A Dutch B.V. that trades from day one
For trading, services, IT, consulting and e-commerce: the B.V., the VAT numbers, payroll, the address the KvK accepts and the rules for hiring from abroad. No general business permit, capital from EUR 0.01. We set it up and run the compliance side, so you can sell.
Free first call. Fixed quote within one business day.
A trading B.V. is not a holding with a website
The same legal form, very different obligations. An operating B.V. charges VAT, often employs people and needs an address where it really works.
Owns shares, does not trade
Participation exemption from 5%, usually no VAT, few filings.
- Dividends and gains exempt from 5%
- Yearly accounts and corporate tax return
- Substance for treaty access
Sells goods or services
VAT from the first invoice, payroll if you hire, sector permits where they apply, a real business address.
- btw-id and VAT returns
- Payroll tax number if you hire
- Customary salary for a resident director-shareholder
Your Dutch operating plan
Five questions. You get the steps in order, the permits, the VAT regime, payroll and the points to fix, and can send it to us as a brief.
A planning aid, not legal advice.
1. What will the company do?
2. Will you hire staff?
3. Selling to consumers in other EU countries?
4. Where will the company work from?
5. Who will run it day to day?
The rules in 2026
What an operating B.V. must have and do. Amounts are statutory, not our fees.
From first call to first invoice
Plan and documents
Activity, address, director, shareholders. KYC on founders.
Notary and KvK
Deed, KvK registration and UBO filing; no capital deposit needed.
VAT and payroll
VAT numbers from the tax office, payroll tax number if you hire, sector permits if any.
Trade
Bank account, invoicing, and we take over bookkeeping, VAT and payroll.
What we run for you every month and year
One team for the monthly and yearly side, so nothing is missed.
VAT returns
Quarterly or monthly, plus EU sales listings and OSS.
Payroll
Payslips, payroll tax returns, holiday allowance.
Bookkeeping and accounts
Monthly books, yearly accounts filed at the KvK.
Corporate tax
Return and provisional assessments.
Customary salary
Set and documented for director-shareholders.
Do I need a permit to open a Dutch B.V.?+
No general permit is needed. Some sectors need their own licence, such as financial services, catering with alcohol or transport. We check yours in the first call.
Can I use a virtual office?+
The KvK needs a Dutch establishment address where the business can be reached and managed. A business address provider works with a written consent; a PO box does not. Banks and the tax office look at where the business is really run.
Can I run the B.V. from abroad?+
Legally yes: there is no residency rule for directors. In practice, banks and the tax office ask where decisions are made, and a director abroad can make the B.V. tax-resident elsewhere.
Do I have to pay myself a salary?+
A Dutch-resident director who owns 5% or more must take a customary salary, at least EUR 58,000 in 2026 unless the business proves less is reasonable. For directors living abroad the treaty decides.
How fast can I start invoicing?+
The B.V. is registered within days. The VAT numbers follow from the tax office, usually within two to three weeks, and the bank account in parallel.
Related pages and tools
Law in English
The legal texts behind this page
Read the provisions themselves, translated into English article by article, with the original alongside.
Case law in English
What the courts decided
Our reviews of the leading judgments on these rules, with every provision linked to the English text.