The dialects of the same question
The Netherlands works on practice rather than checkbox: real office, local administration, board decisions demonstrably on Dutch soil — demanding and predictable: the standard in full and the 2026 checklist. Luxembourg leans on board composition and local spend; Ireland on central management and control; the zero-withholding states compensate their rate cards with sharper letterbox scrutiny; and EU-wide, the principal-purpose test in modern treaties reads intent behind every claim.
The one file that satisfies everyone
Office that exists, people who administer, decisions minuted where taken, agreements at arm’s length, and a board rhythm kept like a habit — quarterly is the pattern that convinces. Built once, the file answers Dutch practice, treaty tests and bank onboarding in the same binder: substance and treaty access.
Where structures actually fail
Rarely on rules, almost always on rhythm: the holding whose decisions demonstrably happen elsewhere, the minutes written after the question arrived. The fix costs discipline more than money — which is exactly why it separates durable structures from clever ones.