Official business registration in the Netherlands within 24 hours
Company registration in the Netherlands, from abroad
A Dutch BV for founders who live abroad. We prepare your file; a notaris (civil-law notary) executes the deed and registers it with the KVK.
- 1 founderis enough for a BV (art. 2:175 BW)
- Nostatutory minimum capital for a BV (art. 2:178 BW)
- 1 weekfor the notary to file with the KVK (art. 20 Hrw 2007)
- EUR 85.15one-off KVK registration fee, 2026
Services for founders setting up in the Netherlands
Every service has its own page. Start with the group that matches your next step.
Register a BV and open its bank account
Your BV formed by notarial deed and registered, then the business bank account prepared as a step of its own.
Founder residence permits
Owning a BV from abroad needs no permit; moving to the Netherlands does. We prepare the founder's permit file for the IND.
Tax advice and holding structures
Advice on corporate income tax, dividends and holding structures, given as a service of its own.
VAT, bookkeeping and payroll
VAT registration, fiscal representation arranged for sellers from outside the EU, bookkeeping and accounting services, and payroll for your first employees.
Other legal forms
An NV, a stichting (foundation) or STAK, or a cooperative, each set up with the notary when a BV is not the form you need.
Registered address only
A Dutch business address with reception of your post, sold on its own. We never combine our address with bookkeeping, tax or legal work for the same company (Wtt 2018).
Licences and trade marks
We prepare applications to the AFM and DNB and filings for Benelux and EU trade marks. The regulator or the office decides.
Foreign companies entering the Netherlands
A Dutch branch of the company you already run, or a subsidiary BV that is a Dutch legal person of its own.
An existing Dutch BV
Help on the buyer's side of a notarial share transfer, changes to the register afterwards, or a dissolution when the company has run its course.
The Netherlands at a glance: what the state charges
What the state and the notary charge for a BV in 2026. Our own fees are quoted on request.
| Item | Amount | Who charges | Basis and year |
|---|---|---|---|
| KVK one-off registration fee | EUR 85.15, the same for every legal form and filing method | KVK | Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, art. 5; 2026 |
| How the KVK fee is paid | Invoice by email, payable within 4 weeks when the notary files; never in cash | KVK | Financieel besluit handelsregister 2014, art. 3(2); 2026 |
| Minimum share capital | None in the statute; at least EUR 0.01 paid in, in practice | Nobody | Art. 2:178 BW; 2026 |
| Bank statement on paid-up capital | Not required | Nobody | Art. 2:203a BW, repealed on 1 October 2012 |
| Notary's fee for a BV | EUR 500 to EUR 1,500, depending on the notary | The notaris | KVK indication, page edited 12 June 2026; notarial fees are not set by tariff (Wna art. 54(1)) |
| Certified register extract | Paper EUR 19.20; digital EUR 9.60 | KVK | Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, arts. 2 and 1; 2026 |
| eHerkenning, needed before the first tax return | A fee is charged; the KVK page does not state the amount | The eHerkenning supplier | KVK page on registering a BV; 2026 |
| For comparison: NV minimum capital | EUR 45,000 | Nobody | Art. 2:67 BW; 2026 |
| Only if the founder moves: IND fee for a DAFT, start-up or self-employed permit | EUR 423 each | IND | IND fee table; 2026 |
State and notary costs of a Dutch BV, 2026. The notary band is the KVK's own indication: not a state fee, and not our price.
Source for the KVK fee and the extract tariffs: the Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019 on wetten.overheid.nl, consolidated text in force from 1 July 2026. Every item is explained on our page on the cost of registering a Dutch company.
Paper deed or online deed
A BV needs one founder (art. 2:175 BW) and no minimum capital; an NV needs EUR 45,000 (art. 2:67 BW). The BV deed comes by one of two routes.
| Question | Paper deed | Online deed |
|---|---|---|
| Who may use it | Founders of any nationality | Only when every founder is a national of an EU member state; an EU eID held by a non-EU national does not qualify; a company founder signs through its authorised director |
| How you sign | A written power of attorney, so you need not travel (art. 2:176(1) BW) | On video, with an eID at assurance level high (in practice ItsMe) |
| Language of the deed | Dutch (art. 2:176(1) BW) | English allowed (art. 2:176(2) BW) |
| Contributions | The online cash-only rule does not apply | Cash only (art. 2:191a(4) BW) |
| Statutory clock | None published | Five working days (natural persons using the model deed) or ten (other cases), from complete formalities and payment (art. 2:175a(3) BW) |
| KVK and UBO filing | By the notary, within one week of the deed (art. 20 Hrw 2007) | The same, outside the online clock |
Paper deed or online deed for a Dutch BV: who may use each route, how you sign, the language and the statutory clock.
Source: Book 2 of the Dutch Civil Code, arts. 2:175a, 2:176 and 2:178 BW on wetten.overheid.nl. The eID, the model deed and the video session are covered on online company registration netherlands.
How registration works
Six steps and five actors, each with the timing the law or the agency sets.
Your file (us)
We collect and check the identification file and agree the shares, their nominal value and the board with you, then coordinate everything with the notaris.
The deed (the notary)
A paper deed under your written power of attorney, or an online deed for EU nationals within five or ten working days (art. 2:175a BW). The notary performs the identity check the Wwft, the Dutch anti-money-laundering act, requires.
KVK and UBO registration (the notary files)
Filed within one week of the deed (art. 20 Hrw 2007), at a Dutch address and never a P.O. box. The KVK number and RSIN come together; directors stay personally liable until this filing (art. 2:180 BW).
Tax numbers (the Belastingdienst)
The VAT number arrives within 10 workdays of registration, with no application. Buy eHerkenning, the business login for government services, before the first return is due.
Business bank account (the bank)
Not a condition of incorporation, but expected before you trade. The bank runs its own due diligence, and opening often takes two to eight weeks.
Keeping the BV in good standing (the board)
Register changes within one week. Accounts drawn up within five months of year end (extendable by five), filed within twelve months (arts. 2:210 and 2:394 BW); in a bankruptcy, a missed filing counts as improper management (art. 2:248 BW).
Statutory or official timePractice indication
- Your fileYou and usNo official time
- The deedThe notaryOnline deed: 5 or 10 working days (art. 2:175a BW)
- KVK and UBO filingThe notary filesWithin one week of the deed (art. 20 Hrw 2007)
- Tax numbersThe BelastingdienstVAT number within 10 workdays
- Business bank accountThe bankOften two to eight weeks
- Annual accountsThe boardDrawn up within five months of year end
Tell us what you are setting up
Tell us the company you need and where the founders live. A member of the team replies by email with the next steps, the documents and a quote for our fees.
Buying an existing BV instead
We work on the buyer's side of a notarial share transfer. Selling or brokering companies needs a DNB licence, which we do not hold.
The transfer is a notarial deed
Shares in a BV pass by a deed executed before a Dutch notaris (art. 2:196 BW). We prepare the buyer's side of that deed.
We check the filed accounts first
Unfiled accounts in the three years before a bankruptcy count as improper management by the board (art. 2:248 BW), so the filings come before the deed.
After the transfer
Register changes are filed within one week (art. 20 Hrw 2007), and new articles of association need a notarial deed of their own (art. 2:234 BW).
How the purchase works, step by step, is on the ready-made companies page.
Who we help
Four founder situations, and the page that answers each one first.
- Founders outside the EU
You can start a Dutch business while living abroad, with structural physical business activity and a business address in the Netherlands (business.gov.nl). Your deed is on paper, signed by power of attorney.
- EU nationals
When every founder holds the nationality of an EU member state, the deed can be signed online and drawn up in English, with cash contributions only (art. 2:191a BW). The steps are on online company registration netherlands.
- Foreign companies
A branch, through our branch office service, adds no separate Dutch legal person; a Dutch subsidiary of a foreign company is a BV of its own.
- Founders who will move
Owning a BV from abroad needs no permit; moving does. The IND charges EUR 423 (2026) for a DAFT, start-up or self-employed permit, and DAFT asks at least EUR 4,500 of capital in the BV: our DAFT visa overview.
The people who prepare your file
Joost van Leeuwen
Company formation and company law lead, Amsterdam
Ilse Brouwer
Tax, VAT and licensing lead, Amsterdam
Your file is prepared by the formation team in Amsterdam, and every figure we give you carries its article and year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I register a Dutch company without living in the Netherlands?
Yes. Business.gov.nl states that you can start a business in the Netherlands while living abroad, provided you have structural physical business activity here and a Dutch business address. Book 2 of the Civil Code sets no residence or nationality condition for a BV director, and the deed can be signed through a written power of attorney.
Do I have to travel to the Netherlands to sign the deed?
No. On the paper route you sign a written power of attorney, and the deed is executed under it before the notary (art. 2:176 BW). If every founder is a national of an EU member state, the deed can instead be signed online by video. An EU eID held by a non-EU national does not open that route.
Can the deed of incorporation be in English?
Only on the online route. Art. 2:176 BW requires the paper deed to be executed in Dutch, and its second paragraph allows English for a BV incorporated online under art. 2:175a BW. The online route is open only when every founder is an EU national, so a founder from outside the EU signs a deed in Dutch.
How much does it cost to register a company in the Netherlands?
On the state side, the KVK charges a one-off EUR 85.15 in 2026, the same for every legal form. A BV has no statutory minimum capital (art. 2:178 BW). The KVK's own indication for the notary is EUR 500 to EUR 1,500. Our fees are quoted on request, and our cost page itemises the rest.
How long does it take to register a Dutch BV?
It depends on the actor. An online deed is completed within five or ten working days of a complete file (art. 2:175a BW); the paper deed has no official time. The notary files with the KVK within one week of the deed, the VAT number follows within 10 workdays, and a bank account often takes two to eight weeks.
Do I need a Dutch bank account before I incorporate?
No. Business.gov.nl gives the order as incorporate, register, then open the account: it is not a condition of incorporation, but it is expected before the company starts trading. The bank applies its own due diligence and opening often takes two to eight weeks, so we prepare the bank file while the deed is under way.
Do I need a Dutch business address?
Yes. A company registers with the KVK at a Dutch address, and a P.O. box is not accepted. A founder living abroad also needs a business address in the Netherlands to start a business here. Our address services are listed separately above and are never combined with bookkeeping, tax or legal work for the same company.
Do you provide a nominee or resident director?
No. Acting as a director for a client is a trust service under the Wtt 2018, the Dutch act on the supervision of trust offices, and it needs a licence from De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). We do not hold that licence and do not offer or find a director. Book 2 BW sets no residence condition for a BV director.
Can I buy a ready-made company instead?
You can buy the shares of an existing BV, and the transfer needs a notarial deed (art. 2:196 BW). We check the filed accounts first, because unfiled accounts in the three years before a bankruptcy count as improper management (art. 2:248 BW). We assist the buyer only: selling or brokering companies needs a DNB licence we do not hold.
Is company registration mandatory, and what happens if I do not register?
Yes, every new company in the Netherlands must register in the Business Register (Handelsregister), and not registering is punishable under the Economic Offences Act. For a BV the notary files within one week of the deed (art. 20 Hrw 2007). Until that filing, the directors are personally liable for acts in the BV's name (art. 2:180 BW).
What is a BV, and is it the Dutch equivalent of an LLC?
A BV (besloten vennootschap, private limited company) is a Dutch legal person formed by notarial deed. One founder is enough (art. 2:175 BW), there is no statutory minimum capital (art. 2:178 BW), and the shareholders are not personally liable. It is often compared with a US LLC: the two are comparable, not identical in law.
What taxes will a Dutch BV pay?
In 2026, corporate income tax is 19 percent on profit up to EUR 200,000 and 25.8 percent above it (Wet Vpb 1969, art. 22). Dividends carry a 15 percent withholding tax (Wet DB 1965, art. 5). VAT is charged at 21, 9 or 0 percent (Wet OB 1968, art. 9). Our tax advice is a separate service.
Ready to register your Dutch company?
Tell us the company you need and where the founders live. We reply with the steps, the documents and a quote.