What the treaty replaces

Under the general rules, a business owner from outside Europe is scored by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency on personal experience, business plan and value to the country. The trade treaty replaces that scoring with a shorter test.

The conditions

You meet the general requirements for every applicant, you are a Japanese citizen, and one of these situations applies to you:

  • You trade between the Netherlands and Japan.
  • You develop and lead the operations of a business here. You meet this condition in one of three ways. You represent a Japanese business and have a senior role in it. You practise an independent profession, other than work for the government or in healthcare. You invest substantial capital in your business. For most legal forms, the minimum investment is €4,500.

The six-month deadline

Since April 2024, a first-time applicant has six months after receiving the permit to register with the Chamber of Commerce and to make the investment. If you miss that deadline, the immigration service may withdraw the permit. Put both deadlines in your calendar on the day you receive the permit.

At renewal, the service asks for annual accounts and a balance sheet or income statement. These confirm that the business has been active and that the invested capital stayed inside it. The €4,500 must stay in the company as capital. It must stay unspent during the first quarter.

The permit itself

  • Valid for a maximum of two years, and renewable.
  • Self-employed work is allowed. Paid employment alongside it needs a work permit arranged by that employer.
  • Family members may work freely here. They are exempt from a separate work permit.
  • After five years of work, you get free access to the labour market.

Plan the company behind the permit carefully too. This is usually a BV (besloten vennootschap, the Dutch private limited company) with a holding company above it. See a Dutch holding for non-residents for this structure. See three friendship treaties compared for a comparison with the other treaty options.

Do you want to set up a Dutch BV from abroad? See setting up a BV in the Netherlands for the costs, the steps and the timeline. We arrange the notary and the KVK registration for you.

Your company and your residence permit

We arrange both. We set up your company: the entity, the salary and the tax position. An immigration lawyer from our network prepares your residence application and files it with the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). The lawyer follows the case law and the forms every week. We plan the company and the application together, so your company meets what the IND asks for.

Who arranges which part of your relocation? See how we work with our partners.