Answers to practical questions from international founders who want to start a company in The Netherlands. Written for people considering the Dutch Startup Visa, not as a knowledge centre.
Yes. Dutch nationality is not a condition for registering a company. What you need is a legal basis to stay and work as a founder if you are not an EU, EEA, or Swiss national.
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RVO advises the IND on whether your product or service is innovative. Official language points to something new to The Netherlands, new technology, or a new way of working. There is no public score, and nobody can promise RVO’s advice.
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They are different permits. The start-up route is a one-year residence permit with a facilitator and an RVO innovation/plan advice. Self-employed is a separate IND scheme. After the start-up year you typically apply for self-employed; you do not extend start-up.
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They are different doors. DAFT is the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty route, grouped by the IND under self-employed. The Startup Visa is a one-year innovative-founder permit with a facilitator. US nationality does not make start-up optional if DAFT is the better legal fit, or the reverse.
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No published start-up requirement says you must speak Dutch to get the one-year start-up residence permit. The tests are facilitator, innovation, plan, KVK registration, and means.
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A Dutch personal or business bank account is not listed on RVO’s start-up requirements page. You must show you have enough money to live here. Running the company later usually does need a Dutch business account.
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You need a step-by-step plan that shows how the idea becomes a company. RVO assesses that plan. A long investor business plan is not what the official requirement calls for, and it will not hide a weak idea.
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Yes, the company can hire. Your start-up permit does not replace each employee’s own right to work. EU/EEA/Swiss staff are different from non-EU staff. There is a separate IND permit for essential start-up personnel.
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Your spouse does not automatically inherit a job from your start-up permit. Whether they may work is decided on their own residence document. For some work-related permits the IND says the partner may work without a separate TWV. Check the live IND partner page for your permit type.
Read articleNot ready to book? Start here. The requirements the IND and RVO assess, the facilitator conditions, and a realistic cost and timeline breakdown.
Next step
A 60-minute route assessment. The €199 is credited once, within 14 days, toward the next programme that matches the route. A self-employed review is not credited toward startup-visa facilitation. Immigration decisions remain with the IND.
Book a €199 Strategy Session