Registration and accreditation with the NVWA

Do you make, process, or transport food or feed? Or do you store foodstuffs? You must register all of your branches in the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority’s (NVWA) register.

European hygiene legislation dictates that food businesses, and their suppliers, must be registered or, in case of risks for product safety in your company, accredited.

Apply for accreditation, registration, or permit with NVWA

If any additional risks are involved in your company, in terms of food safety, product safety, animal health, or animal welfare, you must apply for accreditation from NVWA (in Dutch). You need this if your company works with:

• raw foodstuffs of animal origin (meat, fish, dairy, eggs)
• animal feeds
• animal by-products, such as semen, ova, and embryos
• live animals (oxen, sheep, goats, pigs)
• sprouting seeds

Are the products you work with not listed in these examples? You may still need an accreditation, registration, or licence. Check the full list (in Dutch).

To apply for an accreditation, registration, or permit, you must be properly registered with the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KVK). You will need eHerkenning for the application form.

You will receive accreditation if your commercial space complies with the structural, technical, and hygienic requirements. You must also have a HACCP plan and a quality and control system in place.

Veterinary laboratory

If you operate a veterinary laboratory in the Netherlands (in Dutch), you must follow the requirements:

• You need to apply for recognition from NVWA (in Dutch).
• Your laboratory must be accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Council (Raad voor Accreditatie, RvA, in Dutch).
• You participate in periodic monitoring by National Reference Laboratory.
• You report the tests carried out in your laboratory and their results quarterly to NVWA.

Digital application with Message Box

With Message Box, you can register your branch(es) digitally with NVWA as well as apply for accreditation. Message Box is a secure email system which allows you, the entrepreneur, to exchange digital messages with Dutch government organisations.