Strategic corporate structuring in Europe
Company formation in the Netherlands for foreign founders and groups
Your BV and the structure around it, from the notarial deed to the KVK and UBO filing, for founders who live abroad.
- EUR 85.15KVK registration fee in 2026
- No minimumshare capital for a BV (art. 2:178 BW)
- One weekto file with the KVK
- No residence rulefor founders
What we set up for you
Eight routes, each with a page of its own.
Company formation
A BV, an NV, a subsidiary of your group, or a branch if you open a branch in the Netherlands without a new legal person. The form follows its conditions.
Start on the BV incorporation page or the Dutch legal entities page.
Holding and group structures
A holding BV, a STAK or a cooperative placed where the group needs it, with substance built around your own people, never a nominee.
See holding company in the Netherlands, tax planning for a Dutch holding structure, our STAK service and a Dutch cooperative as a holding vehicle.
Founder residence permits
For a founder who also wants to live in the Netherlands: the permit file for the IND, prepared beside the company.
US founders: Dutch American Friendship Treaty. Others: the entrepreneur visa for the Netherlands or our start-up visa service.
Tax advice and VAT
Corporate income tax advice for your structure, including the tax treaty between the US and the Netherlands, and the VAT registration of a foreign company.
Read our tax advice overview and the article 23 licence page.
Bookkeeping and payroll
The books, the annual accounts calendar and the payroll of a foreign-owned BV, as a service of its own.
See Dutch bookkeeping.
Business address, domicile only
A Dutch business address with mail handling, offered on its own, with nothing bundled with it.
Choose an Amsterdam virtual address or read about domiciliation in the Netherlands.
Bank account and corporate changes
The business bank account once the KVK number is issued, then later changes: new shareholders, a new board, a closing.
Covered by share transfer in a Dutch BV and our turbo liquidation service.
Licences and trade marks
The licence file for the AFM or DNB (crypto-asset services, e-money, a trust office) and the Benelux mark for your name.
See MiCA authorisation in the Netherlands, the EMI licence in the Netherlands and the trust office licence page.
The Dutch company forms at a glance
Six vehicles and the rules the law sets for each; our guide explains what a Dutch BV is.
| Form | Capital the law requires | Deed and register | What it does in a structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| BV, besloten vennootschap (private limited company) | No statutory minimum; at least EUR 0.01 paid in; no bank statement (art. 2:178 BW; art. 2:203a BW repealed 1 October 2012) | Notarial deed, one founder is enough (art. 2:175 lid 2 BW); shareholders' register (art. 2:194 BW) | The default vehicle, as operating company or holding |
| Holding BV above an operating BV | As for a BV | As for a BV | Participation exemption from a 5 percent holding (art. 13 Wet Vpb 1969); fiscal unity from 95 percent (art. 15 Wet Vpb 1969) |
| NV, naamloze vennootschap (public limited company) | EUR 45,000 issued and paid up, bank statement required (art. 2:67 and art. 2:93a BW) | Notarial deed on paper only: the electronic deed is for the BV | Used where a structure needs an NV; the conditions sit on the NV page |
| STAK, stichting administratiekantoor (trust-office foundation) | Not shown here; see the holding card above | Three notarial deeds (foundation, certification, conditions of administration); certificates transfer without a notary | Holds the BV's shares and issues certificates: the vote is separated from the profit |
| Coöperatie U.A. (cooperative, members' liability excluded) | Not shown here; see the holding card above | Notarial deed (art. 2:56 BW) | Members, not shareholders, hold the interest |
| Branch of a foreign company | No Dutch company capital: not a separate legal person | Listed in the Handelsregister (Business Register, art. 5 sub d Hrw 2007); the foreign parent files no Dutch UBO entry | A Dutch presence without a Dutch legal person |
Capital and deed rules by company form in the Netherlands, 2026.
Sources: Boek 2 BW (Dutch Civil Code, Book 2), the Trade Register Act 2007, the Corporate Income Tax Act 1969 and business.gov.nl.
A representative office is not a legally defined entity in the Netherlands, so it is not a form we set up.
How a Dutch company is formed from abroad
You decide the first two steps with us; the notary, the Belastingdienst and the bank run the rest.
Vehicle and structure (you and us)
We map the shareholders, the activity and the group above the company, then fix the form and any holding layer.
Address and substance (you, with a landlord or domicile provider)
Founding from abroad needs structural physical business activity here and a Dutch business address, not a P.O. box (business.gov.nl). Substance is planned with your own people.
The notarial deed (the notaris)
The notary executes the deed (art. 2:175 BW) and identifies the founders under the Wwft. Paper deed: Dutch, signable by written power of attorney. Electronic deed: English allowed, EU-national founders and cash only, 5 or 10 working days (art. 2:175a BW).
KVK and UBO filing (the notary)
The notary files within one week of the deed (art. 20 Hrw 2007) and registers the UBOs: anyone above 25 percent of shares or votes, changes within 7 days. Until then, directors are personally liable (art. 2:180 lid 2 BW).
Tax numbers (the Belastingdienst)
The KVK number and RSIN come with registration. Where activities are taxable, the Belastingdienst (Netherlands Tax Administration) sends the VAT number within 10 working days, unasked.
Business bank account (the bank)
Opened after the KVK number; a BV needs no bank statement to incorporate. The government portal puts approval at often 2 to 8 weeks, an indication, not a rule.
Set by law Indication only
- Vehicle and structureYou and usNo official time is published
- Address and substanceLandlord or domicile providerNo official time is published
- The notarial deedThe notarisElectronic deed: 5 or 10 working days (art. 2:175a BW)
- KVK and UBO filingThe notary to the KVKWithin one week (art. 20 Hrw 2007); UBO changes within 7 days
- Tax numbersBelastingdienstVAT number within 10 working days
- Business bank accountThe bankOften 2 to 8 weeks
What the state charges for a BV, 2026
The state's figures for a BV, each with the rule behind it.
| Item | Amount | Basis and year |
|---|---|---|
| KVK one-off registration fee, the same for every legal form | EUR 85.15 | Art. 5 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, in force 1 July 2026 |
| Notary's fee for incorporating a BV | Not tariff-regulated; the KVK indicates EUR 500 to EUR 1,500, depending on the notary | KVK guidance on registering a BV or NV |
| Share capital of a BV | No statutory minimum; at least EUR 0.01, in cash or in kind (in kind on the paper route only) | Art. 2:178 BW; business.gov.nl |
| Bank statement on the paid-up capital of a BV | Not required | Art. 2:203a BW, repealed 1 October 2012 |
| For contrast, an NV | EUR 45,000 issued and paid up, bank statement required; notary on average EUR 500 to EUR 2,200 | Art. 2:67 and art. 2:93a BW; business.gov.nl |
| Our fee | On request, once the structure is known | Quoted per file |
State fees and capital rules for a BV in 2026. The notary bands are KVK and business.gov.nl indications, not our price.
Source of the KVK fee: Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, art. 5, consolidation in force 1 July 2026.
Tell us what you are setting up
Tell us who holds the shares, what the company will do and where the founders live. Our team answers by email during office hours.
Buying an existing Dutch BV
If you buy an existing BV, we act on your side in the notarial share transfer (art. 2:196 BW). We do not sell or match companies.
The buyer's checks before the deed:
- The register extract and the company's filing history
- The UBO entries against the actual shareholders
- Every filed set of annual accounts, year by year
- The tax position and any open assessments
- Contracts, staff and liabilities carried over with the shares
The full route is on the ready-made companies page.
Who we work with
Four situations, and the rule that shapes each one.
- A non-EU founder forming a BV from abroad
The English electronic deed is for EU-national founders. A founder from outside the EU uses the paper deed in Dutch, signed through a written power of attorney.
- A group placing a Dutch holding
The participation exemption in the Netherlands applies from a 5 percent holding, fiscal unity from 95 percent. Substance is planned with your people, not supplied.
- A company entering the EU market
A subsidiary is a Dutch legal person with its own deed, board and UBO filing. A branch is not a separate legal person, and it is listed in the Business Register.
- A founder who also wants to live here
Owning a Dutch company does not, on its own, let the founder live here. The residence permit is a separate file, prepared alongside the formation.
The people behind your file
Floris Hendriks
Formation and corporate changes lead
Sanne Kuipers
Group structuring and tax lead
Two leads in Amsterdam carry your file from the first structure sketch to the KVK filing. Every figure on this site carries its statute and date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to live in the Netherlands, or travel there, to form a Dutch company?
No residence rule applies. A business can be started from abroad, given structural physical business activity in the Netherlands and a Dutch business address that is not a P.O. box. Book 2 of the Civil Code sets no residence rule for a BV director, and on the paper route the deed can be signed through a written power of attorney.
Can a founder from outside the EU use the online incorporation in English?
No. The electronic deed of incorporation may be drawn up in English, but its natural-person founders must be nationals of an EU member state (art. 2:175a BW). A founder from outside the EU uses the paper route instead, with the deed in Dutch, signed in person or through a written power of attorney.
Will you act as director or supply a local director for the company?
No. Acting as director for a client is a trust service under art. 1 of the Wtt 2018 (the Dutch Trust Offices Supervision Act) and needs a licence from De Nederlandsche Bank. Where a structure needs substance in the Netherlands, we plan it with a resident board member the client hires, and the office and records around them.
Is a Dutch BV taxed in the Netherlands if it is managed from abroad?
Yes. A company incorporated under Dutch law is deemed established in the Netherlands for corporate income tax wherever its board sits (art. 2 lid 5 Wet Vpb 1969). In 2026 the rate is 19 percent on profit up to EUR 200,000 and 25.8 percent above. Treaty residence is a separate question, handled as tax advice.
How long does it take before the company exists and can trade?
On the electronic route the notary completes the incorporation within 5 or 10 working days. The notary then files the first registration with the KVK within one week of the deed, and the VAT number follows within 10 working days without an application. No duration is published for the paper route, so we give none.
Do I need to deposit capital and show a bank statement?
For a BV, at least EUR 0.01 is paid in and no bank statement is needed: that requirement ended when art. 2:203a BW was repealed on 1 October 2012. An NV is different. It needs EUR 45,000 issued and paid up (art. 2:67 BW), and its bank statement is still required.
How much does it cost to form a company in the Netherlands?
The KVK registration fee is EUR 85.15 in 2026, the same for every legal form. The notary's fee is not regulated; the KVK indicates EUR 500 to EUR 1,500 for a BV. A BV has no statutory minimum capital. Our own fee is quoted on request, once the structure and the shareholders are known.
Can a foreigner start a business in the Netherlands?
Yes. A business can be started while the founder lives abroad, given structural physical business activity in the Netherlands and a Dutch business address. Book 2 of the Civil Code sets no nationality rule for a BV director. Living in the Netherlands is a separate question, and it needs a residence permit of its own.
What happens if you don't register in the Netherlands?
Until the first registration is filed with the KVK, the directors are personally liable for acts done in the company's name (art. 2:180 lid 2 BW). For a BV the notary files that first registration within one week of the deed, and every later registrable change is also due within one week (art. 20 Hrw 2007).
What does BV mean for a Netherlands company?
BV stands for besloten vennootschap, the Dutch private limited company. Its capital is divided into shares, it is incorporated by notarial deed, and one founder is enough. It has no statutory minimum capital: in practice at least EUR 0.01 is paid in. It keeps a shareholders' register and registers its UBOs.
How do I set up a company in the Netherlands?
Choose the vehicle and the structure, arrange a Dutch business address, and have a notary execute the deed. The notary files with the KVK within one week and registers the UBOs. The KVK number and RSIN follow, the VAT number arrives without an application, and the business bank account is opened last.
What makes the Netherlands a holding location?
The participation exemption applies from a 5 percent holding and fiscal unity from 95 percent, and the Netherlands had working tax treaties with 98 countries as at 1 January 2025. Against that stand a 15 percent dividend withholding tax and a conditional withholding tax, at the top corporate rate, on payments to affiliated bodies in low-tax or listed jurisdictions.
Ready to plan your Dutch company?
Send us the shareholders, the activity and where the founders live. We return a formation plan for the whole structure.