Applying for an energy license
You need an energy license for the supply of electricity and natural gas to small-scale users. Such licenses come with strict requirements. License applications can be filed with us.
Types of energy licenses
There are three types of energy licenses for supplying to small-scale end-users: for electricity, for natural gas, and for electricity via peer-to-peer trading.
What is peer-to-peer trading?
Peer-to-peer trading involves end-users selling excess solar energy to other end-users. A peer-to-peer trader matches (digitally) buyers and sellers, and handles the administrative process of the delivery. The trader is the supplier for the end-user (who is buying). That is why a license is required.
On this page:
Preparations for the application
You need an energy license for supplying electricity, natural gas, and electricity via peer-to-peer to small-scale end-users. As such licenses come with strict requirements, you must make the necessary preparations before holding a preliminary discussion with us. That means you need to study all of the relevant rules and regulations that apply to energy suppliers:
- Energy-license requirements (in Dutch)
- Rules and regulations for the energy market (in Dutch)
- Selling to consumers
In addition, you also need to draw up a plan in which you explain the following:
- What target group you will focus on, and how you plan to recruit customers
- What types of contracts you will offer. You must, in any case, offer model contracts for a fixed term with fixed tariffs for at least 12 months, as well as permanent model contracts with variable tariffs. This obligation does not apply to peer-to-peer trading. Read more in the Decision on the establishment of model contracts (external website) (in Dutch).
- What the organization of your undertaking will be (see chapter 2 of the Explanatory notes to the application form for a supply license regarding electricity and natural gas - in Dutch)
- How you will finance your company
- How you will organize procurement and balancing responsibility
- What risks your company will incur and how you plan to mitigate these risks
You will send your plan in writing by email to acm-post [at] acm [punt] nl (acm-post[at]acm[dot]nl), in which you request a preliminary discussion. You can also submit your plan via cryptshare.acm.nl (external website) (external website) . This is the first step towards obtaining an energy license.
The preliminary discussion
In consultation with you, we pick a date for a personal preliminary discussion. This will take place at the offices of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets in The Hague. We want to get to know you better, and paint you a picture of the energy markets. In addition, we explain how we assess license applications. After the preliminary discussion, you decide whether or not you file an application for a license. During the preliminary discussion:You present your plans
- You can ask any questions that have arisen during the preparations for the preliminary discussion
- We explain what obligations (including reporting obligations) you as a license-holder will have
- We explain how we regulate energy suppliers
- We explain how you can apply for a license, and how we will assess your application
During the preliminary discussion, we cannot comment on the approval or rejection of a license application that you may submit afterwards. In addition, after this discussion, you may wish to do more research before deciding whether or not to apply for a license.
The license application
Please make sure that your company meets the following:
- The requirements for an energy license (in Dutch)
- The requirements for selling to consumers
- The information obligations when selling energy to consumers (in Dutch)
- The rules and regulations for the energy market (in Dutch)
Please check this before requesting the preliminary discussion. Otherwise we may decline your application.
Please submit the following documents for your application:
- Application form for a license regarding the supply of electricity and/or natural gas to small-scale users (in Dutch) (pdf, 235 kB)
- Explanatory notes to the application form for a supply license regarding electricity and natural gas (in Dutch) (docx, 372 kB)
- Annex 1: Assessment framework (in Dutch) (docx, 65 kB)
- Annex 2: Instructions for independent accountants (in Dutch) (docx, 32 kB)
- Annex 3: Format for Assurance report: positive assessment (in Dutch) (docx, 31 kB)
- Annex 4: Format for Assurance report: assessment with restrictions (in Dutch) (docx, 32 kB)
- Annex 5: Format for administrative organization and internal control (AO/IC) (in Dutch) (docx, 62 kB)
- Annex 6: Financial position of license applicant (in Dutch) (xlsx, 53 kB)
- Examples of all offers, contracts, and bills that you will use for the supply of energy
- For the license to supply electricity and natural gas: information about your energy procurement and balancing responsibility
- For the license to supply electricity through peer-to-peer trading: information about your balancing responsibility and the process for complying with the P2P procurement obligation
- Information about the financial position and funding of your company
- Proof of registration with an independent complaints board, such as the Dutch Foundation for Complaints and Dispute Resolution (external website)
- Your company’s unique identification code or codes
- A certified extract from the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KvK)
- A court-issued certificate of non-bankruptcy
- Assurance report from an independent accountant
Please ask an independent accountant to draw up an assurance report. Give this accountant the following documents:
The explanatory notes to the application form, with the request to read section 3.2 regarding the AO/IC
- Annexes 1 and 5 (completed by you)
- Annexes 2, 3 and 4 (to be completed by the accountant)
In addition to the above information, you must also provide the following information:
A certificate of conduct for legal entities (in Dutch: Verklaring omtrent Gedrag Rechtspersoon, or VOG RP)
- A completed Public Administration Probity Screening (in Dutch: Bibob) questionnaire and the information requested in that questionnaire.
Filing a digital application
Please submit the application and all documents via cryptshare.acm.nl. Please use our email address for this: acm-post [at] acm [punt] nl.
For more information, see the document ‘Application form for applying for a supply license regarding electricity and/or natural gas’.
Our decision
Within eight weeks after filing the application, you will hear whether or not we will grant the license. Sometimes we need more time. In that case, we will extend the deadline and notify you of this.
If you are granted the license, we will add you to our list of license holders for electricity and natural gas. And we will publish our decision regarding the energy license on our website.
Costs in connection with the energy license
You pay us a one-time fee of 1,705 euros per license in connection with the grant of the license. These costs must be paid in advance. You must also pay these costs if we decline or disregard your application, for example, because you did not submit all the requested information on time.
In addition, you will incur costs in connection with the application process, such as the mandatory hiring of an accountant, as well as for meeting the requirements such as the yearly registration fee for the Dutch Foundation for Complaints and Dispute Resolution.