Company formation
Company Formation Cost in the Netherlands, Line by Line
What the Dutch state charges to form and run a BV in 2026, what notaries and bookkeepers charge by official indication, and what is free.
- KVK fee 2026: EUR 85.15, once
- Notary fee: not set by law
- No minimum capital for a BV
Three kinds of cost, and what is free
For founders and companies abroad forming a Dutch BV through our company registration service; our own fee is quoted on request and is not on this page.
- KVK registration fee: EUR 85.15, once (2026, art. 5 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019)
- Optional register products, paid to the body that charges them
- Notary: EUR 500 to EUR 1,500 (KVK and business.gov.nl indication)
- The notary's fee is not set by law (art. 54 lid 1 Wna)
- Bookkeeping: EUR 600 to EUR 1,800 a year (business.gov.nl indication)
- DGA customary salary: at least EUR 58,000 (2026, art. 12a Wet LB 1964)
- Tax returns and annual accounts on fixed dates
- Tax registration and the RSIN
- The VAT number
- UBO registration with the company
- Filing the annual accounts with the KVK
State fees
One KVK registration fee at incorporation, plus optional register products, each paid to the body that charges it. The Minister of Economic Affairs sets the KVK tariffs.
Professional fees
The notary's fee is not set by law (Wna, art. 54 lid 1). The KVK and business.gov.nl indicate EUR 500 to EUR 1,500, and the notary itemises the bill on request (art. 55 lid 1 Wna).
Recurring obligations
The owner-director's customary salary, taxes, returns and annual accounts on fixed dates, plus bookkeeping: business.gov.nl indicates EUR 600 to EUR 1,800 a year.
What costs nothing
Tax registration, the RSIN and the VAT number; UBO registration with the company; filing the annual accounts with the KVK. And the Netherlands has no general business licence.
State fees at incorporation in 2026
The state charges one registration fee; every other line is an optional register product or costs nothing. The KVK fee is indexed every year, so each figure carries its year.
State fees for a Dutch BV in 2026, from the regulations and pages in the source column; checked on 3 October 2026.
| Item | 2026 figure or rule | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| KVK registration fee | EUR 85.15 once; the same for every legal form and filing method; no VAT; payable within four weeks; not in cash | Art. 5 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, from 1 July 2026; art. 1 lid 2 and art. 3 lid 2 Financieel besluit handelsregister 2014; kvk.nl and business.gov.nl, 2026 |
| UBO registration at incorporation | No separate fee; the notary registers the UBOs with the company | kvk.nl, 2026; Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019 |
| Tax registration, RSIN, VAT number | Free, no application; VAT number within 10 workdays | business.gov.nl, 2026 |
| Share capital | No statutory minimum; at least EUR 0.01 paid in, in practice; it stays the BV's money | Art. 2:178 lid 1 BW; business.gov.nl, 2026 |
| Online view of an extract or filings; of a filed annual account | EUR 2.95; EUR 3.90 | Art. 1 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, 2026 |
| Certified extract | EUR 9.60 digital; EUR 19.20 paper; certified UBO extract EUR 3.10 | Art. 1 and art. 2 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, 2026 |
| KVK Bedrijvencheck basic data | Free, up to 30 views a year | Art. 1 Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, 2026 |
| LEI through the KVK, where one is needed | EUR 80.00 first; EUR 49.20 a year | Art. 4a Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019, 2026 |
| Bank statement on the capital | Not required (art. 2:203a BW repealed 1 October 2012) | Book 2 BW |
| Apostille or legalisation of a Dutch document going abroad | EUR 27 at a Dutch court (EUR 26 in 2025) | rechtspraak.nl, 2026 |
How the incorporation runs, and what each step costs
Eight steps with their state cost; a duration only where the law or an official page sets one.
Set by law or an official pagePractice indicationNo published time
- Scope and structureState cost: nilNo time set
- A Dutch business addressState cost: nilNo time set
- DocumentsState cost: set abroadNo time set
- Route choiceState cost: nil; notary fee unregulatedOnline: five or ten working days (art. 2:175a lid 3 BW) Paper: no official time is published
- Execution of the deedState cost: nilThat day
- KVK and UBO registrationState cost: EUR 85.15, within four weeksWithin one week of the deed (art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007)
- Tax registrationState cost: nilVAT number within 10 workdays (business.gov.nl)
- eHerkenning and the bankState cost: nil; supplier and bank chargesBank approval often 2 to 8 weeks (business.gov.nl)
Scope and structure
A single BV or a holding over an operating BV; one founder suffices. For buying an existing Dutch BV instead of forming a new one, we assist the buyer in a notarial share transfer (art. 2:196 BW).
A Dutch business address
Your own address, not a P.O. box.
Documents
ID of every founder, director and UBO; with a foreign parent as founder, as in our subsidiary service, its register extract. Legalised and translated where the KVK requires.
Route choice
The electronic deed if every founder is an EU national and contributions are cash (art. 2:175a lid 1 BW): our online incorporation service. Otherwise the paper deed, by power of attorney if needed.
Execution of the deed
At least EUR 0.01 paid in, no bank statement; the BV exists on execution.
KVK and UBO registration
The notary files both (Hrw 2007, art. 20 lid 1); until then the directors are jointly bound with the BV (art. 2:180 lid 2 BW).
Tax registration
The KVK passes the data on; the RSIN and the VAT number follow without an application.
eHerkenning and the bank
eHerkenning for tax filing, then an account, or a SEPA IBAN abroad: see the business bank account page.
Which of these costs apply to your structure?
Tell us the founders, their nationalities and the planned structure; we list the state fees and the documents that apply to you.
Annual costs of running a Dutch BV
The yearly part is where a Dutch company costs money. Per month: business.gov.nl's yearly bookkeeping indication divided by twelve is EUR 50 to EUR 150; no other monthly figure is official. Books and returns in detail: bookkeeping netherlands.
Recurring obligations of a Dutch BV in 2026, from the acts and pages in the source column; checked on 3 October 2026.
| Item | 2026 figure or rule | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| DGA customary salary (director holding at least 5 percent) | At least EUR 58,000 in 2026, or more by the comparison tests | Art. 12a lid 1 sub c Wet LB 1964; business.gov.nl, 2026 |
| Corporate income tax | 19 percent up to EUR 200,000; 25.8 percent above (2026); return before 1 June | Art. 22 Wet Vpb 1969; business.gov.nl, 2026 |
| Dividend withholding tax | 15 percent of a distribution | Art. 5 Wet DB 1965 |
| VAT | 21, 9 or 0 percent; small business scheme (KOR) up to EUR 20,000 turnover; returns usually quarterly, nil returns too | Art. 9 and art. 25a lid 1 Wet OB 1968; Belastingdienst |
| Annual accounts (BV and NV rule) | Drawn up within five months, extendable by five; filed within eight days of adoption, at the latest twelve months after year end; no KVK filing tariff | Art. 2:210 lid 1 and art. 2:394 BW; kvk.nl, 2026 |
| Late accounts | Improper management is presumed; late filing is an economic offence | Art. 2:248 BW; art. 1 onder 4 WED |
| Register and UBO changes | Within one week; no registration fee unless a new KVK number results | Art. 20 lid 2 Hrw 2007; kvk.nl, 2026 |
| Bookkeeping (not a state fee) | Official indication EUR 600 to EUR 1,800 a year | business.gov.nl, private limited company page, 2026 |
| eHerkenning; LEI renewal | Supplier's price; the RVO compensation of about EUR 24 a year closed on 30 September 2026; LEI EUR 49.20 a year where held | business.gov.nl and RVO, 2026; art. 4a Financiële regeling handelsregister 2019 |
| Records; share transfer or amended articles | Records kept 7 years; a notarial deed each time, fee unregulated | business.gov.nl, 2026; art. 2:196 lid 1 and art. 2:234 BW; art. 54 Wna |
Costs only some founders meet: residence, licences, trade marks
No general business licence exists, permits are sector-specific, and directing a BV from abroad needs no residence permit. Founders who move: netherlands startup visa. Regulated crypto activity: getting authorised as a crypto-asset service provider in the Netherlands. Brands: the trade mark registration page.
Conditional state fees in 2026, as published on 29 September 2026; licence rows show application fees only.
| Item | 2026 figure or rule | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| IND permit: self-employed (DAFT, Japanese treaty), start-up, highly skilled migrant, EU Blue Card, ICT | EUR 423 per application (2026); EUR 254 for an EU long-term resident | ind.nl fees, 2026 |
| IND recognition as a sponsor | EUR 5,080; EUR 2,539 for no more than 50 persons (2026) | ind.nl fees, 2026 |
| DAFT substantial capital for a BV | 25 percent of paid-up capital, at least EUR 4,500 | Vreemdelingencirculaire 2000 (B), B6/2.5 |
| Means test, start-up and self-employed permits | Gross profit EUR 1,766.77 a month with holiday allowance, 1 July to 31 December 2026 | ind.nl, 2026 |
| CASP authorisation under MiCAR (AFM) | EUR 200 an hour, capped at EUR 100,000; no VAT | Regeling bekostiging financieel toezicht eenmalige handelingen, EU.A1.08 |
| Investment firm (AFM) | EUR 200 an hour, capped at EUR 100,000; EUR 1,500 for the exempt variety | Regeling bekostiging financieel toezicht eenmalige handelingen, Wft.A1.18 and Wft.A1.15 |
| Payment institution; electronic money institution (DNB) | EUR 10,400 each | Regeling bekostiging financieel toezicht eenmalige handelingen, Wft.D1.01 and Wft.D1.05 |
| Trust office (DNB) | EUR 6,800 | Regeling bekostiging financieel toezicht eenmalige handelingen, Wtt.D1.01 |
| Trade marks | Benelux, 10 years: EUR 244 one class, EUR 27 the second, EUR 81 from the third; EU, online: EUR 850 one class | boip.int; euipo.europa.eu |
What's included in our formation service
We handle the incorporation and the work that follows it; the state fees above are paid to the bodies that set them.
A cost map before anything is signed
The state fees for your structure and route, the documents to legalise or translate, and the official notary indication, before you choose a notary.
The notary's file
Draft deed and articles, the founders' identification and, on the paper route, the written power of attorney (art. 2:176 lid 1 BW). The notary executes the deed (art. 2:175 BW).
The filings that follow
Registration within one week of the deed (art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007), then the KVK invoice, number letter, RSIN and Belastingdienst letter, each tracked.
First-year set-up
eHerkenning, support with the bank-account application, and the customary-salary question for an owner-director.
Running the BV
Bookkeeping and accounting services, VAT and corporate tax returns, and annual accounts drawn up and filed on the statutory dates (art. 2:210 and art. 2:394 BW).
Where our work stops
We never act as your director, give a general power of attorney, sell an existing BV, or combine an address with legal, tax or bookkeeping work: that needs a trust licence under the Wtt 2018. Our domicile-only address service is never combined with this formation or the BV's books, returns or accounts.
Problems we solve
- A non-EU founder expects to sign online
We plan the paper deed with a written power of attorney from the start: the electronic deed is for EU nationals only (art. 2:175a lid 1 BW), EU eID or not.
- Legalisation and translation
Outside the EU, the KVK asks for legalised documents; outside Dutch, English, French or German, a certified translation; address proof under 2 months old. Legalisation happens in the country of origin, at its fee.
- A package price that leaves out the year
An owner-director's customary salary is at least EUR 58,000 in 2026, bookkeeping has its own indication, and the accounts run to fixed dates. A quote without these is not the cost of a company.
- A holding structure
At least two BVs: two deeds, two registration fees, two sets of accounts and, in business.gov.nl's words, higher annual costs. The structure itself: how a Dutch holding BV sits above an operating company.
- Figures in circulation that are stale or wrong
The KVK fee is indexed yearly; there is no UBO fee at incorporation; one founder suffices (art. 2:175 lid 2 BW); the KVK issues no business licence.
Comparing quotes from formation agents?
Bring the quotes you have; we separate the state fees, the notary's part and the yearly obligations, line by line.
Why work with us
We map the state fees for your structure, prepare the notary's file and UBO data, then follow the KVK invoice, RSIN and tax letter through to eHerkenning.
Joost van Leeuwen, company formation and company law lead, Amsterdam: eleven years on Dutch company files, in Dutch, English and German.
Related services
- DutchRegist: The Dutch BV: Private Limited CompanyThe legal form itself: deed routes, documents and first-year duties.
- DutchRegist: DAFT Visa: Dutch American Friendship TreatyFor US founders who move: a BV with substantial capital and a self-employed permit.
- DutchRegist: Payment Institution Licence in the NetherlandsFor a BV that will provide payment services under DNB supervision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the KVK fee really the only fixed state cost of a Dutch BV?
Yes, at incorporation with cash capital. The state charges a one-off KVK registration fee of EUR 85.15 in 2026, the same for every legal form and filing method. UBO registration carries no separate fee, and tax registration, the RSIN and the VAT number are free. The fee is indexed every year, so check the year.
Why is there no fixed price for the notary, and how do I check what I am charged?
Dutch law sets no tariff for an incorporation deed (art. 54 lid 1 Wna), so each notary sets its own fee. The KVK and business.gov.nl indicate EUR 500 to EUR 1,500. You may ask the notary for an itemised account of the fee and the other costs (art. 55 lid 1 Wna).
What does a Dutch company cost every year after it is set up?
An owner-director holding at least 5 percent draws a customary salary of at least EUR 58,000 in 2026. The BV files VAT and corporate tax returns and draws up annual accounts within five months, extendable by five. business.gov.nl indicates bookkeeping at EUR 600 to EUR 1,800 a year.
Does a holding structure cost twice as much?
A holding structure needs at least two BVs, so there are two deeds, two KVK registration fees and two sets of annual accounts. business.gov.nl says it is more expensive to set up and carries higher annual administration costs. The exact difference depends on the notary and the bookkeeping, which no official source fixes.
Do I need a licence to open a company in the Netherlands, and what does one cost?
No general business licence exists; permits are sector-specific. A regulated activity pays a supervisory application fee, without VAT: in 2026, EUR 10,400 for a payment institution or an electronic money institution with DNB, and EUR 200 an hour, capped at EUR 100,000, for a CASP authorisation with the AFM.
How much does it cost to start a business in the Netherlands?
For a BV in 2026: the KVK registration fee of EUR 85.15, the notary's fee, which the KVK and business.gov.nl indicate at EUR 500 to EUR 1,500, and capital from EUR 0.01, which stays the company's own money. Our fee for the formation work is quoted on request.
What does the KVK registration fee cover, and is it the same for every legal form?
It covers the first registration in the Business Register; the notary registers the UBOs with it. The fee is identical for every legal form and filing method. It falls due again only with a new KVK number, after a restart, takeover, demerger or merger. It is paid within four weeks, never in cash.
Can a foreigner open a company in the Netherlands, and does living abroad add cost?
Yes. Owning and directing a Dutch BV from abroad needs no residence permit. Living abroad adds document work: the KVK asks for legalised documents from outside the EU and a certified translation outside Dutch, English, French or German. Legalisation happens in the country of origin, at that country's fee.
What does it cost to open a company online, and who may use the online deed?
The KVK fee is the same online as on paper, and the notary's cost for the electronic deed varies. The electronic deed is open only to EU nationals, with cash contributions only (art. 2:175a lid 1, art. 2:191a lid 4 BW). An EU eID does not replace nationality. The statute sets five or ten working days.
Is registration mandatory, and what happens if I do not register?
Yes. The notary files the first registration within one week of the deed (art. 20 lid 1 Hrw 2007). Failing to register is punishable under the Economic Offences Act, and until the registration is filed the directors are jointly bound with the BV (art. 2:180 lid 2 BW).
How much is corporate tax in the Netherlands?
In 2026 corporate income tax is 19 percent on profit up to EUR 200,000 and 25.8 percent above it (art. 22 Wet Vpb 1969). For a calendar year the return is due before 1 June, with a standard extension available. A profit distribution carries 15 percent dividend withholding tax (art. 5 Wet DB 1965).
What does a DAFT or start-up permit cost?
Only a founder who moves to the Netherlands pays it. The IND fee is EUR 423 per application in 2026. A DAFT BV needs substantial capital of 25 percent of its paid-up capital, at least EUR 4,500. For the start-up permit, the IND aims to decide within 90 days.
Do I need a Dutch bank account, and how long does it take?
The notary needs no bank statement on the capital, since art. 2:203a BW was repealed. business.gov.nl treats a business account as needed for a BV, accepts a SEPA IBAN held abroad in the business's name, and says approval often takes 2 to 8 weeks. Banks may charge for extra checks.
What does a KVK extract cost?
In 2026 an online view of an extract costs EUR 2.95, a digitally certified extract EUR 9.60, a paper certified extract EUR 19.20 and a digitally certified UBO extract EUR 3.10. Basic data in the KVK Bedrijvencheck is free for up to 30 views a year. KVK products carry no VAT.
Which of these costs are tax-deductible?
The KVK states that its registration fee of EUR 85.15 is tax-deductible for entrepreneurs. This page states no rule for the notary's fee, bookkeeping, permits or the other lines: their tax treatment is a question we answer for your own company on request.
Request a cost map for your company
Tell us your structure and route; we list the state fees and the documents to prepare.