---
title: Relations
description: Recording clients, opposing parties, and contacts, KvK import, Wwft data, and merging duplicates.
---

> Nederlandse versie: [/handleiding/relaties](/handleiding/relaties)

**What is this?** A **relation** ("relatie") is any person or organization your firm records: clients, opposing parties, contacts, and employees. Matters, invoices, and portal access always hang off a relation. The interface is in Dutch; on-screen names are quoted below.

## How to create a new relation

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1. Click **"Relaties"** in the left rail.
2. Click **"Nieuwe relatie"** (new relation).
3. Under **"Soort"** (type), choose **"Particulier"** (individual), **"Bedrijf"** (company), **"Contactpersoon"** (contact person), or **"Medewerker"** (employee).
4. Fill in the details: for an individual, **"Voornaam"** (first name), **"Achternaam"** (last name), **"Initialen"** (initials), **"Geboortedatum"** (date of birth); for a company, **"Bedrijfsnaam"** (company name) and **"KvK-nummer"** (trade register number). Fill in **"E-mail"** and **"Telefoon"** where possible.
5. Choose **"Afdeling"** (department) and **"Toegangsniveau"** (access level) if needed.
6. Click **"Relatie aanmaken"** (create relation).

If the new relation resembles an existing one (same KvK number, email address, name plus date of birth, or company name), Basenet immediately shows **"Mogelijke duplicaten"** (possible duplicates). Click **"Openen"** (open) to use the existing relation, or deliberately choose **"Toch aanmaken"** (create anyway).

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## The tabs of a relation

- **"Details"** — contact details, **"KvK-nummer"**, **"IBAN"**, **"Btw-nummer"** (VAT number). Adjust via **"Relatie bewerken"** (edit relation) → **"Wijzigingen opslaan"** (save changes).
- **"Compliance"** — Wwft data: see below.
- **"Dossiers"** — which matters this relation is a party in, and with which **"Rol"** (role).
- **"Historie"** — change history.

## Viewing and editing relation details

The overview displays populated fields and core identity information. **"Lege velden tonen"** (show empty fields) reveals empty fields. This preference is remembered per user and also applies to matter details.

Choose **"Relatie bewerken"** for the full form on the same page, including the firm's custom fields. **"Annuleren"** (cancel) and **"Wijzigingen opslaan"** (save changes) are at the top. Use a field's pencil to edit one value without opening the full form. Existing permissions determine which values you can change; centrally maintained courts and prosecutors are not ordinary editable company relations.

## How to import company data from the KvK register

1. Open a company relation and go to the **"Compliance"** tab.
2. Under **"KvK-import"**, click **"Importeren uit KvK"** (import from KvK).
3. Enter the 8-digit KvK number and click **"Opzoeken"** (look up).
4. Review the **"Wijzigingen"** (changes) shown (including any **"Ultimate beneficial owners"**) and click **"Toepassen"** (apply).

## Wwft data on the Compliance tab

![Wwft client-acceptance data on a relation's Compliance tab](/media/guides/relations-compliance.png)

This is where the firm records client acceptance (required under the **Wwft** — see the [Glossary](/guides/glossary)):

- **"Cliëntacceptatie (Wwft)"** (client acceptance) — status **"Geen"** (none), **"In behandeling"** (in progress), **"Geaccepteerd"** (accepted), or **"Afgewezen"** (rejected), with **"Wwft-risico"** (Wwft risk) **"Laag"** (low), **"Middel"** (medium), or **"Hoog"** (high) and a valid-until date. Record with **"Beslissing bevestigen"** (confirm decision); earlier decisions stay visible under **"Eerdere beslissingen"**.
- **"PEP-status"** and **"Sanctiemarkering"** (sanctions flag).
- **"BSN"** (citizen service number) — set via **"BSN instellen"** (set BSN) → **"Valideren en opslaan"** (validate and save) (Basenet checks the 11-test). The BSN is stored with extra protection and only visible with a separate permission ("BSN-permissie vereist", BSN permission required).

The full acceptance process for new clients is on [Client onboarding](/guides/client-onboarding).

## How to merge duplicates

Two registrations of the same person or company are merged — this never happens automatically; a human choice is always required.

1. On the **"Relaties"** page, click **"Duplicaten beoordelen"** (review duplicates).
2. Per group you see the matching relations, with the reason ("Zelfde KvK-nummer" (same KvK number), "Zelfde e-mailadres" (same email address), "Zelfde naam en geboortedatum" (same name and date of birth), or "Zelfde bedrijfsnaam" (same company name)) and a **"Aanbevolen winnaar"** (recommended winner).
3. On the relation that should remain, choose **"Deze relatie behouden"** (keep this relation) and click **"Samenvoeging beoordelen"** (review merge).
4. On the confirmation screen, check the **"Winnaar (blijft zichtbaar)"** (winner, stays visible), the **"Verliezer (blijft bewaard voor herstel)"** (loser, kept for recovery), and the **"Te verplaatsen verwijzingen"** (references to move: matter parties, documents, invoices, appointments, and so on).
5. Click **"Samenvoeging bevestigen"** (confirm merge).

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Made a mistake? Under **"Recente herstelbare samenvoegingen"** (recent recoverable merges), use **"Ongedaan maken"** (undo) → **"Herstel bevestigen"** (confirm recovery) to reverse the merge exactly.