European Subsidiary for a Tunisian Exporter: the Dutch BV, Costs and Steps

Trade access to the EU

You pay zero duty on Tunisian industrial goods. On agri products, including olive oil, you pay reduced duty. For both, you need origin documents for each shipment. Ships take cargo from Tunis and Sfax to northern Europe within days.

Olive oil and food lines

You sell bulk oil to bottlers and branded oil to consumers. The BV handles the branded oil. It follows the EU rules on labelling and food information in its own name. It sells to retailers and directly to consumers, and files the OSS return for the direct sales in other EU countries. The group then keeps the margin between bulk oil and bottled oil. See the Tunisia trade article for this model.

Components for EU industry

Tunisian makers of wiring looms and electronics supply EU manufacturers in the standard way. The BV is the EU contract partner, keeps call-off stock and invoices within the EU at documented 0%. Production stays in Tunisia, and the company has a presence in the Netherlands.

Is your group setting up a Dutch entity? See setting up a Dutch subsidiary for what you need, how long it takes and what the parent company must sign.

The setup from Tunis

A Tunisian company can own 100% of the BV, and you can set up the BV remotely. At the border, the BV uses Article 23. Prepare the bank file with the checklist. See African producers and the EU for the wider context.