The three things the file must show

The capital: at least €4,500 of own capital still invested — in a BV (besloten vennootschap, the Dutch private limited company), the share capital line does this work permanently. A real business: revenue, clients, activity; a company that visibly trades. Clean administration: annual accounts filed with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK), tax returns current, and a balance sheet an accountant will sign.

Where renewals wobble

Three patterns account for most friction: equity that dipped below the threshold in a loss year (solve with a timely capital top-up, documented); activity that faded while the founder worked on other things (the treaty rewards a business that operates); and books assembled retroactively. Each is avoidable with a yearly half-hour: check the equity line, file on time, keep the KVK registration current.

Growing through the renewal

Renewal moments often coincide with structure moments: adding a holding above the operating BV, taking on staff, or bringing in a partner. Each of those is routine — and each is easier when the DAFT file is already clean. The structure options are mapped on the holding structure page; the original conditions on the DAFT overview.

The follow-up question

Most readers arrive here from DAFT and the Dutch BV or move on to A Dutch BV for UK Companies After Brexit.

Switching structure mid-flight

Converting from sole proprietorship to BV between renewals is common and welcome; the equity requirement simply moves with you into the BV’s share capital. Bring the notarial deed and the updated KVK extract to the renewal file — the choice itself stands on sole proprietorship or BV under DAFT.

The long term, and the alternatives

All twenty-one guides sit together on the DAFT hub, grouped the way the route itself runs.