. The duty is satisfied either way.

6. Regulated profession details

Regulated professions have extra duties under BW 3:15d(1)(f). Accountants, lawyers, architects, healthcare providers, real estate agents and financial advisers must display:

• The professional body or register where you are registered
• Your registration number
• Any applicable professional title and the country where it was granted
• A reference to the professional conduct rules

Legal basis: BW 3:15d(1)(f) plus the sector specific act. Examples are the Wet op het accountantsberoep and the Wet financieel toezicht.

7. Prices including VAT for webshops

For webshops selling to consumers, prices must be shown including VAT. Shipping costs must be shown before checkout. The duty is in BW 6:230m(1)(e). The ACM enforces price transparency. The ACM has issued public guidance that hidden delivery fees and drip pricing are not allowed.

8. General terms and right of withdrawal

General terms (algemene voorwaarden) must be made available before any contract is signed. They must be easy to access and to save. For webshops, they must be available before the order button is pressed.

The right of withdrawal under BW 6:230o gives consumers 14 days to return distance purchases. You must explain this right before the contract. You must also provide the model withdrawal form.

Note: Terms are only binding if the customer had a real chance to read them. A small link visible only after clicking "Order now" is risky. Use a prominent link before the order button.

Statute reference table

The four sources below cover almost every colofon question. Keep the URLs bookmarked.

Where to place this information

The information must be "easily, directly and permanently accessible" under BW 3:15d. Accepted placements include:

• Footer on every page. This is the safest and most user friendly option.
• Dedicated colofon or legal notice page linked from the footer.
• Contact page that includes all required items.
• About page that doubles as a legal notice with all required items.

The ACM and the KVK look first at the footer. They follow links from there. If the data is hidden inside a PDF or buried three clicks deep, it is unlikely to meet the "directly accessible" standard.

Compliant colofon block (visual example)

The diagram below shows the minimum colofon block. It maps each line to the matching legal source.

<svg viewBox="0 0 640 320" width="100%" style={{maxWidth: '640px', height: 'auto'}} role="img" aria-label="Diagram of a compliant Dutch website colofon block showing trader name, KVK number, BTW-ID, address and contact details mapped to their legal sources"> <rect x="10" y="10" width="620" height="300" rx="12" fill="#f8fafc" stroke="#0f172a" strokeWidth="1.5"/> <text x="320" y="40" textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="16" fontWeight="bold" fill="#0f172a">Footer colofon block</text>

<rect x="30" y="60" width="270" height="32" rx="4" fill="#dbeafe" stroke="#1d4ed8"/> <text x="40" y="80" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="13" fill="#1e3a8a">Voorbeeld B.V.</text> <text x="310" y="80" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="12" fill="#475569">BW 3:15d(1)(a)</text> <rect x="30" y="100" width="270" height="32" rx="4" fill="#dbeafe" stroke="#1d4ed8"/> <text x="40" y="120" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="13" fill="#1e3a8a">Voorbeeldstraat 12, 1011 AB Amsterdam</text> <text x="310" y="120" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="12" fill="#475569">BW 3:15d(1)(b)</text> <rect x="30" y="140" width="270" height="32" rx="4" fill="#dcfce7" stroke="#15803d"/> <text x="40" y="160" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="13" fill="#14532d">KVK: 12345678</text> <text x="310" y="160" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="12" fill="#475569">Handelsregisterwet Art. 27</text> <rect x="30" y="180" width="270" height="32" rx="4" fill="#dcfce7" stroke="#15803d"/> <text x="40" y="200" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="13" fill="#14532d">BTW-ID: NL123456789B01</text> <text x="310" y="200" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="12" fill="#475569">BW 3:15d(1)(d)</text> <rect x="30" y="220" width="270" height="32" rx="4" fill="#fef9c3" stroke="#ca8a04"/> <text x="40" y="240" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="13" fill="#713f12">info@voorbeeld.nl</text> <text x="310" y="240" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="12" fill="#475569">BW 3:15d(1)(c)</text> <rect x="30" y="260" width="270" height="32" rx="4" fill="#fef9c3" stroke="#ca8a04"/> <text x="40" y="280" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="13" fill="#713f12">+31 20 123 4567</text> <text x="310" y="280" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="12" fill="#475569">Optional, recommended</text>

<text x="500" y="285" textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="11" fill="#475569">All six lines meet BW 3:15d</text> <text x="500" y="180" textAnchor="middle" fontFamily="sans-serif" fontSize="11" fontWeight="bold" fill="#0f172a">Minimum required</text> </svg>

Extra duties for webshops (BW Boek 6 Article 230v)

Selling to consumers online adds duties under BW Boek 6 Article 230v and the e-commerce directive:

• Clear trader identification before any purchase.
• Total price transparency including VAT, shipping and added fees.
• Right of withdrawal disclosure. The standard period is 14 days for distance contracts.
• Order confirmation by email on a durable medium right after the purchase.
• A complaints procedure that customers can use.

From 19 June 2026, Directive (EU) 2023/2673 (which amends the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU by inserting Article 11a) also requires webshops to provide a withdrawal button on the order page for digital services. It is a single-click way to use the right of withdrawal. The duty applies only once a Member State has transposed the Directive into national law. As of May 2026 the Netherlands has not yet completed the transposition, so the obligation is not yet enforceable against Dutch webshops, but a confirmed deadline is in place. Read our guide on the webshop withdrawal button requirement for the technical detail.

Practical implementation

Create a dedicated footer link labelled "Colofon" or "Legal notice." It should lead to a page with:

[Business name] [Legal form]
KVK: [number]
BTW-ID: [number]
Address: [registered address]
Email: [contact email]
Phone: [contact phone] (optional but recommended)

[For regulated professions: professional registration details]

Add the KVK number to the footer itself so it appears on every page without a click.

For webshops, also link to your algemene voorwaarden (T&Cs) and your herroepingsbeleid (withdrawal policy) from the footer.

Comparison with Germany and Belgium

Note that the Netherlands has no "Impressum." The Dutch duty is the trader identification rule in BW 3:15d. German style warning letters from competitor lawyers are rare here. The legal duty is real all the same. A customer who cannot identify who they are dealing with may have grounds to dispute a contract, claim fraud or complain to the ACM.

To check whether your website displays all required information, scan your website free.

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This article is technical analysis, not legal advice. Consult a lawyer for advice specific to your situation.