Europe · BV
Cost to register a company in Netherlands
The Netherlands is not the cheapest EU jurisdiction to start, and the reason is one line item: the mandatory notary. The KVK registration fee itself is trivial — a one-off €85.15 — and there is no minimum capital to deposit, but the notarial deed that legally creates the BV typically costs €500–1,500, and a non-resident usually buys a formation package that bundles the deed, KVK registration, UBO filing and a registered Dutch address. Add the apostille of your home documents and an accountant for the mandatory annual accounts, and a realistic all-in first year sits well above a self-filed UK Ltd. The upside: no resident-director or nominee cost, because the Netherlands does not require one.
- Country
- Netherlands
- Topic
- Cost breakdown
- Reviewed
- June 2026
By the Lanzamo Editorial Team · Reviewed June 2026 · How we research
| Item | One-time | Recurring | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| KVK Business Register fee | $95 | — | One-off €85.15 statutory fee, paid by the notary on registration and re-billed to you. No annual government renewal fee. |
| Civil-law notary (deed of incorporation) | $550–$1,650 | — | €500–1,500 for the notarial deed and articles of association — mandatory and the main cost driver. Single-founder packages sit at the lower end. |
| Formation package (deed + KVK + UBO + address) | $700–$2,000 | — | What most non-residents actually buy; bundles the notary deed, KVK registration, UBO filing and often the first year of a registered address. UBO registration and notary quality-fund add small fixed amounts. |
| Apostille / legalisation of home documents | $50–$300 | — | Cost to notarise and apostille your passport copy and power of attorney at home so the Dutch notary can act remotely. Varies widely by country. |
| Registered Dutch business address | — | $250–$1,100 | ~€20–80/month for an address service if you have no Dutch office; required for KVK and Belastingdienst mail. A letterbox-only address can raise substance questions. |
| Nominee / resident director | — | — | Not required — a single non-resident can be the sole director, so there is no nominee cost (unlike substance-driven structures). |
| Accounting — annual accounts + VAT + Vpb return | — | $1,100–$3,300 | €1,000–3,000/yr typical for a small foreign-owned BV; covers the jaarrekening filed with KVK, quarterly VAT returns and the corporate income-tax return. |
| VAT (BTW) registration | — | — | Registration with the Belastingdienst is free; the ongoing cost is the accountant's fee for quarterly returns, included in the accounting line above. |
Realistic all-in first year
$1,400 – $5,500
After year one the notary deed and apostille costs fall away, so recurring cost settles into the registered Dutch address (~$250–$1,100/yr) and accounting for the mandatory annual accounts, VAT and Vpb returns (~$1,100–$3,300/yr). Budget roughly $1,400–$4,400 a year ongoing — call it $4,000–$13,000 over three years all-in, depending on how much accounting you need and whether you pay for substance/address. The absence of any resident-director or nominee cost keeps it cheaper to maintain than substance-heavy structures, but the mandatory notary makes the Netherlands materially pricier to launch than a self-filed UK Ltd or Estonian OÜ.
Frequently asked questions
What's the absolute minimum it costs to start a BV?
Realistically the notary's deed plus the €85.15 KVK fee — so roughly €600–800 / ~$700–900 at the cheap end for a single-founder package, before a registered address and accounting. You cannot avoid the notary: a BV legally requires a notarial deed, which is why it can't be done as cheaply as a self-filed UK Ltd. There is no minimum share capital to deposit.
Why is forming a BV more expensive than a UK Ltd?
The single reason is the mandatory civil-law notary. A UK Ltd is self-filed online for £100; a Dutch BV must be incorporated by a notaris who drafts the deed and articles, which alone costs €500–1,500. You also typically pay to apostille your home documents and for a registered Dutch address. The trade-off is EU residency, the treaty network and the participation exemption.
Are there recurring government fees after incorporation?
No mandatory annual government fee — the €85.15 KVK charge is one-off and there is no franchise tax or licence renewal. Your unavoidable recurring costs are the registered Dutch address and accounting, since filing annual financial statements (jaarrekening) with KVK, periodic VAT returns and the corporate income-tax return are all mandatory and effectively require a Dutch accountant.
Do I need to deposit share capital before incorporating?
No. Since the 2012 Flex-BV reform there is no minimum paid-up capital and no blocked deposit account — a BV can be formed with €0.01 of issued share capital. This is a clear advantage over a German GmbH (€25,000, half paid up) and means no cash is locked up to incorporate.
Sources
- KVK — Registering a Dutch BV or NV (notary, deed, UBO, KVK registration)
- KVK — Business Register registration fee (€85.15)
- Business.gov.nl — Private limited company (bv) in the Netherlands
- Belastingdienst — Dutch Tax Administration (corporate income tax, VAT, dividend tax)
- Business.gov.nl — Corporate income tax in the Netherlands (19% / 25.8%)
- PwC Tax Summaries — Netherlands corporate income tax (19% / 25.8%)
- PwC Tax Summaries — Netherlands withholding taxes (15% dividend WHT)
- PwC Tax Summaries — Netherlands tax credits and incentives (innovation box, WBSO)
- Business.gov.nl — VAT for non-resident businesses (no registration threshold)
- Business.gov.nl — Filing your corporate income tax return (Vpb)
More on Netherlands
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