Business Bank Account in the Netherlands for Your Dutch BV

Banks have freedom of contract with business clients, so a refusal may be commercial; on Wwft grounds a bank may refuse only where it cannot cover the risk. In DNB's 2021 study, 82% of refusals were the bank's own choice and 18% Wwft-based. The options: fix the file, complain to the bank, the courts, another bank or a licensed EMI.

It may be unable to. Institutions are bound to secrecy about a report to FIU-Netherlands (art. 23(1) Wwft), so a bank that has reported cannot say so. And for business clients banks have freedom of contract today: they decide for themselves with whom they enter a relationship, and a commercial refusal needs no stated reason.

No. The NVB states that an application for a business account is not possible without a KVK number, so a BV in formation cannot apply. The order runs the other way: the notarial deed incorporates the BV without any bank statement, the KVK registers it, and only then does the bank application start.

business.gov.nl and the KVK say a BV or NV must have one. No provision of Book 2 of the Civil Code read for this page imposes it, and the bank statement of art. 2:203a BW lapsed on 1 October 2012. It is official guidance and bank practice; the real driver is clear business records for the Belastingdienst.

A SEPA account in the name of the business or the entrepreneur may be used in the Netherlands, and the Belastingdienst accepts any SEPA IBAN. Within SEPA, a business may not exclude IBANs from other SEPA countries. In practice some organisations still prefer, or only work with, a Dutch IBAN, which is why the question comes first.

Not yet. Art. 4:71k Wft was enacted by the Act of 20 May 2026 (Stb. 2026, 182) and enters into force on a date set by royal decree. Once in force, it covers EU undertakings registered in the Dutch Handelsregister, which includes a Dutch BV with non-EU owners. Until then, banks keep their freedom of contract.

For the company, yes, bank by bank. Some banks require a permanent Dutch address, some a Dutch business address, and some accept a foreign address if at least one owner lives in the Netherlands. Enhanced due diligence applies where the client's state is on the EU high-risk list (art. 8(1) Wwft). A personal account follows other rules.

It depends on the bank. Rabobank handles all applications from foreign companies through its online application. On the Quick Scan route, ABN AMRO and Rabobank also accept a copy of an identity document legalised by a notary. A shielded visiting address in the Business Register may rule out online opening and mean a visit to the bank.

Often 2 to 8 weeks, according to business.gov.nl, and banks may charge a fee for extra checks. No statutory decision period exists for a business account today. The Quick Scan gives an eligibility answer within 5 business days of receipt; regular due diligence follows, with a status update at least once a month.

An NVB scheme with Rabobank, ABN AMRO and ING for founders assisted by the NFIA or an RVO-recognised facilitator; without that assistance a founder is not eligible. The bank confirms the probability of a successful application within 5 business days. It is not an account and not a shortcut: regular due diligence follows.

We do not rank banks. The verifiable differences: all three deal in English on the Quick Scan; ING sends documents in Dutch, ABN AMRO and Rabobank in English; Rabobank handles foreign companies online only; ABN AMRO has a Corporate Non-Residents department. RegioBank, also asked about, now operates as ASN Bank.

No state-mandated free business account exists today. Once art. 4:71k Wft is in force, the basic-account rules apply by analogy: free of charge or for a reasonable fee (art. 4:71f(5) Wft). Banks may also charge for extra checks. Bank tariffs are the banks' own, and our fee for the file review is on request.

Yes, if it is licensed: providing payment services or issuing e-money needs a DNB licence (art. 2:3a(1) and 2:10a(1) Wft). The DNB public register states the activities each institution may provide, and DNB says exempted EMIs are not under its supervision. No official source says whether an EMI account meets the BV guidance.

No. The Belastingdienst accepts any SEPA IBAN. A foreign account is notified through Mijn Belastingdienst Zakelijk or by letter, and it must be a current account, not a savings account. The letter states the company, its RSIN, the tax concerned, the account number, the BIC, the holder and the bank's country. Confirmation follows within 3 weeks.

A Dutch IBAN has 18 characters: the country code NL, two check digits, a four-letter bank code and ten digits set by the payment service provider that issues it. Persons with a Dutch BSN who live outside the EU have no legal right to a Dutch IBAN, according to Betaalvereniging Nederland, the Dutch Payments Association.