Europe · Private Limited Company (BV)
Register a company in Netherlands
Non-residents who want a credible, EU-respected holding/trading company with near-zero capital and a fully remote setup.
- Government fee
- $95
- €85.15 (KVK one-off registration)
- Corporate tax
- 25.8%
- headline
- Min. capital
- ≈ none
- effectively none
- Setup time
- 3–5 business days (1–2 weeks end-to-end with KYC and VAT number)
Deep dives
Everything on Netherlands, in depth
At a glance
How Netherlands scores for a non-resident
Relative edge
A respected EU holding/trading base with near-zero capital and no resident director.
Relative watch-out
A civil-law notary deed is mandatory, adding real cost on top of the small fee.
Scores are Lanzamo's editorial judgement (0–100, higher = better for a non-resident founder), built on the verified data on this page — guidance, not advice.
The essentials
For non-resident founders
Can you run it from abroad?
The headline fee rarely decides it — these are the things that actually trip up a founder forming Netherlands from another country.
100% foreign ownership
Fully open to non-resident founders, directors and 100% foreign shareholders. No Dutch nationality or residency required. All UBOs (≥25%) must be filed in the KVK UBO register.
Fully remote setup
Can be incorporated entirely remotely: grant the Dutch notary a power of attorney (notarised/apostilled at home) so they execute the deed and file with KVK. No need to fly to the Netherlands.
Resident director required
No resident-director requirement. A registered Dutch business address is needed for KVK registration (an address service can provide one). A mailbox with no substance can raise tax-residence questions but is not a legal blocker to forming the BV.
Banking for non-residents: Moderate
Traditional Dutch banks (ABN AMRO, ING, Rabobank) apply heavy KYC and often want local substance; fintech/EMIs (Wise, Bunq, Revolut Business) are the common route for non-residents.
Accounting burden: Moderate
Annual financial statements must be filed with KVK (small companies file an abbreviated balance sheet), plus periodic VAT returns and a corporate income-tax return. You'll need a Dutch bookkeeper/accountant.
Why founders pick Netherlands
- Effectively no minimum capital (€0.01) — no cash lock-up to incorporate
- 100% foreign ownership and no resident-director requirement
- Can be formed fully remotely via power of attorney to a Dutch notary
- Strong EU reputation, extensive tax-treaty network and access to EU markets
Watch out for
- Mandatory notarial deed adds real cost (€500–1,500) on top of the €85.15 KVK fee
- 25.8% top corporate rate is on the higher side within the EU
- Opening a traditional Dutch bank account is hard without local substance
- Ongoing accounting plus mandatory annual accounts filing with KVK
Is Netherlands the right base for you?
Put Netherlands side by side with a U.S. LLC and 11 other jurisdictions — government fee, tax, capital and the resident-director catch — and decide with the full picture.
Official sources
Go straight to the authorities — these are the free, definitive sources for Netherlands.
Data reviewed June 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can a non-resident register a company in Netherlands?
Fully open to non-resident founders, directors and 100% foreign shareholders. No Dutch nationality or residency required. All UBOs (≥25%) must be filed in the KVK UBO register.
How much does it cost to register a BV in Netherlands?
The government fee is about $95 (€85.15 (KVK one-off registration)). KVK charges a one-off Business Register fee of €85.15. This is NOT the main cost: a BV must be incorporated by a civil-law notary via a notarial deed. Notary fees typically run €500–1,500; all-in for a simple BV is roughly €1,000–2,500. There is no mandatory annual government filing fee. No mandatory government annual fee. Real recurring costs are accounting and the mandatory annual filing of (often abbreviated) financial statements with KVK — budget ~€1,000–3,000/yr for bookkeeping + annual accounts.
Do I need a resident director to form a company in Netherlands?
No resident director is required. No resident-director requirement. A registered Dutch business address is needed for KVK registration (an address service can provide one). A mailbox with no substance can raise tax-residence questions but is not a legal blocker to forming the BV.
What is the corporate tax rate in Netherlands?
Two-bracket corporate income tax (unchanged for 2026): 19% on the first €200,000 of taxable profit and 25.8% above. No solidarity surcharge or municipal trade tax on top.
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