The trade terms

Under the DCFTA, goods of Ukrainian origin have broad preferential access to the EU market. In the accession process, Ukraine brings its rules closer to EU rules each year. Agriculture, IT services and manufacturing are the largest sectors in this trade. Companies in these sectors gain the most from a company inside the EU.

What Ukrainian companies arrange through the BV

  • Continuity and contracts: clients, platforms and insurers get a stable EU company to contract with. The company uses EU banks and EU payment systems.
  • IT and services: the BV signs contracts with European clients, while your teams work from Ukraine or from EU countries. It is the same model as in the services approach for Philippine companies.
  • Goods trade: you import and distribute under one Dutch VAT number. With an Article 23 licence, you declare the import VAT in your VAT return. For the compliance roles, see the GPSR pages.
  • A structure for investors: European investors and lenders know the BV. With a Dutch holding company, as in the holding model, you can use standard documents for a funding round.

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.

The setup

You can set up the BV fully from Ukraine, with the non-resident process. Prepare the documents with the abroad guide. Banks do extra customer checks (KYC) for clients from the region. With a complete file and a clear business story, you keep the process on track.