Netherlands Google Merchant Center Suspended: Fix Guide 2026

Q: Do Dutch Shopping ads require BTW-inclusive prices?

Yes. Under Dutch Prijsaanduiding (price display) law and EU consumer law, all prices shown to consumers must include BTW (belasting over de toegevoegde waarde, i.e., VAT). The standard Dutch BTW rate is 21% for most goods, with a reduced 9% rate for food, medicine, books, and some other categories. Your feed must send BTW-inclusive prices for the Dutch market.

Q: Does my Dutch store need to display a KvK number?

Yes. Under Dutch law (Handelsregisterwet), businesses registered with the Kamer van Koophandel must display their KvK number on their website. This is typically shown in the footer or on the contact page. Google uses the KvK number to verify Dutch business identity. A missing KvK number or a number that does not match your KvK registration is a suspension trigger.

Dutch merchants suspended on Google Merchant Center face a combination of EU-wide consumer law requirements and Netherlands-specific obligations. BTW-inclusive pricing, KvK registration display, Dutch-language policy pages, and the herroepingsrecht (right of withdrawal) are the four most common issues. This guide covers each one and tells you how to fix your account before submitting a reinstatement appeal.

Why Dutch Accounts Get Suspended

The Netherlands is one of Western Europe's strongest e-commerce markets, which makes it a priority for Google's EU policy enforcement team. Dutch consumer law builds on EU Directive 2011/83/EU but has specific Dutch implementation requirements. The Autoriteit Consument and Markt (ACM) actively enforces consumer protection in the Netherlands, and Google aligns its Dutch market review criteria with ACM expectations.

Dutch merchants often get suspended after years of running successfully because Google's automated scanning systems are upgraded periodically. A store that passed review in 2022 may fail in 2026 under tighter enforcement. Run a free audit to find out which policies are currently flagged on your account before you start making changes.

Most Common Dutch GMC Suspension Causes

1. BTW Not Included in Product Prices

Dutch law requires all consumer-facing prices to include BTW. The standard rate is 21% for most goods. Reduced rates of 9% apply to food, books, medicines, and certain other categories. Zero rate applies to some exports and specific categories. If your product feed sends ex-BTW prices or your store backend exports prices without BTW, your feed price will differ from your displayed page price (which shows the BTW-inclusive amount to consumers). Google flags this as a price mismatch. Fix: configure your feed to send the BTW-inclusive price for each product, and verify the tax settings in your Shopify or WooCommerce Dutch market configuration.

2. Policy Pages in English Only

While the Netherlands has high English proficiency, Dutch consumer law requires that consumer-facing information be provided in a language the consumer can reasonably understand. For Dutch-targeted Shopping campaigns, Google checks that your returns policy, shipping information, and privacy policy are accessible in Dutch. An English-only site targeting Dutch consumers via Dutch-language ads fails this check. Translate your key policy pages to Dutch. You do not need to translate your entire site, but the returns, shipping, and privacy pages at minimum must be in Dutch.

3. KvK Number Missing from Website

Businesses registered with the Kamer van Koophandel must display their KvK number on their website (Handelsregisterwet 2007). This typically goes in the footer alongside your BTW number. Your GMC business information must also reflect your KvK-registered name and address. If your brand name differs from your KvK-registered trading name, clarify both in your footer. Google cross-references Dutch business identity against the KvK register.

4. Herroepingsrecht Information Missing or Incorrect

Dutch implementation of EU Directive 2011/83/EU gives consumers a 14-day herroepingsrecht (right of withdrawal) on online purchases. Your herroepingsrecht page must include the EU model withdrawal form in Dutch, clearly state the 14-day period starting from delivery, and explain who pays return shipping costs. Many Dutch stores have a general "returns" page that does not meet the herroepingsrecht legal standard. The herroepingsrecht page must be separate from or in addition to your general returns page, or your general returns page must contain all required legal elements.

5. GDPR Cookie Consent Not Compliant

Dutch GDPR enforcement by the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) is strict. Your cookie consent banner must provide a clear reject-all option alongside accept-all. Pre-ticked boxes are not allowed. Consent must be logged and revocable. Cookie walls (blocking access until consent is given) are not compliant under AP guidance. Use a GDPR-compliant Consent Management Platform configured for the Netherlands. Cookiebot, OneTrust, and Usercentrics are all acceptable if configured correctly.

6. BTW Number Missing from the Website

Dutch law requires VAT-registered businesses to display their BTW number (btw-identificatienummer) on their website in addition to the KvK number. The BTW number format is NL followed by 9 digits and a 2-character suffix (for example, NL123456789B01). Display it in the footer alongside your KvK number. If you are not BTW-registered (applicable for very small businesses under certain schemes), state that you operate under the kleineondernemersregeling (KOR) and are exempt.

Step-by-Step Fix Process for Dutch Accounts

Step 1: Add KvK and BTW Numbers to Your Footer

This is the quickest fix and should be done first. Edit your footer to include: KvK: [your number], BTW: NL[your number], and your registered address. If these match what is in your GMC business information, you remove one verification failure immediately.

Step 2: Fix BTW Pricing in Your Product Feed

Pull a diagnostics report from GMC and filter for price mismatch errors in the Dutch market. For each flagged product, confirm the feed price matches the BTW-inclusive price shown on the product page. If you are on Shopify, enable "show prices with tax included" for the Dutch market and verify your Google channel exports the inclusive price. For WooCommerce, check the Google Listings and Ads plugin tax display settings.

Step 3: Translate Policy Pages to Dutch

At minimum, translate your returns (herroepingsrecht), shipping, and privacy policy pages to Dutch. For the herroepingsrecht page specifically, use the official EU model form translated to Dutch. Do not use machine translation alone for legal pages: have a native Dutch speaker review the key legal terms. The ACM provides guidance documents in Dutch that describe what these pages must contain.

Step 4: Implement GDPR-Compliant Cookie Consent

If your current cookie banner does not offer a visible "Weiger alles" (reject all) option on the first layer (without requiring the user to open a settings panel), update it. The AP has issued specific guidance that reject-all must be as prominent as accept-all. Test your implementation in incognito mode before submitting your appeal.

Step 5: Submit Your Reinstatement Appeal

Once all fixes are live, submit your appeal via GMC Account Issues. Write your appeal in English and list each specific fix. If the suspension included a misrepresentation flag in addition to Dutch-specific policy issues, read the misrepresentation guide before submitting. If a previous appeal was denied, the reinstatement denied guide covers your next steps. For help structuring the appeal itself, the GMC appeal process guide has a template.

Get a Full Report on Your Dutch GMC Suspension

Our audit checks 52 GMC policy requirements including Netherlands-specific checks: BTW price matching, KvK display, Dutch-language policy pages, herroepingsrecht compliance, and GDPR cookie consent. Get your full report in minutes.

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Netherlands GMC Suspension FAQ

Why was my Dutch Google Merchant Center account suspended?

Dutch GMC suspensions typically involve BTW not being included in displayed prices, policy pages in English only, KvK registration details not matching the GMC account, inadequate herroepingsrecht information, or GDPR-non-compliant cookie consent banners.

Do Dutch Shopping ads require BTW-inclusive prices?

Yes. Under Dutch price display law and EU consumer law, all prices shown to consumers must include BTW. The standard Dutch BTW rate is 21% for most goods. Your feed must send BTW-inclusive prices for the Dutch market.

Does my Dutch store need to display a KvK number?

Yes. Under Dutch law, businesses registered with the Kamer van Koophandel must display their KvK number on their website. Google uses the KvK number to verify Dutch business identity. A missing KvK number or a number that does not match your KvK registration is a suspension trigger.

How long does Dutch GMC reinstatement take?

Most Dutch reinstatement reviews take 5 to 10 business days. Accounts flagged for circumventing systems or misrepresentation can take 2 to 4 weeks. Review times during peak shopping seasons in Q4 can run longer.