Procedure for requesting approval
An application for approval of a prospectus can only be taken into consideration when the following documents are received by the AFM this completed and signed statement and the documents mentioned in that statement (if applicable).
When the issuer is a ‘specialist’ issuer as meant in the prospectus regulation and the ‘ESMA Recommendations’, the applicable completed checklists must be sent to the AFM as well. Specialist issuers are: property companies, mineral companies, scientific research based companies, companies with less than 3 years of existence (start up companies) and shipping companies.
These documents must be submitted by e-mailing them to:
The relevant reference tables can be downloaded here:
Procedure
The AFM will notify the applicant of its decision relating the approval within 10 working days of the submission of these documents. This period shall be extended to a maximum of 20 working days if the securities to be offered to the public or admitted to trading involves securities offered by an issuing institution which does not have any securities admitted to trading on a regulated market and who has not previously offered securities to the public.
If the documents submitted by the applicant are incomplete or if further information is necessary for the AFM to assess the capital, financial position, results or prospects of the institution or the rights and obligations attached to the securities, the AFM will notify the applicant within a period of 10 or 20 working days and will grant the applicant the opportunity to supplement such information. Generally, for this purpose, the applicant for approval will receive a 'document comment sheet' from the AFM.
The 10- or 20-day approval period will start again when the applicant provides the additional information.
Approval of a supplement
An application for approval of a supplement according to section 5:23 (1) of the Act on the Financial Supervision can only be taken into consideration when the following documents are received by the AFM: (i) this completed and signed statement together with (ii) the documents mentioned therein (if applicable).
These documents may be sent to:
The AFM will notify the applicant of its decision on that request within a period of 7 working days.
If the documents submitted by the applicant are incomplete or if further information is necessary for the AFM to assess the capital, financial position, results or prospects of the institution or the rights and obligations attached to the securities, the AFM will notify the applicant within a period of 7 working days and will grant the applicant the opportunity to supplement such information. Generally, for this purpose, the applicant for approval will receive a 'document comment sheet' from the AFM. The 7-day approval period will start again when the applicant provides the additional information.
Approval of a 'same day supplement'
The AFM may approve a certain type of supplement on the same day of its submission provided that certain conditions are met. A supplement can only qualify for this procedure if it is prepared in respect of published press releases and published (semi)annual reports (including for instance SEC filings such as Form 8-K (announcements of major events that investors should know), Form 10-Q (quarterly reports) or Form 10-K (annual reports)). The AFM must have received such supplement prior to 10.00 o’clock a.m.
The person applying for approval should (i) one day prior to the submission of the relevant supplement contact the department Securities Offerings & Takeover Bids Division by phone (please see contact details) and (ii) complete and sign this statement and send it together with the documents mentioned therein (if applicable) to service.prospectus@afm.nl with subject: ‘same day supplement’.
Please note that the supplement may not be approved on the same day should the AFM have any comments or questions regarding the information therein.