Klarna violates Dutch law by collecting debts without proper registration, experts say
The Swedish buy-now-pay-later bank Klarna is violating Dutch law by collecting outstanding debts from private individuals without being registered in the debt collection register, experts told NOS.
Debt collection agencies active in the Netherlands are legally required to register as an out-of-court debt collection service provider. Conducting debt collection practices without registration has been an economic offense since 1 April 2025. The Swedish bank is not listed in the Dutch registry, but still sends individuals reminders to pay their debts, according to the broadcaster.
In August, for example, Klarna sent a reminder for an outstanding amount of over €1,000 for an order from CheapTickets. The email was sent at 10:56 p.m., and Klarna was not registered in the debt collection registry.
“These are two violations in one,” André Moerman, a debt expert for the website Schuldinfo.nl, told NOS. “The company is not allowed to send reminders without registration. Nor is it allowed to contact debtors after 8:00 p.m.”
“The law is crystal clear. Klarna commits an economic offense if it is not registered as an out-of-court debt collection service provider,” Marco Loos, a professor of consumer law at the University of Amsterdam, told the broadcaster. He pointed out that the violation has been going on for quite some time. “It wouldn’t be surprising if the supervisory authority or the Public Prosecution Service were to take action against such a clear violation.”
Caretaker State Secretary Arno Rutte of Justice and Security is aware of Klarna’s practices, but isn’t willing to call it a crime. “Yes, I am familiar with sending such payment reminders and demand letters,” he said in answer to parliamentary questions last week, adding that “Klarna is not listed in the register of debt collection services” at the time of the questions.
But he also said: “I want to emphasize that the assessment of whether the company complies with the obligations imposed by law rests with the Justice and Security Inspectorate, not with me.”
The Inspectorate told NOS that they couldn’t comment on individual companies. Klarna told the broadcaster that it needed time to understand how the debt collection law applies to it.
