Contract transfer

Définition

Contract transfer (contractsoverneming) moves a party's complete position in a contract, covering both rights and obligations, to a third party. Under Dutch law this requires a deed and the cooperation or consent of the remaining counterparty, distinguishing it from a mere assignment of receivables. It is common in mergers, divestments and outsourcing.

Exemple

When a business unit is sold, its service contracts are transferred to the buyer with the customers' written consent.

Pourquoi c'est un risque pour l'entreprise

A contract transfer that lacks the counterparty's consent is void under Dutch law, meaning obligations continue to bind the transferring party. In M&A and outsourcing contexts, large numbers of contracts must be reviewed and consented to on compressed timelines. Missed transfers leave assets stranded, services interrupted or the seller still legally exposed on contracts they believed they had offloaded.

Comment le gérer

• Maintain a complete contract register so every agreement requiring transfer can be identified quickly in a transaction or restructuring.
• Check each contract for an anti-assignment or change-of-control clause before assuming transfer is permissible.
• Obtain written consent from counterparties before completing the transfer, and record the consent in a form that is retrievable alongside the contract.
• Execute the transfer by deed where required under applicable law, and ensure all parties receive a fully executed copy.
• Update the contract register immediately after transfer so responsibility and ownership are correctly attributed to the new party.

Références juridiques

• BW 6:159 Dutch Civil Code, contract transfer Droit néerlandais

Sauf mention contraire, les références renvoient au droit néerlandais (Burgerlijk Wetboek, le Code civil néerlandais) ; les instruments de l'UE tels que le RGPD s'appliquent dans toute l'UE. Il s'agit d'informations générales, pas de conseils juridiques. D'autres juridictions traitent ces concepts différemment. Vérifiez le texte en vigueur et votre situation avec un avocat qualifié.