Identification of clients

Lawyers in the Netherlands are in certain cases obliged by the Act for the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism (Wet ter voorkoming van witwassen en financieren van terrorisme) to identify their clients when establishing an attorney-client relationship. If the client is a corporation (or another kind of legal person), the natural person ultimately in control must also be identified. An exploratory meeting may be held without any identification.

Natural persons are identified on the basis of a valid passport or other form of identification. Legal entities with registered offices in the Netherlands are identified on the basis of a certified excerpt from the Trade Register of the Chamber of Commerce or a deed drawn up by a Dutch civil-law notary. The representative of such a legal entity must also be identified. Foreign legal entities without registered offices in the Netherlands should be identified as well, for instance with a certified excerpt from the official Trade Register of the state in which it has its registered office.

If you have any questions concerning the identification requirement, please contact us.

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