Entity Formation in the Netherlands (BV)

Ready for a permanent Dutch presence? We help you incorporate a BV seamlessly and stay alongside throughout your expansion journey. We offer independent advice including whether a BV is the best solution for your business.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners
  • Honest Timing

What does forming a BV in the Netherlands involve?

A BV (Besloten Vennootschap) is the Dutch private limited company, the standard vehicle for a permanent business presence. When you form one, you become the legal employer and operator in the Netherlands, with full control and no per-employee EOR fees, in exchange for the setup time and the ongoing obligations.

Forming and running a BV means incorporating through a Dutch civil-law notary with a registered Dutch address, UBO (ultimate beneficial owner) registration and Chamber of Commerce filing, tax registrations for corporate tax, VAT, and payroll tax, and ongoing accounting, payroll, annual accounts, and corporate governance. The upside is full control, a local brand presence, and lower per-head cost at scale. The trade-off is the time it takes and the compliance load that never stops. That is exactly why most companies want a partner alongside them, not a one-off formation agent who disappears once the company exists.

01

Your own company

A BV makes you the legal employer and operator in the Netherlands, with full control of employment terms and a local brand presence.

02

Lower cost at scale

No per-employee EOR fees. For permanent, proven headcount, owning the entity is more cost-effective than ongoing EOR arrangements.

03

Setup takes weeks

Incorporation takes weeks, and you cannot employ anyone until it completes. Timing the move matters, which is why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

How forming a BV works, step by step

From structuring the company to operating it compliantly.

01 — Structure & prepare

We confirm a BV is right for you, then prepare the incorporation documents, arrange your registered Dutch address, and line up the notary.

02 — Capital & notarisation

The notarial deed is executed, the company is filed with the Chamber of Commerce, and UBO registration is completed.

03 — Register the company

Corporate tax, VAT, and payroll tax accounts are set up, so you can operate and employ compliantly.

04 — Operate & stay compliant

Bank account, then ongoing accounting, payroll, filings, and annual accounts, all of which we can run for you.

What forming a BV in the Netherlands costs

Two kinds of cost: the one-off formation, and the ongoing operating obligations. We give you a clear figure on both before you commit.

Formation

A BV no longer requires minimum share capital, so the barrier is process, not capital. Notarial deed, Chamber of Commerce registration, UBO filing, and a registered address.

Corporate tax

19% on the first €200,000 of profit, 25.8% above, for 2026.

VAT

Standard rate 21%, with registration and periodic returns once you are trading.

Ongoing obligations

Accounting, monthly payroll (loonheffing, holiday allowance, social security), annual accounts, and corporate tax filings, all of which we can manage for you.

Why form your Dutch BV through Bradford Jacobs

Why companies incorporate in the Netherlands through us rather than a one-off formation agent.

We advise you on the best time to incorporate

We are independent: we assess what you actually need, place you with the right vetted partner, secure pricing you will not get going direct, and stay on your side to escalate or renegotiate. You get advice, not a product pitch.

  • Independent advice
  • Vetted partners only
  • On your side at renewal

End-to-end, not just the paperwork

We do not disappear after registration. We stay on for the accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your BV runs, not just exists.

  • 15-25% below direct
  • Network benchmarking
  • Renegotiated for you

The right specialists, in place

Notary, tax, and accounting partners we have vetted and worked with, coordinated for you, so the process moves and nothing gets missed.

  • Direct escalation
  • No support queues
  • Named account contact

Two decades of formations

Two decades forming and running entities across Europe. A Dutch BV needs just EUR 0.01 in share capital since the Flex-BV reform, but incorporation still runs through a civil-law notary who must complete KYC and UBO checks on every founder and director; two decades of managing that process is what keeps it to days, not weeks.

  • BV formations
  • Notary & tax partners
  • Traps avoided

We run it after you form it

Incorporation is the start, not the finish. We stay on for accounting, payroll, tax filings, and annual accounts, so your BV operates from day one without you building a local finance function.

  • Full back office
  • Accounting & payroll
  • Annual accounts

What they don’t tell you about the BV

A growing business hits a good quarter and someone says, let us just set up a proper Dutch company. It sounds responsible. It usually is not, yet. Here is what people expect against what happens in practice.

Employment & payroll obligations

Expectation: it takes a few weeks and is just admin.
Reality: registration takes weeks and longer with any complication, a notarial deed is required, plus UBO registration, a Dutch address, and director obligations, and you cannot legally employ anyone in the gap.

Tax, filing & reporting obligations

Expectation: we can always reverse it. Reality: dissolving a BV needs a shareholder resolution, creditor notification, and a winding-up period. And once it exists, the obligations do not stop: annual accounts, UBO maintenance, corporate tax filings, director liability, and Works Council requirements once headcount crosses certain thresholds. None of this is a reason not to form a BV. It is a reason to form it at the right time, with the right partners already in place.

What we handle for your BV

Beyond incorporation, we can run the full back office for your BV.

Compliant payroll

Compliant Dutch payroll and employment administration, issued and maintained for you.

Payroll & filings

Monthly payroll run, with loonheffing and the 8% holiday allowance calculated, withheld, and filed each month.

Statutory benefits

All statutory benefits administered: annual leave, sick pay, parental leave, notice and severance.

Compliance & support

Ongoing HR compliance and a single point of contact, for the life of the engagement.

Forming a BV in the Netherlands: your questions answered

Straight answers on forming and running a BV in the Netherlands.

How long does it take to form a BV?

Usually a few weeks once documents and the notary are in place, longer with any complication or sector licence. You cannot legally employ anyone until registration completes, which is why timing matters and why many companies bridge with an EOR first.

A BV no longer has a minimum share capital requirement; it can be incorporated with a nominal amount. The real cost is the notarial and registration process and the ongoing obligations, not capital. We give you the all-in figure up front.

Yes. A BV can be fully owned and directed by non-residents. You will need a registered Dutch address and to complete UBO registration, both of which we arrange.

Form a BV when you have permanent, proven headcount and want full control, and the per-head savings justify the ongoing costs. Use EOR while you are still validating the market or need people working quickly. Most companies start with EOR and incorporate later. We advise on the crossover.

Accounting, monthly payroll, corporate tax and VAT filings, annual accounts, UBO maintenance, and director obligations, plus Works Council requirements once headcount crosses certain thresholds. We can run all of it so the entity stays compliant without you building a local finance function.

Yes, and it is how most companies use us. Beyond incorporation we provide ongoing accounting, payroll, and compliance, so your Dutch BV operates smoothly from day one without hiring locally for back office.

Ready to form your company in the Netherlands?

Tell us your plans for the Netherlands and we will tell you honestly whether now is the time to incorporate, then handle it end to end if it is, usually scoped within a day. No formation-mill upsell, just the right call.

Tax, company, and labour data verified June 2026 (Belastingdienst, KVK, PwC). Figures change; we confirm the current position when we scope your formation.