Website legal checklist for Dutch businesses

Why run a legal check on your website?

A website is a public business card, and rules apply to it. Most business owners don't break them on purpose. Mistakes often creep in with a new plugin, a photo from the internet or a reviews block added later. A regular check, for example once a year, keeps you on top of it.

The consequences of mistakes vary. Sometimes it is an unpleasant email from a photo agency with an invoice. Sometimes a complaint from a customer or a question from a regulator. Prevention, above all, is cheap.

Here is how to run the check: open your website on your phone, go through every page and tick off the points below. Also look at what you don't see straight away, such as which cookies load and where the data from your forms goes. Note what is missing and who will fix it: you, your web developer or a lawyer.

Checklist: required company details on your website

Anyone offering services or products online must clearly show who they are. Put these details in a fixed, easy-to-find place, such as your contact page and the footer:

• Your company name as registered with the Chamber of Commerce (KvK).
• Your visiting address or business address.
• An email address where you can be reached.
• Your KvK number.
• Your VAT identification number, if you are registered for VAT.
• For certain professions: your professional body or registration, such as a BIG registration in healthcare.

Do you work from home as a freelancer (zzp'er) and don't want your home address online? Check with the KvK which options are available to you.

Privacy and cookies: GDPR on your website

As soon as you process personal data, GDPR (AVG in Dutch) applies. That happens quickly: a contact form, a newsletter sign-up or visitor statistics all count. Check the following:

• A clear and up-to-date privacy statement. Read how to write one in our article on the privacy statement for your website.
• A cookie banner that asks for consent in advance for cookies that need it, with an equally easy button to refuse. More on that in cookie banners and GDPR rules.
• Forms that only ask for what you really need.
• A secure connection (https) across your whole website.
• Data processing agreements with parties that process data for you, such as your hosting or newsletter service.

Photos, texts and logos: copyright

You can't simply use a photo you found through Google. Almost everything on the internet is protected by copyright. Photo agencies actively search for their images on websites and then send an invoice. These are the rules of thumb:

• Use your own photos, images you have bought a licence for, or photos from a stock service with a clear free licence.
• Keep a record of where each photo comes from and under which licence.
• If recognisable people appear, such as staff or customers, ask for permission. Record it.
• Don't copy texts from other websites, not even from competitors or suppliers.
• Don't use other people's logos or brand names in a way that suggests you work with them.

You'll find more tips on good imagery in photos on your website.

Selling online? Extra rules for online shops

If you sell to consumers through your website, extra rules from consumer law apply. A few important points:

• Show prices for consumers including VAT and make extra costs, such as shipping, clear in advance.
• Explain how the right of withdrawal works. For most online purchases, consumers may cancel within 14 days.
• Put your terms and conditions on the site and let customers read and save them before ordering.
• Make the order button clear. It must state that the customer is committing to pay.
• If you offer discounts, honestly show what the previous price was.

If you only sell to businesses, some of these rules don't apply. Do make that clear on your site, though.

Reviews, accessibility and other points to watch

• Reviews: if you show customer reviews, state whether and how you check that they come from real customers. Never write reviews yourself and don't remove only the negative ones.
• Accessibility: since 28 June 2025 the European Accessibility Act applies to certain digital products and services, such as many online shops. Microenterprises are often exempt for services. Read more in accessible website.
• AI texts and chatbots: if you use a chatbot, make it clear that visitors are talking to a computer. The EU AI Act sets rules for this.
• Newsletter: only email people who signed up themselves, and make unsubscribing easy.
• Disclaimer: not required, but sometimes useful to show that information is general.

Common legal mistakes on websites

• A privacy statement from a template that doesn't match what you actually do.
• Analytics or advertising pixels that load before someone gives consent.
• Photos from the internet without a licence.
• No KvK number or email address to be found.
• An online shop without clear information about returns.

How we take this into account

When we build a website, we include these points in the design: fixed places for your company details, forms that don't ask for more than needed, a cookie setup that matches what is on your site, and an https connection. We don't write the legal texts themselves, such as your terms and conditions. For those we refer you to a lawyer. A custom website through websites and apps starts from €1,799 excl. VAT (€2,177 incl. VAT).

Want to know whether your current website is in order? Book a free quickscan. It is a 30-minute conversation, online or in person. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price indication, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions