European Subsidiary for an Algerian Exporter: the Dutch BV, Costs and Steps

Trade access to the EU

Under the association agreement, Algerian industrial goods are imported into the EU free of import duty. Agricultural products have their own preferential rates. For both, you need documents that prove the Algerian origin. Algeria's new exports outside oil and gas are these goods: food, materials and manufactured goods. An exporter with this mix of products benefits most from its own company in the EU.

Materials and CBAM

Steel, cement and fertilisers from Algeria fall under the EU carbon border mechanism (CBAM). Under CBAM, the EU importer reports the emissions from producing the goods. If your own BV is the importer, your group does the reporting itself, keeps the data and deals with the customer directly. See the CBAM overview.

Food products

Algerian producers of dates and olive oil can take the same step as other producers in the Maghreb. They switch from bulk sales to their own brand. The BV handles EU labelling and acts as the food business operator. You can then sell to shops and directly to consumers, and the producer keeps the margin that a trader would otherwise earn. See the article on Algerian trade into the EU for the model used in the region.

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.

Setting up the BV from Algiers

The BV can be 100% Algerian-owned. You set it up remotely through the process for non-residents. At the border, you use Article 23 for the import VAT. For the bank, start your file with your contracts and trade volumes, as in the checklist for the bank account.