The flow, step by step
Registration against the KVK number; directors and UBOs identified one by one — passport scan plus a live video or biometric check per person; the ownership chart uploaded for anything beyond a single-founder BV; the activity questionnaire (what you sell, to whom, expected volumes, countries); and the decision — often within days for clean files. The account then activates for the capital deposit and first payments immediately.
What to have ready
The same binder every counterparty reads: KVK extract, chart, passports, the flows description, and the source-of-funds pack for meaningful deposits: the UBO file and the answers. Every UBO reachable the same week — the identification steps are per person, and the slowest passport sets the pace.
What digital does well — and the second account
Multi-currency IBANs, cards, clean exports to the bookkeeping, and payment-provider integrations: the operating toolkit, live in week one: the payments layer. Lending, cash handling and complex treasury remain the traditional banks’ ground — the classic pattern runs digital-first, traditional-second on real activity: the full route map.