Governments such as provinces or municipalities may want to investigate your or your company's background. They can for instance perform a background check when:
- you request a permit or subsidy
- you bid for a government contract
- you buy immovable goods from the government
- you sell immovable goods to the government
This screening is based on the Public Administration (Probity Screening) Act (Bibob). Public authorities may request a background check to assess the criminal risks regarding permits and other governmental decisions. If they determine such a risk (for example a criminal record or obscure financial structures) the public authority may refuse or revoke a permit, subsidy, contract, or other decision. This prevents authorities from facilitating criminal activities.
Bibob check
If a public authority investigates your company’s integrity this is called a Bibob check (Bibob-toets). You will have to fill in a Bibob questionnaire (Bibob-vragenformulier, in Dutch) for this purpose. A municipality can for instance request information with the police, judiciary, or the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration (Belastingdienst). You have 14 days to send in the completed form. The public authority will then use the details submitted to assess the integrity of your company or the people involved in your company.
A Bibob screening takes 8 weeks. If the government body has not completed the screening by then, another 4 weeks will be added.
Bibob advice
Does the municipality have doubts in relation to your company’s integrity? They can ask for advice from the Bibob office (Landelijk Bureau Bibob, LBB, in Dutch) as part of a more detailed investigation.
You will be informed accordingly before the investigation starts. After investigation, the Bibob office will give advice to the municipality. The screening by the Bibob office may take up to a maximum of 12 weeks.
The Bibob office can also tip off public authorities if they have information on criminal offences.
You cannot object to the advice given by the Bibob office. You can, however, object to the government body if they refuse or revoke a licence or subsidy. You must submit a notice of objection no later than 6 weeks after you received the decision.
Online submission procedure via Message Box
Do you have to complete a Bibob questionnaire for a procedure subject to the Services Act? You can submit this form also via Message Box. Message Box is a secure email system that enables you as an entrepreneur to exchange digital messages with Dutch government agencies.