Business in The Netherlands

The Netherlands is a small country but the size doesn't matter. It is one of the strongest economies in the world. Look at statistics! You can google ratings of economic development, GDP per person, GDP in general... Yes! Even despite only 17 million of the population the Netherlands has a huge GDP! In all of those ratings, the Netherlands is pretty high. That means that this country provides a great environment for business development and residence. The Netherlands is also far at the end in such ratings as corruption, crime and other negative factors. That fact creates a safe climate for you and your business!

A country with a strong and stable economy provides:

- The market of wealthy customers who might be interested in your products or services
- Opportunities for governmental support
- Crisis support (during 2020 pandemic every company that experiences financial difficulties could apply for financial support)
- Well-developed institutions to make your business working smoothly

The Netherlands is located in the centre of the European Union and opens unlimited access to the European market. Being based in the Netherlands you can easily access the markets of other European countries. Thanks to the well-developed transportation system you can comfortably and quickly travel and transfer your products to other countries. Moreover, the European Union provides support to various types of businesses and your Dutch company would have access to that support as well!

Do you need partners who could collaborate with you and develop your business, promote and sell your products or services? The Netherlands is a cradle of many international companies. Here you can find small and large businesses in any area. This creates great opportunities for networking! Moreover, being based in the Netherlands you have easy access to networking with companies from other European countries. Good network is the key to the success of your business!

If you launch a start-up based in Amsterdam you might get access to various sources of support from the municipality of Amsterdam! If you already have a registered company you can get access to other regional sources of support. That means that having a company in the Netherlands you can apply for various sources of public and private support.

We help register your company in the Netherlands. Depending on the nature of the business you can choose to register as a solo-entrepreneur (ZZP) or a company (BV). In case of need, we can provide you with a legal address to register. After completing the registration you can start doing business. Even if you are not in the Netherlands your company still can be registered and start implementing business activities. It is not mandatory to move to the Netherlands and receive a residence permit if you want to start your own business.

If you live outside of the European Union you might need a visa or residence permit to enter the Netherlands. If you do not intend to migrate to the Netherlands, you can apply for a short-term visa (up to 3 months per visit). Obtaining short-term visas you can stay in the Netherlands up to 6 months per year. If are going to move to the Netherlands and live here – you have to apply for a Start-up visa or Self-employed Residence Permit that will allow you to stay in the Netherlands for the whole year. After one year you can prolong these permits. We assist in applying for either a short-term visa or long-term resident permits.

If you just start your business, creating a prototype (MVP or Minimum Viable Product) can be a good way to advance your idea. You can use this prototype to demonstrate your idea to potential partners and customers to receive more attention for your company. Further, you could analyze and improve it. We assist in designing an MVP for your business.

We consult on marketing strategy for your company depending on the nature of product or service. We assist with preparing and implementing a marketing campaign depending on the strategy you choose.

Good network is crucial for the development of almost any business. We share our network where you might be able to meet interesting people and relevant organizations to enhance your business. We also share network developing tools in a particular area of your company.

Status of a business owner usually requires providing regular reports to the tax office and other institutions. We can assist you in preparing these reports and other types of administrative work.

The Netherlands is quite an open country for businesses. For most organizations, you do not need any licenses or permissions. You can just register a company and start working. But in some areas, you have to get particular permissions. In some cases, we assist with applying and receiving them. Please be aware that for some businesses no new permissions are possible. For example, you can't open a new hotel in Amsterdam – there are no new permissions given for this purpose. There are some other fields where no new businesses are possible. But these fields are very limited and in most of the cases, you would be able to receive permission without difficulties with our assistance.

f you require office space for your company, we can help you to find it. The price depends on the size of the office you would like to have and the location. The office space in the center of Amsterdam would be significantly more expensive than at the edge or in other cities. However, we recommend launching a business without initial office space to cut costs and rent an office later. It is not mandatory to have an office space in the Netherlands to run a business. Your company can be registered at your home address. Moreover, if you do not have an office place but still would not like to work from home – there are various possibilities of places where you could work - from libraries to co-working areas.

If you need a website for your business, app, social media accounts or other IT support - we provide this service using our large pool of specialists.

In case you would like to get more knowledge in the field of your business we can offer professional trainings. These trainings help to understand the market more deeply, reveal the nature, perspectives and strategies of your products or services. Trainings could be customized depending on your needs. You can choose the specific areas you would like to escalate.

If you come to the Netherlands for a short period of time or longer, we assist in finding accommodation. Please note, the price for the accommodation diverges significantly and depends on the type and facilities. For example, a full apartment with one or several rooms is more expensive than a single room in a shared apartment. Accommodation in Amsterdam is much more expensive than accommodation in very North (province of Friesland) or very South (province of Limburg). We provide information about price ranges depending on your preferences.

We can offer other types of assistance. If you need any other assistance which is out of the list please let us know. We will get in touch and let you know if we have the capacities to meet your needs. Otherwise, we advise other organizations that might be able to assist you.