Getting a btw-id in the Netherlands: who needs one, how to register, what the number looks like, how to find or check one, and where it goes on your invoices.
The btw-id is the number Belastingdienst assigns to a taxpayer in the Netherlands. It follows you across every tax you deal with: VAT (btw), income tax and withholding. Businesses that pay you will ask for it before they release payment, because they report their suppliers to Belastingdienst by this number.
Who needs one
Anyone independently carrying on an economic activity here is an ondernemer for VAT, and there is no turnover threshold for registration. You do not apply to the Belastingdienst: you register the business at the KVK, which passes your details on, and the Belastingdienst then issues the numbers itself.
How to register, step by step
Register the business in the KVK Handelsregister, between a week before and a week after you actually start trading.
Bring valid photo identification to the KVK appointment and pay the one-off fee, 85.15 EUR in 2026.
KVK forwards your details to the Belastingdienst, which takes up to ten working days to decide whether you are an ondernemer for VAT.
A letter arrives within about two weeks carrying your btw-id and your omzetbelastingnummer; both also appear in Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk.
How to find or check a btw-id
EU VIES validates a Dutch btw-id, and the Belastingdienst points customers there rather than running its own check.
Written from published tax-authority guidance and reviewed on 2026-10-11. Everything here is indicative rather than a ruling on your circumstances, and rules change. Confirm anything you rely on with Belastingdienst before acting on it, and tell us if you find something out of date so we can correct it.
This guide explains the rules in general terms and is not tax advice for your circumstances. Confirm your position with a qualified adviser or with Belastingdienst.