From the USA

Relocating From Arizona to the Netherlands: The Business Owner’s Guide

Updated: 6 October 2026 Holdwise editorial team USA Arizona DAFT

You can relocate your business from Arizona to the Netherlands with a Dutch BV and a treaty residence permit. Under the Dutch American Friendship Treaty, you put €4,500 into your own company for the permit. Arizona has the lowest flat income tax in the United States, at 2.5%. In the Netherlands, a BV pays 19% corporate tax on the first €200,000 of its profit (25.8% above), and your company can sell in the whole EU market. Phoenix is a fast-growing city in a dry climate, and in the Netherlands you live close to canals and the coast. At Holdwise, we keep this answer up to date and change it when the rules change.

What changes for your money

Arizona taxes personal income at a flat 2.5%. In a Dutch BV, business profit is taxed at 19% up to €200,000. The director salary of €58,000 can qualify for the expat ruling, a tax-free allowance of up to 30% of the salary (27% from 2027), if the taxed part of the salary stays above €48,013 in 2026 (see how the expat ruling works). Dividends are taxed in box 2 at 24.5% on the first €68,843 per person and 31% above that (2026), in the year you choose to pay them out. Box 2 is the tax band for income from your own company. Healthcare costs about €150 per adult per month, and you rarely need air conditioning at home. From the Netherlands, your company can sell to the 450 million consumers in the EU.

Your residence permit

Under the Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT), you need a real business with €4,500 of equity. The first permit is for two years, and you can renew it as long as the business and the capital stay in place. Your family can come with you, with full rights to work. See the complete DAFT guide. If you work remotely as an employee, you can convert your job into your own treaty business within a week. See the DAFT guide for remote workers.

Where Arizonans settle

Many people from the chip industry around Phoenix choose Eindhoven, the semiconductor capital of Europe. Solar and energy specialists find a lot of work in the North Sea energy transition (see the guide for energy entrepreneurs). Founders of service businesses often settle in the cities in the west of the country (the Randstad). From one office there, they serve clients all over Europe.

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 first 90 days

First, you file the application with the Dutch immigration service (IND). Under the accelerated procedure, the IND decides within weeks. After the decision, you have six months to set up the company, register it with the Dutch trade register (KVK), open the bank account and pay in the €4,500. See DAFT costs and timeline. Then you choose where to live, for example a town with a canal close by.

Free advice

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Part of Doing Business in the Netherlands, the complete 2026 guide.

Frequently asked questions

From 45°C summers to Dutch weather, what should I expect? +

The weather is mild all year. Summers are around 22 to 26°C, winters are near freezing, and it rains regularly. Arizonans often say that all the green around them is the biggest change in daily life. Wifi works well almost everywhere.

Is the semiconductor scene really that strong? +

Eindhoven is home to the European chip industry (equipment, photonics, design), with suppliers and talent inside a 30-kilometer circle. Founders and specialists from the Phoenix corridor settle in quickly.

Which legal form should I start with? +

That depends on your profit. Below about €78,350, you usually pay less tax as a sole proprietor, because of the deductions. Above about €78,350 to €87,600, a BV with a holding is the better choice if you keep the profit in the company. See the comparison of a sole proprietorship and a BV.

Sources Belastingdienst · KVK · wetten.overheid.nl Last updated: 6 October 2026