Businesses registered in the Dutch Handelsregister must show their KVK number on their website, and BVs and NVs must also show their full legal name and statutory seat. Cookies are the other live issue: since April 2025 the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) has been writing to websites that place cookies before visitors agree, giving them three months to fix it before fines. This guide covers both, then answers a question every Dutch owner asks: should the site be in Dutch, English, or both?
Should a Dutch small business website be in Dutch or English?
Most Dutch customers read English comfortably, which tempts owners, especially expats and start-ups, to build in English only. The catch is search. People look for local services in Dutch: “fietsenmaker Utrecht”, “loodgieter spoed Amsterdam”, “tandarts Haarlem”. A page written only in English rarely matches those words, and it can feel slightly foreign to the older or more local customers who make up much of a neighbourhood trade.
The right answer depends on who pays you. Here is how we would decide.
| Type of business | Our recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Local trade: plumber, electrician, cleaner, bike shop | Dutch only | Customers search in Dutch and call quickly; one language keeps the site sharp |
| Shop, café or restaurant in a city centre | Dutch first, short English pages | Locals search in Dutch; visitors and expats want menu, hours and booking in English |
| Clinic, physio, dentist, therapist | Dutch first, English for key pages | Expat patients look for “English-speaking dentist”, a real and specific search |
| B2B service, consultancy, tech | English first, Dutch where you sell locally | Buyers and partners are often international |
| Expat-focused service (relocation, tax for expats) | English only | Your audience searches in English |
If you go bilingual, build it properly: a separate page per language with its own address (for example /en/), a language switch on every page, and markup that tells search engines the two pages are translations of each other. A single page that mixes Dutch and English paragraphs serves neither audience well.
Where must the KVK number appear on my website?
The duty comes from the Handelsregisterwet and its rules: registered businesses show their KVK number on websites, emails, letters and invoices. Digital advertisements are exempt. In practice, put it in the site footer so it appears on every page, written out in full as text, for example “KVK 12345678”.
A BV or NV adds its full legal name and its statutory seat (statutaire zetel), which may differ from the street where you work. The EU e-Commerce Directive adds a few more items that every business site in the EU should carry, wherever it is based:
- 1Your business name and a geographic address, not just a PO box.
- 2An email address. A contact form alone does not meet the Directive’s “direct and effective” contact standard.
- 3Your VAT identification number (btw-id) where you carry out VAT-liable activities. Note that since 2020 sole traders have a separate btw-id that is safe to publish, rather than the old number based on the citizen service number.
- 4Your professional body or supervisor if your work is regulated, for example the BIG register for health professionals.
Sources differ on who actually enforces the KVK rule, but that is no reason to skip it. Customers check the number, banks and platforms look for it, and it costs nothing to show.
Is the AP really checking cookie banners?
Yes, and on its own initiative now. In April 2025 the AP told the Dutch public broadcaster NOS that it monitors about 10,000 Dutch websites automatically, that more than half appeared to break the rules, and that it had begun sending warning letters, starting with 50 sites and aiming for 500 a year. The targets were a mix of webshops, media and insurers, including smaller businesses. Sites that do not fix their cookies within three months risk a fine.
The three problems the AP named, plus one related check, are easy to test on your own site:
- 1Cookies placed before the visitor has made any choice.
- 2Pre-ticked boxes for tracking.
- 3Refusing takes several clicks while accepting takes one.
- 4A refuse button that is harder to see than the accept button.
The cleanest fix for a small business is to cut what needs consent. If your site has no ad pixels or social plug-ins, and embeds maps or videos only after a click, the banner question shrinks to almost nothing. Where you do want tracking for ads, use a banner that blocks it until the visitor says yes and puts “Weigeren” on equal footing with “Accepteren”.
💡 Open your site in a private window and, before clicking anything, check whether tracking tools have already loaded. That one test catches the most common problem the AP flags.
Worked example: a bike repair shop in Utrecht
Picture a fietsenmaker with three mechanics near Utrecht Centraal, registered as an eenmanszaak. Most work is walk-in repairs and servicing; a growing share is commuters who want to book a service slot so they can drop the bike off on the way to the train.
The site is in Dutch, with one English page for expat commuters covering prices, booking and opening hours. Five pages cover it: Home, Reparaties & prijzen, Onderhoud boeken, Over ons and Contact. The footer shows the trade name, street address, email, phone, KVK number and the owner’s btw-id. A privacy page explains what the booking form collects and how long it is kept.
There is no ad pixel, so there is no tracking to consent to; the map loads on click. The booking form asks for name, phone, bike type and preferred slot, nothing more. Because customers book a repair and pay in the shop, the site does not sell anything online, so EU distance-selling rules such as the 14-day withdrawal right do not come into play.
On Adyft Sites that is Starter at $1,499 setup and $69 a month, with online booking added for $399 plus $25 a month. If the shop later sells parts and accessories online, Shop Starter at $3,999 plus $129 a month covers up to 50 products with customer login and order alerts.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my Dutch business?
Ask yourself three questions in order. If you answer “no” to the first, or “yes” to both the second and third, the Act’s website requirements generally do not apply to you.
- 1Do consumers buy from you online through the site? The Act, in force since 28 June 2025, covers e-commerce services to consumers, not a site that only informs.
- 2Do you employ fewer than 10 people?
- 3Is your annual turnover, or your balance sheet total, €2 million or less? If so, you are a microenterprise and exempt from the requirements for services.
The Utrecht bike shop passes on all counts. A 15-person webshop selling bike parts nationwide does not, and should test its checkout against the WCAG 2.1 AA level that the European standard EN 301 549 points to. Whatever your answers, clear text, good contrast and labelled form fields help every visitor, so ask any provider, us included, how they handle them.
What does a website cost in the Netherlands in 2026?
One Dutch price guide from February 2026 puts a site from a freelancer (zzp’er) at roughly €800–3,000 plus up to €50 a month, and an agency (bureau) at €3,000–12,000 plus €50–200 a month. DIY website builders run about €12–49 a month, and self-hosted sites about €5–50 a month in running costs, with the owner doing the work. A Dutch business-banking provider says a professional site costs €5,000–15,000 in most cases. Both are commercial sources, so treat them as rough guides.
Adyft Sites is priced in US dollars: Starter $1,499 plus $69 a month for five pages, Growth $3,499 plus $129 for 25 pages, which leaves room for Dutch and English versions of the main pages (ask us about languages before you order). The monthly fee covers hosting with SSL, security, small changes on request, set-up for Google and AI search, and a report on visitors each month.
How do people in the Netherlands search?
StatCounter put Google at about 89% of Dutch searches in September 2026, with Bing near 4.6% and Yandex, Yahoo and DuckDuckGo between about 1.5% and 2.6% each. A complete Google Business Profile, with the same name, address and hours as your site, does most of the work for local searches. Add the site to Bing Webmaster Tools too; it is free and takes ten minutes.
When is Adyft Sites the right choice, and when not?
It fits owners who want a well-written, correct site live in days and someone else to keep it that way. You answer questions on WhatsApp, we write every page, show the KVK and VAT details you give us in the footer, add a privacy page, and look after hosting and security. We add the pages; the legal wording should be checked by your adviser. The domain is registered in your name, FAQ, Contact and Privacy pages come free, and you can browse 42 industry designs first.
It is not the right fit if you want regular meetings in Dutch at your premises, a custom platform linked to your stock or planning software, or if you like building websites yourself. A local bureau, a zzp’er or a DIY builder will suit you better.
Questions about Dutch business websites
Do I have to put my KVK number on my website?
Yes, if your business is registered in the Handelsregister. It also belongs on emails, letters and invoices. BVs and NVs add their full legal name and statutory seat.
Should I show my btw number on my website?
Show your VAT identification number (btw-id) where you carry out VAT-liable activities. Sole traders use the separate btw-id introduced in 2020, which is designed to be published, not the internal tax number.
Can I build my Dutch business website in English only?
You can, but local customers search in Dutch, so an English-only site usually misses local searches. English-only makes sense for international B2B or expat-focused services.
What happens if the AP finds a problem with my cookie banner?
Under the approach the AP described in 2025, it sends a warning letter and gives about three months to fix the issue before it considers a fine. Removing unneeded trackers is often the quickest fix.
Is a cookie banner always required?
No. Consent is needed for non-essential cookies such as advertising trackers. A site that uses only functional cookies needs a clear explanation in its privacy information, not a consent banner.
Does the accessibility law apply to a small Dutch webshop?
Not if it is a microenterprise: under 10 people and €2 million or less in turnover or balance sheet. Bigger webshops selling to consumers have been covered since 28 June 2025.
Sources: De Zaak, KVK number in view — https://www.dezaak.nl/juridisch/wet-regelgeving/tip-is-uw-kvk-nummer-goed-in-beeld/ · Ondernemersplein, registering in the Handelsregister — https://ondernemersplein.overheid.nl/wetten-en-regels/inschrijven-in-het-handelsregister/ · NOS, AP warning letters on cookies (15 April 2025) — https://nos.nl/l/2563725 · e-Commerce Directive 2000/31/EC, Art. 5 — https://lawplayer.com/eu/act/32000L0031 · European Accessibility Act, Art. 4 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2019/882/article/4 · European Commission, European Accessibility Act — https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en · A Dutch web marketing firm’s website cost guide (February 2026) · A Dutch business-banking provider’s website cost guide ·StatCounter, Netherlands search share — https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/netherlands
A Dutch site that is right from day one
Answer a few questions on WhatsApp. We write the pages, put your KVK details in the footer, then build, host and look after the site. Starter is $1,499 plus $69 a month.