Part of doing business in the Netherlands is keeping track of multiple official numbers, including your Chamber of Commerce (KVK) number, your value-added tax (VAT) number, and your RSIN. Most founders, CFOs, and compliance teams don’t think about their RSINs – a code that is assigned to certain organisations in the Dutch system – until they have to file something for their businesses, verify an entity, or start using a financial service. But your RSIN is an important piece of information that quietly connects everything behind the scenes.

Below, we’ll explain what an RSIN is, who needs one, how it works across Dutch systems, and why it’s so important.

What’s in this article?

• What is an RSIN?
  
• Who is required to have an RSIN?
  
• How is the RSIN assigned?
  
• Where is the RSIN used in Dutch business administration?
  
• Is RSIN visible to the public or kept confidential?
  
• What are the risks of misusing or misreporting your RSIN?
  

What is an RSIN?

RSIN stands for “Rechtspersonen en Samenwerkingsverbanden Informatienummer,” which means Legal Entities and Partnerships Information Number. This code is assigned automatically to certain types of organisations when they’re registered in the Dutch system.

Your RSIN isn’t used in your daily operations. Instead, the RSIN is how Dutch government systems – such as the Tax Administration, KVK, and land registry – link your business together across databases. Your RSIN allows these systems to reliably match tax records, filings, registrations, and regulatory disclosures to the correct entity, even if your business name changes or if you operate under multiple brands. The tax office also uses your RSIN to generate your corporate VAT tax number. If you run a foundation or non-profit with ANBI (i.e., Public Benefit Organisation) status, your RSIN or tax number must be published on your website for transparency.

Who is required to have an RSIN?

Whether or not your business gets an RSIN depends on your legal structure. The system reflects how Dutch law defines your business. You’re assigned an RSIN if your organisation falls into one of these categories:

• Legal entities: These include private companies (BVs), public limited companies (NVs), foundations, associations, and cooperatives. These are legally distinct from their founders or directors so they’re each given their own RSINs.

• Registered partnerships: These include general partnerships (VOFs), limited partnerships (CVs), and professional partnerships. While they don’t have full legal identities like BVs or NVs, they’re still formalised entities that need to be clearly identified in the government’s systems.

If you’re a sole proprietor, you won’t get an RSIN. Under Dutch law, there’s no legal separation between you and your business so your citizen service number (BSN) is used for tax and administrative purposes.

How is the RSIN assigned?

You don’t need to apply for or request an RSIN. If your business is eligible, the RSIN is issued automatically. When you register a new legal entity or formal partnership with the KVK, an RSIN is generated as part of that registration process. This applies to structures such as BVs, NVs, foundations, associations, and registered partnerships such as VOFs and CVs.

Once issued, your RSIN shows up in the official KVK extract for your business. That’s the official document that summarises your entity’s legal registration, including name, legal form, and registered address. The KVK shares the RSIN with other Dutch government bodies, including the Tax Administration. Your RSIN is the anchor the Tax Administration uses to generate your VAT number and payroll tax number.

Once assigned, the RSIN doesn’t change. If your company updates its name, changes directors, or moves offices, the RSIN remains constant. It’s the stable identifier that ties your entity together across legal, fiscal, and regulatory systems, even as other details change. Unlike your KVK number, which is more visible in daily operations, or your VAT number, which you might quote to clients, the RSIN operates behind the scenes but allows your business to be understood consistently across government infrastructure.

Where is the RSIN used in Dutch business administration?

You won’t use your RSIN in day-to-day operations. Here’s where it shows up and why it matters.

Tax Administration

The Tax Administration (Belastingdienst) uses the RSIN as the anchor ID for all tax-related activity. It’s how your business is linked to your VAT number, corporate income tax filings, payroll tax accounts (if you employ staff), and communications from the tax office.

KVK registration extract

Your company’s RSIN is listed in the official KVK extract, alongside its name, legal form, and address. This document is often used in onboarding, verification, and compliance workflows, especially when you work with banks, payments service providers, or cross-border partners.

Financial statements and filings

The RSIN is used to identify your business when you submit annual accounts or regulatory filings. It appears in public financial reporting, commercial databases, and company registries.

Charitable status (ANBI)

Organisations such as charities with ANBI status must publish their RSINs on their websites, and the number is also searchable through the tax authority’s public ANBI database. This creates transparency for donors, tax authorities, and regulators.

Is RSIN visible to the public or kept confidential?

Your RSIN appears on your company’s KVK extract, which is the official registration document that lists your legal structure and other core details. Anyone can buy this extract from the KVK for a small fee. So while an RSIN is not instantly searchable, it’s accessible to anyone who wants to look it up and is willing to pay the fee.

If your organisation has ANBI status, Dutch transparency rules require you to publish the RSIN on your website. It also shows up in the public ANBI register hosted by the tax authority.

What are the risks of misusing or misreporting your RSIN?

As with any official identifier, your RSIN needs to be accurately and consistently reported, or it can cause major problems for your business. Here’s what you risk if you misuse or misreport your RSIN.

Incorrect or mismatched tax filings

Your RSIN is the anchor for all your tax identifiers, including your VAT number and payroll tax accounts. A mismatch between your RSIN and what’s on file with the Tax Administration can lead to delayed filings, rejected forms, or unnecessary compliance reviews.

Issues with onboarding or third-party verification

If your RSIN doesn’t match your KVK or VAT details in government or compliance databases, you might experience delays when you open a business bank account, set up a Stripe account, or start using other financial services. Mismatched identifiers are a warning sign in Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes.

Regulatory trouble for organisations with ANBI status

The RSIN is part of the public disclosure obligations for charitable organisations with ANBI status. If one of these organisations fails to publish its RSIN as required or publishes the wrong one, it can risk non-compliance. That, in turn, jeopardizes donor tax deductibility and the organisation’s legal status.

Audit complexity and legal exposure

Regulators and auditors use RSINs to cross-reference financial statements, tax filings, and other disclosures. If the RSIN listed in those documents is inconsistent or incorrect, it can complicate an audit and possibly lead to findings of non-compliance, even if the underlying data is sound.