Updated 13.08.2026
Company registration · Netherlands
Company registration in the Netherlandsthe classic European holding
A participation exemption that removes tax on qualifying dividends and gains, a wide treaty network and one of the strongest logistics infrastructures in Europe.
Launch package
What the base package covers
- 01Structure design and preparation of the notarial deed
- 02Incorporation through a civil law notary
- 03Registration in the commercial register
- 04Registered address for the first year
- 05Full set of corporate documents
- 06A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
and 3 more documents
The actual timing, cost and tax treatment depend on the corporate form, the activity and the structure of the company. Government fees are paid separately at the official tariffs.
Quick selection
Find the right structure
Where will the clients be?
What will the company do?
What do you need?
How many owners?
Reply within one business day
Fit
Who the Netherlands suits
- Holding companies owning international subsidiaries
- Groups planning dividend flows across borders
- Logistics, distribution and warehousing businesses
- Technology companies with European customers
- Structures preparing for an investment round or a sale
- You need a cheap shell: substance is expected here
- The plan avoids all reporting
- There is no budget for a notary and an accountant
- You are counting on anonymity: the registry is public
Company types
What company you can open in the Netherlands
The private limited company covers holdings and operating businesses alike.
A company with limited liability and a nominal minimum capital.
- For whom
- Holdings, trading, services, logistics.
- Advantage
- Flexible share classes and access to the participation exemption.
- Limit
- Incorporation goes through a civil law notary.
A company with a substantial share capital that may issue shares publicly.
- For whom
- Large groups and listed structures.
- Advantage
- High standing and access to public capital.
- Limit
- Higher capital requirement and heavier governance.
A membership-based structure often used in investment holdings.
- For whom
- Investment structures with multiple participants.
- Advantage
- Flexible profit distribution rules.
- Limit
- Requires careful drafting to avoid tax surprises.
Incorporation requires a notarial deed. The company is entered in the commercial register, which is public.
Comparison
Netherlands or Luxembourg
Two leading European holding jurisdictions.
| Netherlands | Luxembourg | |
|---|---|---|
| Holding regime | participation exemption | participation exemption |
| Funds | present but narrower | the leading European fund centre |
| Corporate tax | a two-band rate on profit | corporate tax plus municipal business tax and a surcharge |
| Incorporation time | 1-2 weeks | 2-4 weeks |
| Upkeep cost | medium | high |
| Substance | expected for treaty benefits | expected and closely monitored |
| Who it suits better | holdings with operations and logistics | funds and large investment structures |
The Netherlands is more practical for a holding that also trades. Luxembourg is the natural home for funds.
Where to register
What shapes the structure in the Netherlands
The value of the jurisdiction lies in the holding regime, and the regime requires substance.
What we check
- What the company will own and in which countries
- Whether the holdings qualify for the participation exemption
- Where the directors are and where decisions are taken
- Whether an office and staff are planned
- Whether dividends will flow through the structure
- Whether a VAT number is required
- Whether goods will pass through the country
- Which bank is prepared to work with the profile
- How the source of capital is evidenced
- The upkeep budget for the next three years
Treaty benefits are not automatic. Where a structure is purely formal, the paying country may deny relief — substance is planned before, not after.
Licensing
Activities and licences
Trading and holding need no licence; finance does.
No licence; the participation exemption may apply to qualifying holdings.
No licence, but VAT registration is normally required.
Customs facilities and deferment arrangements are available.
Authorised by the financial markets authority and the central bank.
Requires authorisation as a payment or e-money institution.
Regulated vehicles with manager requirements.
What sets the licence
- Whether authorisation is required
- Whether the participation exemption applies
- Whether a VAT number and customs numbers are needed
- Where management sits
- Planned turnover
- Whether staff will be employed
Prices
Three ways to launch
The scope is built from real scenarios. The amount depends on substance and on VAT.
from $3 600
A holding or an entity for contracts
2-3 weeks
Included
- Structure design and preparation of the notarial deed
- Incorporation through a civil law notary
- Registration in the commercial register
- Registered address for the first year
- Full set of corporate documents
- A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
Government fees, paid separately
- Notary and registry fees
Not included
- VAT registration
- The bank account — handled as a separate stage
from $6 400
An operating business with EU settlements
5-10 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company package
- VAT registration and customs numbers where needed
- Bank or payment institution profile and submission
- Accounting set-up and a reporting schedule
- Support with correspondence with the tax authority
Government fees, paid separately
- Bank tariffs
- Notary fees
Not included
- A guarantee that the account opens — the institution decides
by project
Dividend flows and treaty relief
from 8 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company, VAT and account package
- Resident directors and an office in the country
- Substance file for treaty purposes
- Advance agreement with the tax authority where available
- Bookkeeping, annual accounts and the tax return
- Annual support of the structure
Government fees, paid separately
- Office rent
- Director fees
- Ruling fees
Notary fees, registry fees and director costs appear as separate lines in the quote.
Estimate
Preliminary quote
Seven questions about the structure, the holdings, substance and banking. A preliminary budget in return.
The range is indicative: holding structures are priced individually.
Add-ons
Add-ons for any package
Switched on as the task requires.
Management in the country for the substance requirements.
Premises and hiring for genuine presence.
Registration and import deferment arrangements.
Confirming the position with the tax authority where available.
Accounting, annual accounts and the tax return.
Selection of a bank or a payment institution.
Director, shareholder and capital changes.
Proper closure of the company.
Banking
The bank account after incorporation
Dutch banks are strict on compliance and expect a genuine connection to the country.
The structure of ownership, the business model, the source of capital and the presence in the country.
The corporate set, beneficiary profiles, contracts and evidence of the source of funds.
With Dutch banks where there is substance, otherwise with European payment institutions.
We prepare the file, choose the institution and run the submission through to the result.
A holding company with no office and no local director will struggle with a Dutch bank. We plan the substance and the account together.
Tax
Taxes in the Netherlands
A two-band corporate rate combined with a strong holding regime.
A lower rate applies to the first band of profit and a higher rate above it.
Dividends and capital gains from qualifying participations are exempt from corporate tax.
Applies as standard, with relief available under treaties and EU rules; a conditional withholding tax targets payments to low-tax jurisdictions.
The standard rate is 21%, with reduced rates for certain supplies.
A deferment arrangement allows import VAT to be accounted for rather than paid at the border.
Owning a foreign company creates obligations in the beneficiary country of residence.
Verified on 13 August 2026. This is not tax advice: the exemption and treaty relief are assessed for a specific structure.
Documents
What we need from you
The set is collected in advance; the notary reviews it before signing.
- 01Passport with a notarised copy
- 02Proof of residential address
- 03Description of the structure and its purpose
- 04Evidence of the source of capital
- 05Bank or professional reference
The notary must be satisfied on identity and source of funds before the deed is executed; prepared documents avoid weeks of delay.
Annual administration
What we handle every year
Upkeep is predictable, and the holding regime requires consistency.
Prepared and filed with the commercial register.
Filed after the end of the financial year.
Filed periodically where the company is registered.
Renewed annually.
Paid where resident directors support the substance.
Kept current for treaty purposes.
Submitted where staff are employed.
Periodic requests from the institution.
Cost of ownership
The cost of the company over three years
A company is not a one-off payment for incorporation: the annual items below repeat every year. We count ownership, not entry.
- Registration and corporate documents
- Annual accounts
- Corporate tax return
- VAT returns
- Registered address
- Director fees
- Substance file
- Payroll filings
- Bank compliance
- Annual accounts
- Corporate tax return
- VAT returns
- Registered address
- Director fees
- Substance file
- Payroll filings
- Bank compliance
- Annual accounts
- Corporate tax return
- VAT returns
- Registered address
- Director fees
- Substance file
- Payroll filings
- Bank compliance
What falls into each year depends on the corporate form, the activity and the requirements of the bank and the regulator. The three-year calculation comes together with the incorporation quote — before the engagement.
Process
How the work runs
Timelines are split by who is responsible.
Holdings, flows, exemption, substance, banking.
One meetingWe fix the scope of work and the amount.
1-2 daysVerification, collection of the set, drafting the deed.
1-2 weeksExecution of the deed and entry in the commercial register.
3-7 daysRegistration where the model requires it.
2-6 weeksBank file, submission and account opening.
The institution sets the timingThe outcome is a Dutch company with a defensible holding position: full documents, substance where required, an account and accounting in place.
Scenarios
A company for a specific task
The structure follows the client task and the banking model, not the name of the jurisdiction.
BusinessThe customers are EU companies; an EU counterparty and VAT are required.
DirectionAn operating company in the EU with a VAT number and reporting.
BankingAn EU bank looks at contracts, turnover and presence.
BusinessDevelopment, consulting and digital work for European clients.
DirectionA company with the relevant activity and local accounting.
BankingCustomer contracts and payment providers are required.
BusinessSupplies of goods between EU countries.
DirectionA company with VAT and VIES registration.
BankingThe bank checks the supply chain and the counterparties.
BusinessHolding shares in EU companies and distributing profit.
DirectionA holding structure set up with the directives and tax treaties in mind.
BankingAn account for dividends and intra-group settlements.
A scenario does not assign a corporate form automatically: the actual form, licence and bank are checked against the current requirements for your activity.
Why BRIDGES
Who runs the incorporation and what we answer for
The difference shows in how the work is run, not in the promises.
The participation exemption has conditions. We check them before the structure is built.
Treaty relief depends on the structure being real. Directors and an office are budgeted from the start.
Payments to low-tax jurisdictions can be caught. We map the flows in advance.
Dutch banks want presence; we plan the account alongside the substance.
Notary, address, accounting and directors — three years ahead.
Accounts, returns and changes stay with us.
FAQ
Questions and answers
A regime under which dividends and capital gains from qualifying participations are exempt from Dutch corporate tax.
A lower rate applies to the first band of profit and a higher rate above it.
One to two weeks, since the company is formed by notarial deed.
Not formally, but treaty relief and banking both work far better with genuine local management.
Yes as standard, with relief under treaties and EU rules; a conditional withholding tax applies to payments to low-tax jurisdictions.
Dutch banks expect substance. Without it the practical route is a European payment institution.
Only above the statutory size thresholds.
Yes, the commercial register is public and shows directors and shareholders.
Calculation
Get the structure and a full quote before incorporation
Tell us what the company will own and how the dividends should flow. We will test the exemption, plan the substance and prepare the launch and upkeep budget.
The structure, budget and scope are fixed after the business and the owners are reviewed. Account opening and registration decisions are taken by banks and state authorities.