Van Grafhorst Notarissen

What Van Grafhorst Notarissen does

Van Grafhorst Notarissen is a full-service Dutch notary firm headquartered at Bemuurde Weerd Oostzijde 19, Utrecht. Founded by Mathieu van Grafhorst in the 1980s, the firm operates as a partnership (maatschap) of private limited companies (besloten vennootschappen) and is owned by five partners/notaries: Nick van Buitenen, Ellen van Leusden, Ivo van der Zijl, Joost van der Meer, and Jasper Nobel. The firm employs approximately 45 people, including 15 jurists and four to five notaries, and serves individuals, families, and businesses across four practice areas: residential property (Wonen), family law (Relatie), estate planning (Nalaten), and corporate/business law (Ondernemen), with a specialized IT-notaris practice for software escrow and IP pledge rights delivered in partnership with Software Borg Stichting.

The firm runs on Nobilex, a notary-specific practice management platform adopted in October 2023, supplemented by the Notarisbox client portal for secure document exchange. Service delivery is anchored in a single Utrecht office with evening hours on Tuesdays and free parking, with family law matters restricted to clients in Utrecht, De Bilt, Bunnik, and Zeist, while corporate and real estate services reach a broader Dutch market. The firm distinguishes itself through plain-language deeds and an informal client approach, supported by a 9.4/10 client satisfaction rating on Advieskeuze.nl.

Revenue is generated through fixed base tariffs for standard notarial deeds (e.g., €1,145–€1,265 for verklaring van erfrecht, €85 per signature legalization) with hourly billing for complex or non-standard work, paid within 14 days. Go-to-market is relationship-driven and referral-based, supplemented by a comprehensive website, online quote request system, LinkedIn, Instagram, and an English-language page serving international property buyers. The firm has no external ownership, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed funding.

Name

Van Grafhorst Notarissen

Legal name

Van Grafhorst Notarissen

Website

https://vangrafhorst.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Van Grafhorst Notarissen is a full-service Dutch notary partnership in Utrecht, employing ~45 staff and 4–5 notaries, providing residential property, family law, estate planning, and corporate notarial services, plus specialized IT-notaris software escrow, to individuals and businesses primarily in the Utrecht region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Notary Services

NAICS

Offices of Notaries (54112), Title Abstract and Settlement Offices (541191), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Notary & Signing Agent Services (Remote/Onsite) (BPAJAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD), Estate Administration & Probate Services (FSAAANAE), Guardianship, Conservatorship & Special Needs Trust Services (FSAEAKAG)

Keywords

• Notary services
• Property transfer deeds
• Estate planning
• Corporate formation
• Software escrow notary

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Notarial Deeds and Certificates: Base rates for most deeds with fixed tariffs. Additional hourly billing applies when work exceeds typical scope. Services include property transfers, marriage contracts, wills, estate declarations, company formations, and various corporate documents.
2. Estate Administration Services: Services for inheritance settlement including declaration of estate rights (verklaring van erfrecht) priced at €1,145 for estates without property and €1,265 for estates with real estate, based on minimum tariff with additional hourly billing for complex cases.
3. Signature Legalization: Signature legalization services at €85 per document for documents prepared by Dutch notaries. Higher fees apply for non-Dutch notary documents requiring assessment (minimum €200 per document).
4. IT Notary Services: Specialized IT notary services including software escrow deposition and intellectual property pledge rights, provided in partnership with Software Borg Stichting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Van Grafhorst Notarissen is a full-service Dutch notary firm in Utrecht providing notarial deeds and advisory services across four domains: residential property (purchase, mortgage, apartment splits), family law (cohabitation, marriage, children, divorce), estate planning (wills, inheritance, gifts, living wills), and corporate matters (BV/NV formation, share transfers, shareholder agreements, foundations, associations, mergers, and IT software escrow). Services are delivered by licensed Dutch notaries and supported by jurists using Nobilex practice management software and the Notarisbox secure client portal.

Product overview

Van Grafhorst Notarissen is een full-service notariskantoor in Utrecht dat een breed spectrum aan notariële diensten aanbiedt verdeeld over vier hoofdcategorieën: Wonen (huis kopen, hypotheek, splitsing in appartementsrechten), Relatie (samenlevingscontract, trouwen/huwelijkse voorwaarden, kinderen, scheiden), Nalaten (overlijden en testament, schenken, estate planning, levenstestament) en Ondernemen (oprichting BV/NV, aandelenoverdracht, samen ondernemen, ondernemingen en rechtspersonen, stichting en vereniging, IT-notaris). Het kantoor onderscheidt zich door het gebruik van duidelijke, moderne taal in akten in plaats van traditionele juridische formuleringen. Cliënten kunnen documenten ontvangen via het beveiligde Notarisbox-portaal. Het kantoor telt ongeveer 45 medewerkers en 4 tot 5 notarissen/partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Huis kopen (Woningoverdracht) Notarial guidance for the transfer of real estate, including review of public registers, preparation of deeds, registration at the Kadaster, and settlement of the purchase price. Targeted at individuals and families buying or selling residential property.
• Hypotheek Drafting and execution of mortgage deeds for the purchase or refinancing of real estate, including notarial investigation obligations and Kadaster registration. For property buyers and refinancers.
• Splitsing in appartementsrechten Splitting buildings into apartment rights so that individual parts can be sold separately, including drafting the deed of division and filing the drawing with the Kadaster. For property owners and developers.
• Samenlevingscontract Notarial recording of agreements between cohabiting partners, including division of property, partner pension, and survivorship arrangements in the event of death. For unmarried cohabiting couples.
• Trouwen / Huwelijkse voorwaarden Advice on and drafting of marriage or partnership conditions, including guidance on the consequences of the limited community of property applicable since 2018. For couples planning marriage or registered partnership.
• Kinderen (ouderlijk gezag en voogdij) Notarial recording of guardianship, administration, and testamentary protection of the surviving parent and children in the event of death. For parents arranging custody provisions for their children.
• Scheiden / Verdeling vermogen Notarial deeds for division of jointly owned assets in divorce, including division of real estate, shares, and partner pension. For divorcing couples needing asset division.
• Overlijden en testament Services around wills, declaration of inheritance rights (verklaring van erfrecht), inheritance tax filings, estate inventory, and executor or administrator roles in estates. For individuals planning inheritance and heirs handling estates.
• Schenken Notarial deeds for gifts, including paper gifts (schenking op papier), and handling of gift tax filings. For individuals making gifts during their lifetime.
• Estate planning Multi-generational wealth planning, including wills, gifts, business succession, and tax advisory. For families and business owners with multi-generational wealth transfer needs.
• Levenstestament Power of attorney for the event of illness or dementia, covering medical decisions and asset management, recorded in a notarial deed. For individuals planning for potential incapacity.
• Oprichting BV / NV Incorporation of private and public limited companies by notarial deed, including contribution of enterprises, holding structures, and operating companies. For entrepreneurs and investors forming Dutch BVs or NVs.
• Aandelenoverdracht Notarial deed for the transfer of shares in a BV, including investigation of the rightful owner, registration in the shareholders register, and notification to the KvK. For shareholders transferring equity in Dutch BVs.
• Samen ondernemen (aandeelhoudersovereenkomst) Drafting of shareholder agreements setting out cooperation arrangements between shareholders in a BV, supplementing the articles of association. For BV co-owners formalizing their partnership.
• Ondernemingen en rechtspersonen Broad services for companies and legal entities: mergers, conversions, statutory amendments, purchase/sale of business premises, cooperatives, and restructuring. For businesses undergoing corporate changes.
• Stichting en vereniging Incorporation of foundations and associations by notarial deed, statutory amendments, and advisory on the Wet bestuur en toezicht rechtspersonen (WBTR). For founders of foundations and associations.
• IT-notaris / Software escrow Notarial services for the IT sector, including deposition of source code (software escrow) via Software Borg Stichting and establishment of pledge rights on software, on behalf of the Vereniging IT-notaris. For software companies needing source-code protection and IP pledge arrangements.
• Signature Legalization Signature legalization services at €85 per document (including VAT) for documents prepared by Dutch notaries, with a minimum of €200 per document for documents not prepared by Dutch notaries requiring assessment. For individuals and businesses requiring signature authentication.

Quantifiable outcome

• Customer satisfaction rating of 9.4 out of 10 based on client reviews
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NobilexcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2023Software package designed specifically for and by notaries, used by Van Grafhorst since October 2023 for practice management. Migration from previous Online Dossier system improved service delivery.
• NotarisboxcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2023Secure document sharing platform provided through Nobilex software. Clients receive 28 days to download documents before they need to save to personal devices or cloud storage.
• Software Borg StichtingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for providing high-quality business continuity arrangements (escrow) for software companies. Software Borg Stichting brings both IT-legal and IT-technical knowledge and experience, protecting interests of software users while safeguarding intellectual property rights of software organizations.
• Vereniging IT-notaris (IT Notary Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional membership organization for IT notaries. Van Grafhorst maintains membership to guarantee professionalism as an IT notary. The association provides information about IT-related services that can be rendered.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Loyens & Loeff: Major Benelux law and tax advisory firm with a significant Dutch notarial practice covering corporate, real estate and private client work. Comparable because it offers the same regulated notarial services (BV formation, estate planning, real estate transfers) as Van Grafhorst but at much larger scale across multiple jurisdictions.
• Houthoff: Leading Amsterdam-based Dutch law firm with a notarial practice covering corporate transactions, real estate and private wealth. Comparable because it provides the same notarial deeds (share transfers, mergers, estate planning) as Van Grafhorst but for a larger, often cross-border clientele.
• Stibbe: Leading Benelux law firm with an established Dutch notarial practice. Comparable because it offers the same regulated deeds (BV formation, share transfers, real estate) as Van Grafhorst but focuses on larger corporate and financial sponsor clients.
• NautaDutilh: Top-tier Benelux law firm with a Dutch notarial practice spanning corporate, finance and real estate. Overlaps with Van Grafhorst's Ondernemen practice pillar but serves larger institutional clients across the Netherlands and beyond.
• CMS: Global law firm with a Dutch office where Joost van der Meer previously worked as kandidaat-notaris. Competes directly with Van Grafhorst in corporate, M&A and restructuring notarial work but at significantly greater scale and with cross-border reach.
• De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek: Premier Dutch corporate law firm with a notarial practice focused on high-end transactions. Overlaps with Van Grafhorst's corporate and shareholder services but operates at the top end of the Dutch market where Van Grafhorst does not typically compete.
• AKD advocaten en notarissen: Large Dutch law and notary firm with offices in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Eindhoven and other cities. Stef Lapien previously spent nearly 20 years at AKD before joining Van Grafhorst, indicating overlap in real estate and corporate notarial practice areas.

Direct peers

• Everest Notariaat: Dutch mid-market notary firm where Jasper Nobel previously worked before joining Van Grafhorst. Directly comparable in scope (residential property, family, estate and corporate deeds) and in targeting SME and individual clients.
• Dommerholt Notarissen: Mid-size Dutch notary firm with a similar full-service offering in real estate, family law, estate planning and corporate work. Most directly comparable to Van Grafhorst in size, service mix and target customer profile.

Others

• Software Borg Stichting: Dutch foundation specialized in software escrow arrangements and Van Grafhorst's strategic partner for IT-notary services. Comparable as an ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, since it supplies the technical and IP framework that enables Van Grafhorst's differentiated escrow offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/van-grafhorst-notarissen
• Instagraminstagram.com/vangrafhorstnotarissenutrecht
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@vangrafhorstnotarissen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Van Grafhorst Notarissen