The Wki and your collections calls: what Dutch collection agencies need to get right

Since 1 April 2024, Dutch collection agencies have worked under the Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening (Wki), the Act on the quality of debt collection services. It requires registration and sets quality requirements, and several of those requirements play out on the phone: how agents introduce themselves, what they explain, and how they treat debtors. This article explains what the Wki requires, who supervises it, and how to turn its requirements into checks on every collections call.

What is the Wki?

The Wet kwaliteit incassodienstverlening sets rules for private, out-of-court debt collection in the Netherlands. Its detailed requirements are in the Besluit kwaliteit incassodienstverlening (Decree on the quality of debt collection services). Both took effect on 1 April 2024.

Under Article 2, the Wki covers out-of-court collection that is:

• carried out or offered professionally or as a business;
• for a third party, or after the claim has been transferred, such as a purchased debt portfolio; and
• aimed at payment by a natural person living in the Netherlands.

A business collecting its own invoices is not covered by the Wki itself, though other rules, such as those on collection costs, still apply.

Registration in the Incassoregister

Article 4 prohibits carrying out or offering out-of-court collection without registration, or while a registration is suspended. Bailiffs (gerechtsdeurwaarders) and lawyers (advocaten) are exempt from registration, as they are already registered under their own professional rules.

The register is kept on behalf of the Minister by Justis, the screening authority of the Ministry of Justice and Security. The public register incassodienstverlening shows each registered provider with its registration number and contact details. Agencies already active before the Wki took effect had a transition year and had to apply for registration by 1 April 2025. Since then, as Justis explains, only organisations in the register may carry out out-of-court collection. New agencies must register before they start.

Two related rules affect daily work:

• Name and number. Under Article 11, collection work must be carried out under the name and registration number in the register, and this must be made known to debtors.
• Certificate of conduct. Under Article 12, anyone who will have contact with debtors or creditors, or who manages that contact, must first provide a verklaring omtrent het gedrag (certificate of conduct) that is no more than three months old.

Since 1 October 2026, Article 18 adds a civil consequence. As the Dutch government explains, a debtor does not have to pay collection costs or accruing interest when the collector is not registered. The original debt still has to be paid.

Who supervises the Wki

Article 14 gives supervision to officials designated by the Minister. In practice the Inspectie Justitie en Veiligheid (Inspectorate of Justice and Security) supervises the collection market, checking both registration and whether agencies inform debtors properly. The Wki allows for orders subject to a penalty (Article 15), administrative fines (Article 16) and removal from the register (Article 17). Bailiffs and lawyers are supervised through their own professional bodies.

Quality requirements that touch the phone

Article 13 of the Wki sets the quality requirements in broad terms, and the Besluit fills them in. These are the ones that show up in conversations with debtors.

Correct dealings and information (Article 4.1 of the Besluit)

The agency must approach the debtor in a way that is transparent, unambiguous, recognisable and correct. It must give clear, complete and accurate information, and inform the debtor about their rights and obligations, both on its own initiative and on request. It must also be directly and easily reachable for the debtor.

Timing of contact (Article 4.2)

The agency may not contact a debtor electronically, in person or by telephone between 20:00 and 07:00, or on Sundays and public holidays as defined in the Algemene termijnenwet (General Time Limits Act). This is best enforced in your dialler and contact rules, and verified from call logs.

Insight into the claim (Article 3.1)

The debtor must receive, as soon as possible and again on request, a written description of the claim. It includes the creditor, the underlying invoice or obligation, the payment terms and a specification of the principal, interest, collection costs and any VAT. On the phone, agents should be able to explain the same breakdown and offer to send it.

Competence and conduct (Articles 2.1 to 2.3)

Collection staff need knowledge of the relevant law and of dealing with people, and the skills to apply it. Collection employees need at least EQF level 3 education, managers at least level 4, and both take part in annual training and in meetings on social norms. The agency must hold such a meeting at least twice a year.

Records and agreements (Article 5.1)

Each case needs a file that includes any agreements made with the debtor, kept in good order and retained for at least two years after the case is closed.

Complaints (Article 6.1)

The agency needs a complaints procedure for both oral and written complaints. Receipt of a complaint must be confirmed in writing within two working days. The agency must also be affiliated with a disputes scheme (Article 13(5) of the Wki). A complaint made on the phone is still a complaint.

From requirements to call checks

Most of these requirements can be phrased as yes/no questions about what was said on the call.

Group these into a single lens for collections calls, and add checks for your own scripts. Checks that only apply in certain situations, such as complaints, will often stay unanswered because the situation didn't arise. That is the honest answer.

For the wider EU rules behind collections calls, such as the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the revised Consumer Credit Directive, see compliant collections calls: what to check on every conversation.

How to evidence compliance

Article 13(6) of the Wki requires agencies to record in writing how they meet the quality requirements. A supervisor will look for evidence that your policies are applied in practice, not just written down. Useful evidence includes:

• Written policies and process descriptions, as Article 5.3 of the Besluit requires, including your call scripts.
• Training records showing courses and the twice-yearly meetings on social norms.
• Case files with the claim specification and every agreement made with the debtor.
• Call logs showing contact stays within permitted times.
• Call check results across all calls, with quotes, showing how often each requirement was met and what happened when it was not.
• Complaint records including oral complaints raised on calls and the written confirmation sent.
• Coaching records linking failed checks to follow-up with the agent.

Sampling a few calls a month gives you anecdotes. Checking every call gives you a measurable record you can show to a supervisor or a creditor client.

How VOIX helps

VOIX records and transcribes the calls it receives from your phone system, in Dutch or the language of the call, and runs your checks on every one. Every answer comes with evidence from the call, and a collections lens can run on every call. Commitments such as an agreed payment date become follow-up tasks with the words behind them, for someone to approve, and trends by team and rep show where coaching is needed. VOIX is EU hosted and a data processing agreement is available. See the collections use case and checks and lenses.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Check the rules that apply to your organisation with your legal adviser or data protection officer.

New to a term? See the glossary.

VOIX for debt collection teamsFair, compliant debtor calls, evidenced on every call.