What is the Dutch media law registration obligation?

The registration obligation under the Dutch Media Act (Mediawet) requires creators who meet specific thresholds to formally register as a regulated media service. Since the policy update on 16 June 2025, the follower threshold dropped from 500,000 to 100,000, which means tens of thousands of mid-tier creators in the Netherlands are now in scope. This isn't optional, and it isn't just paperwork. It changes how you operate as a business.

The cumulative conditions are:

• You have a KvK registration (operating as a business entity)
• You earn economic benefit from your videos: fees, gifted products, affiliate income
• You publish at least 24 videos in any 12-month period on YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram
• You have 100,000 or more followers on at least one of those platforms

All four conditions must apply simultaneously. If you're just below 100,000 followers, you're currently exempt from active registration and supervision costs, though disclosure rules under the advertising code still apply to you regardless of size.

According to DDMA reporting on the policy change, from 16 June 2025 onwards, more than 15,000 Dutch video uploaders fall under active supervision, roughly double the number covered in 2022. The majority of that growth comes from nano and micro-influencers in e-commerce, lifestyle, and sport.

At Zeth, we work closely with creators across all these sectors, and this shift is one of the most significant structural changes we've seen in the Dutch creator economy in years. Understanding it properly is the first step to turning it into a competitive advantage rather than a compliance headache.

How do you actually register, and what does it cost?

Registration happens through the Commissariaat voor de Media (CvdM). The CvdM's own guidance for video uploaders includes a registration check tool and a decision tree for multi-account situations. The process itself is straightforward, but it involves three separate bodies:

Step 1: Register with CvdM

Use the online portal on the CvdM website. If you run multiple accounts under a single KvK entity, these count as one uploader registration. If you have separate KvK registrations per account, you need separate filings.

Step 2: Join Stichting Reclame Code (SRC)

Membership is mandatory for registered creators. This covers your compliance with the Dutch advertising code, including proper disclosure of paid content.

Step 3: Register with NICAM

NICAM handles Kijkwijzer content classification. You'll complete a free training to label your own videos for age-appropriateness, which is a practical requirement for every piece of sponsored content you publish.

The costs add up as follows:

• CvdM annual supervision fee: from approximately €500 for smaller uploaders, scaling upward based on reach and turnover
• SRC membership: approximately €200 to €500 per year
• NICAM: approximately €100 to €300 depending on training participation

Total annual compliance cost for a creator just above the 100,000 threshold: roughly €800 to €1,500 per year. For a creator with an irregular deal pipeline of perhaps €15,000 to €20,000 annually, that's 5 to 10% of your income going straight to compliance. That's not trivial, and it's exactly the kind of cost that should be factored into your brand deal negotiations from day one.

You can also pursue optional certification via the CvdM quality mark, available since April 2024, which lets you formally demonstrate compliance status to brands during contract negotiations. More on why that matters below.

What does this mean for your brand contracts?

This is where the registration obligation actually works in your favour, if you know how to use it. As a registered media service ("mediadienst op afstand" or cmoa), you have legal obligations that brands must now accommodate in their contracts. That shifts the power dynamic.

Specifically, your contracts should now include explicit clauses covering:

• Disclosure compliance: confirmation that you will label all sponsored content with #ad or equivalent, and include Kijkwijzer icons where required
• Liability distribution: clarity on who is responsible for fines in the event of non-compliance. Under the current Mediawet framework, brands can be held jointly liable for violations, with fines up to €100,000
• Compliance cost reimbursement: a clause stating that the brand contributes to reasonable compliance costs, or that your fees reflect this overhead

A practical example clause to include: "Creator confirms active registration with CvdM, SRC, and NICAM and will provide evidence upon request. Brand acknowledges shared responsibility for Mediawet compliance and agrees to reimburse reasonable compliance costs incurred in executing this campaign."

The data backs up why this matters for your rates. According to DDMA's 2026 data, 62% of brands now exclusively work with KvK-registered creators for campaigns, up from 45% in 2024. Certified, compliant creators are also closing deals at approximately 20% higher rates because they reduce legal risk for the brand. That's a real negotiating lever.

At Zeth, contract structuring is something we handle directly for the creators we work with. If you're managing your own partnerships and want to see how our creator partnerships are structured, the case studies on our site show how compliance and commercial terms work together in practice.

Why does this actually improve your content performance?

Compliant disclosure isn't just a legal box to tick. The audience data is clear: NICAM research from 2026 shows that 85% of followers distrust content that isn't properly disclosed, and that non-disclosed sponsored posts convert at 30% lower rates than transparently labelled ones.

Think about that from your audience's perspective. Your followers already know when something is an ad. When you don't label it, you're not fooling anyone. You're just eroding the trust that makes your recommendations valuable in the first place.

Properly disclosed, compliant content from registered creators delivers an average engagement rate of 4.2%, compared to 1.7% for non-compliant sponsored content. That's a 2.5x difference in engagement, and it translates directly to campaign ROI: compliant influencer content generates approximately €4.50 return per €1 invested, according to the same DDMA data.

This is the argument you bring to brands who push back on disclosure requirements or try to obscure the commercial nature of your content. You're not just protecting yourself legally. You're protecting the performance of their campaign. Brands that understand this are the ones worth working with long-term.

We wrote more about building stable income streams as a creator in 5 income streams for small creators in 2026, which pairs well with this topic if you're thinking about how to structure your business beyond single brand deals.

What happens if you don't register?

Enforcement was relatively light through 2023 and 2024, with zero formal sanctions issued and most interventions taking the form of informal warnings. But the CvdM's expanded supervision mandate from 16 June 2025 signals a clear shift. Industry observers expect 10 or more formal fines to be issued in 2026, with the majority targeting disclosure failures rather than registration omissions.

The practical risk isn't just the fine itself. It's the reputational and commercial fallout. If a brand campaign you're part of triggers a CvdM investigation, the brand will look to the contract to determine who carries liability. Without proper compliance clauses in place, you're exposed.

There's also a quieter commercial risk: brands are increasingly running KvK and registration checks before signing contracts. If you're not registered and a brand's legal team flags it during due diligence, you lose the deal. According to Wieringa Advocaten's analysis of the expanded supervision, creators who proactively demonstrate compliance are significantly better positioned in brand negotiations than those who treat it as an afterthought.

Conclusion

The Dutch media law registration obligation isn't a bureaucratic burden to be tolerated. For a mid-tier creator with 100,000+ followers, it's a structural shift that, handled correctly, strengthens your market position. You become a lower-risk, higher-credibility partner for brands. Your contracts get clearer. Your content performs better because your audience trusts it. And your rates reflect the professional infrastructure you've built.

The creators who treat compliance as a competitive advantage rather than a cost centre are the ones who will scale their income most effectively in 2026 and beyond. If you want support navigating brand partnerships, contract structures, and the business side of your creator career, get in touch with the Zeth team to talk through what that looks like in practice.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to register if I have fewer than 100,000 followers?

No, the active registration and supervision requirement only applies to creators with 100,000 or more followers who also meet the other three conditions: KvK registration, economic benefit from videos, and at least 24 uploads in 12 months. However, advertising disclosure rules under the Dutch advertising code apply to all creators regardless of follower count.

How much does media law registration cost per year in the Netherlands?

The total annual cost for a creator just above the 100,000 follower threshold is approximately €800 to €1,500. This includes the CvdM supervision fee (from €500), SRC membership (€200 to €500), and NICAM participation (€100 to €300). These costs should be factored into your brand deal rates.

Can brands be held responsible for my non-compliance?

Yes. Under the current Mediawet framework, brands can be held jointly liable for disclosure violations in campaigns they commission. Fines can reach up to €100,000. This is why your contracts should explicitly address liability distribution and compliance responsibilities on both sides.

What is the CvdM quality mark and do I need it?

The CvdM quality mark is an optional certification available since April 2024 that formally demonstrates your compliance status to brands. It's not legally required, but certified creators report closing deals at approximately 20% higher rates because the certification reduces legal risk for brands during campaign due diligence.

Does running multiple accounts affect my registration requirements?

It depends on your business structure. If you operate multiple accounts under a single KvK entity, they count as one uploader registration with one set of fees. If you have separate KvK registrations for different accounts, each requires its own registration and incurs its own costs. The CvdM decision tree tool helps you work through your specific situation.

Where can I find the official registration tools and resources?

The CvdM website provides a registration check tool, a decision tree for multi-account situations, and the online registration portal. NICAM offers a free Kijkwijzer training and labelling app. The SRC publishes a transparency checklist for contract disclosures. All three are starting points before you begin any formal registration process.

Ready to turn your compliance status into stronger brand deals? Browse the Zeth creator directory to see how professional creators structure their partnerships, or contact us directly to discuss how Zeth supports creators at your level.