Passport registration

Each horse needs a passport: this is obligated by law. Each horse must also be chipped according to the European law.
On July 1, 2009, the new European regulation for Identification & Registration has taken effect. For most horse keepers this has no great impact. The most important difference is that all passports must include the chapter ‘Medical treatment’, which states if the horse is destined for human consumption after slaughtering. Passports which have been issued after 2003 already have this chapter; most of the KWPN-passports issued after the middle of 2000 have it as well. When you are in doubt, please check your passport.
Horse keepers who still have a passport without the medical appendix must apply for a new passport in order to comply with the regulations. Please fill in this form and send it back to our office.

Full passports

If the vaccination pages in the KWPN passport are full, you can request a new passport from the KWPN. After receiving the application and the full passport, the KWPN will issue a so-called duplicate passport. On pages 46/48 of this passport, a reference will be made to the original passport. The original passport will be invalidated. You will then receive both passports back, so the vaccination records of the horse remain available. Horses for which a duplicate passport has been issued are excluded from slaughter for human consumption.

You can complete the application form in My KWPN (My Horses) or, if you are not a member, via the link below. After submitting the form, send the confirmation of receipt, which you will receive by email, along with the full passport and photos of the horse from both sides and a front view of the head to the KWPN.

The costs for replacing the full passport can be found in the price list under 'Passport registration, request extra passport pages'.

Duplicate documents

The equine passport and registration certificate are identification documents for the horse, which are obligated by law. If either document is lost, you may request a duplicate replacement.
Please complete and return the form (email), along with the requested documentation. Upon receipt of these items, we will determine if we can process your request. If your request cannot be processed, we will notify you in writing with the reasons for our decision.
You should receive your replacement document within 8 weeks, provided that we have received a fully completed request form and all documentation. All charges for duplicate documents are the responsibility of the party making the request.
In addition to the completed request form and documentation, please submit clear photos of the horse in question which show the following:

• The entire horse
• The front of the head
• The legs

Note that requests submitted without photos cannot be processed. Photos will not be returned; they will be kept as evidence.

To expedite processing, please place several strands of mane from the equine in question in the enclosed hair bag (for possible DNA analysis) and return it along with the other required items. Please do not cut the mane but pull, we need to have the hairroots of the manes.

The KWPN reserves the right to require DNA testing prior to issuing a replacement registration certificate / equine passport.

Registration in central database RVO.nl

All horses residing in the Netherlands must be registered in the central database of RVO.nl. Passport-issuing authorities submit the data to the central database. Owners of horses with a foreign passport must register this passport within 30 days of issuance or within 30 days after the horse has arrived in the Netherlands from another member state or from a non-EU country, with a Dutch passport-issuing authority. The passport-issuing authority will use the form below, a copy of the holder's ID, and copies of the passport to verify if the passport meets the requirements and will provide the identification data to the central database.

Database registration is also mandatory for horses that only have an import notification. Starting in early 2024, KWPN will also charge fees for this service. When moving horses within the EU, a TRACES certificate is always required, and outside the EU, an export certificate is needed. For import notifications, providing the TRACES number, which is the health certificate number, is mandatory.

Registration of foreign passports or an import notification with KWPN can be done via the form below, in combination with copies of the passport showing the UELN, chip number, horse's name, gender, color, place of birth, country of birth, date of issue of the document, and the medical annex. Providing a copy of the TRACES or health certificate is also mandatory.

Horses temporarily in the Netherlands, in the following cases, do not need to be registered in the central database of RVO.nl:

• Horses staying in another member state for up to 90 days for competitions, horse races, shows, training, and hauling activities.
• Stallions staying in another member state for the breeding season.
• Mares staying in another member state for breeding for up to 90 days.
• Horses in a veterinary institution for medical reasons.
• Horses slaughtered in another member state within 10 days after importation.