The eight steps

  1. Come and find a registration address. With a rental contract or a host registration, you have the address that the Dutch trade register (KVK) and the municipality ask for.
  2. Register your business at the KVK (€85.15). You can register a sole proprietorship on the same day. For a BV, the notary first signs the deed. See BV incorporation.
  3. Open the business bank account. Dutch and European digital business banks accept Americans with a passport and a KVK extract. See the remote banking option.
  4. Deposit the €4,500 into the business account, at the latest six months after the IND decision.
  5. Keep proof of the investment. When you renew the permit, the IND asks for the annual accounts and a balance sheet or income statement.
  6. File the IND application with your passport copy and the fee. Since April 2024 you may also file first: you then register with the KVK and invest the €4,500 within six months of the decision.
  7. Attend the biometrics appointment and receive the residence endorsement sticker. With this sticker, your stay is fully legal during the waiting period.
  8. Collect the residence card, register at the municipality for the citizen service number (BSN), and arrange Dutch health insurance within four months. See health insurance and your BSN.

How long it takes

Since April 2024 you can file the IND application (step 6) before steps 2 to 4, as soon as your documents are complete. Recent applicants report a decision within weeks. After the decision, you have six months to register with the KVK and invest the €4,500. See DAFT costs and timeline for the costs of each step.

Submit a complete file

Need an IBAN for your Dutch company? Read the steps to a business bank account in the Netherlands.

Every rejection is caused by a gap in the file. Examples are less than €4,500 of your investment left in the business at renewal, KVK activities that differ from the invoices, or an address that has expired. If you prepare the complete file at once, the process is faster. With our service, the whole file is arranged in writing. This includes the incorporation, the contact with the bank, the proof of the €4,500 on the balance sheet and the IND forms. You get a written proposal with every amount for your situation, before you decide.

Does your company want its European entity in the Netherlands? See setting up a Dutch subsidiary for the steps, the costs and a comparison with other countries.

More about DAFT

All twenty-one guides are together on the DAFT hub, grouped in the order of the steps.

Your DAFT permit, arranged with us

We arrange your DAFT application. An immigration lawyer from our network prepares it and files it with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). We set up your company and business bank account and provide the company documents your application needs. The IND decides on your permit.