Working with the Dutch water sector abroad: your own Dutch joint venture
The Dutch water sector expected to export about €12 billion in 2025 in dredging, delta technology, water treatment and engineering, and the Dutch state supports that work abroad. The state export credit insurer, Atradius Dutch State Business, covers the risk that a foreign buyer fails to pay, while the state development bank for businesses, Invest International, finances infrastructure projects in emerging markets. The Partners for Water programme has given grants for pilots abroad, and the Dutch Risk Reduction Team sends Dutch water experts to advise foreign governments. This support goes to companies established in the Netherlands, so a water, dredging, irrigation or climate-adaptation firm from the Gulf, Asia, Africa or the Americas gains access through a Dutch private limited company (BV) that it owns together with its Dutch partners, known as a joint venture.
Ask about your situationThe Dutch state insures export transactions and construction projects abroad through Atradius Dutch State Business, provided your company has its registered office in the Netherlands and exports the goods or services from the Netherlands. Invest International finances Dutch and Dutch-linked businesses that build public infrastructure in emerging markets (the DRIVE scheme) and pays for the preparation of such projects (the Develop2Build scheme). The Partners for Water programme has given grants for pilots and feasibility studies abroad to applicants with an establishment in the Netherlands, and its last round closed on 28 March 2025.
A Dutch company owned jointly by your firm and your Dutch partners has its registered office and its establishment in the Netherlands, so it can sign the consortium agreement and the export contract, apply for the insurance, the financing and the grants, and employ the project staff. We set up the company and keep its books, while the address, the directors and the shares belong to you and your partners.
Tell us what you make or sell, where your company is and what you plan in Europe. Our team looks at it and replies with the steps and the dates that apply to you.
Who does what
We set up and manage the Dutch company. Specialist partners do the licence and product work. We are your only contact, with one file for all the work.
The joint venture
- Bring the project, the client and the local knowledge, while your Dutch partners bring the technology
- Agree the shares, the board and the profit split in the shareholders agreement
- Decide which instruments to apply for and which projects to start with
- Sign the power of attorney for the formation and the applications
The Dutch company
- Set up the Dutch joint-venture company (a BV), by power of attorney, with the notary
- Shareholders agreement with the notary, Chamber of Commerce (KVK) number, tax number, VAT number, customs registration number (EORI)
- Bank account, bookkeeping, VAT returns, annual accounts and corporate tax
- Payroll and recognition as a sponsor at the Dutch immigration service (IND) for specialists from abroad
- One contact for the finance and insurance partners
Finance and insurance applications
- Export credit insurance application at Atradius Dutch State Business
- Invest International quick scan and the DRIVE or Develop2Build application
- Partners for Water intake and application at the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) when a new round opens
- Introductions to Dutch dredging, engineering and water-technology firms
Step by step
From your first question to a Dutch joint venture that signs its first project abroad.
- Your question. You tell us what your firm does, which Dutch partners you work with or want to meet, and which projects and countries you aim for, and we advise on the structure, either a joint-venture company on its own or one with a holding above it.
- The Dutch company. The notary sets up the BV by power of attorney, with your firm and your Dutch partners as shareholders, and records the shareholders agreement. You receive the KVK number, the tax number, the VAT number and the EORI number.
- The instruments. The finance partner does the Invest International quick scan and prepares the export credit insurance application for the first transaction. When a new Partners for Water round opens, the partner also arranges the intake with RVO.
- The people. Your Dutch company employs the project staff in the Netherlands and sponsors the specialists you bring over.
- The first project. The company signs the consortium agreement and the contract abroad, exports from the Netherlands under the insurance and invoices in its own name, and you receive a monthly overview from one contact person.
The Dutch instruments, who manages them and the condition on Dutch establishment
| Instrument | Who manages it | What it funds or covers | Condition on Dutch establishment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Export credit insurance (exportkredietverzekering, ekv) | Atradius Dutch State Business, on behalf of the Dutch State (Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economic Affairs) | The risk that a foreign buyer fails to pay, including political risks such as war or expropriation. Mainly capital goods and capital-intensive services to countries outside the EU, in large, long or high-risk transactions. Also contractors that execute projects abroad, such as shipbuilding, dredging and greenhouse construction. Related products: a contractor policy, exchange-rate cover during the offer phase, working-capital cover and project finance. | Your company has its registered office in the Netherlands. The goods or services are exported from the Netherlands. You take out the insurance before payment is due and private insurers decline the transaction. Applicants confirm they know the guidelines for multinational enterprises of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Atradius assesses the environmental and social risks. |
| DRIVE (Development Related Infrastructure Investment Vehicle) | Invest International, since 1 October 2022 | Funding or guarantees for businesses that contribute to public infrastructure in emerging markets, in four sectors: food security, water, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and climate. | Entrepreneurs based in the Netherlands apply, after the Invest International quick scan. Invest International describes its clients as Dutch and Dutch-linked businesses. |
| Develop2Build (D2B) | Invest International, since 1 October 2022 | Grants, technical support and capacity development for preparing an infrastructure project in an emerging market, such as a feasibility study, an environmental impact report or a conceptual design. | Invest International first does a quick scan, and with a positive result it helps with the application. Same client group as DRIVE. |
| Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF) and Dutch Trade and Investment Fund (DTIF) | Invest International, since 1 October 2022 | Finance for Dutch businesses that invest in or export to emerging markets and other foreign markets. The export credit insurance has a DGGF option for transactions outside the regular programme. | Dutch and Dutch-linked businesses. |
| Partners for Water (Partners voor Water, PVW-IVWW) | Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), commissioned by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Affairs, Infrastructure and Water Management, and Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature | Grants for a feasibility study (eligible costs up to €250,000, one year) or a pilot project (up to €600,000, two years) in a delta, delta city or river basin abroad, for technology at readiness level 5 to 8. Up to 70% of the eligible costs. €15 million for 2022 to 2027 in six rounds. The last round closed on 28 March 2025; on 27 October 2026 the scheme was closed for applications. | The applicant is a company, research organisation or non-governmental organisation (NGO), possibly on behalf of a consortium, and has an establishment or a fixed place of business (permanent establishment) in the Netherlands at the time of the decision. The project has a clear recipient in the country of application. The scheme excludes conflict countries and fragile states on the published list. |
| Dutch Risk Reduction Team (DRR-Team) | RVO, at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management | A team of experts that advises governments on urgent water issues such as flood risks, water pollution and water supply, to prevent disasters or to rebuild after them. The project database lists 124 projects in 37 countries. | A foreign government requests the team, and RVO sends Dutch experts. Dutch firms and their partners take part in the follow-up projects. |
The export figure comes from the Water Sector Export Index, which the research bureau Panteia wrote for the sector body of the Dutch water industry, the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP), together with Water Alliance and with funding from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. It puts exports at €11.5 billion in 2024 and an expected €12.2 billion in 2025, or 2.26% of all Dutch exports.
Why the Dutch partners want a Dutch company on your side
Dutch dredging, engineering and water-technology firms win projects in the Gulf, Asia, Africa and the Americas with local partners who know the client, the site and the labour market. The local partner brings the project, while the Dutch partner brings the technology and access to Dutch state finance, which goes to companies in the Netherlands. The exporter under the export credit insurance must have its registered office in the Netherlands, a Partners for Water applicant needed an establishment there, and Invest International finances Dutch and Dutch-linked businesses.
A joint-venture company in the Netherlands, owned by your firm and your Dutch partners, has all of this. It can act as the Dutch exporter or contractor under the insurance, apply for the grants and the financing, and sign the consortium agreement with the client abroad, while a shareholders agreement settles the shares, the board and the profit split. See the joint-venture holding in the Netherlands.
The same company can also handle sales into the EU, because a Gulf or Asian firm that wants to sell pumps, membranes, pipes or desalination equipment there can use it as its importer and its EU company. See the EU importer for Gulf exporters and the EU entity for African producers.
Tell us what you make or sell, where your company is and what you plan in Europe. Our team looks at it and replies with the steps and the dates that apply to you.
What your Dutch joint-venture company does
Your joint-venture company is the Dutch party in the consortium. It signs the consortium agreement with your Dutch partners and the contract with the client abroad, invoices the export of equipment and services from the Netherlands and appears as the contractor in the contract for dredging and construction work abroad.
It also applies for the support. The export credit insurance goes through Atradius Dutch State Business, DRIVE or Develop2Build through Invest International after its quick scan, and Partners for Water through the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) whenever a new round opens. A finance partner from our network prepares the applications, and the company signs them.
Project managers, engineers and the back office in the Netherlands are on the company’s Dutch payroll. Once the Dutch immigration service (IND) has recognised the company as a sponsor, specialists you bring over from the Gulf, Asia or Africa can come on the Dutch residence permit for highly skilled migrants. See Dutch payroll for foreign companies.
Each project the company completes becomes a reference in its own name, which it can show in the next tender with the same partners or with new ones.
One Dutch company, many roles
The consortium partner, the exporter, the applicant for insurance, finance and grants, the employer and the owner of the references can all be the same company, with its bookkeeping, VAT returns, payroll and annual accounts kept in a single administration. Its profit is taxed at 19% on the first €200,000 and 25.8% above that, and the shareholders receive their share as dividend.
The company belongs to you and your partners, so you agree the shares, appoint the directors and choose the registered office, at your Dutch office or at a partner’s. We handle the formation, the shareholders agreement with the notary, the registrations and the administration, while a finance partner from our network prepares the insurance and financing applications at its own price, which you see first.
Your Dutch company (BV) costs from €2,950 excl. VAT, and a holding with an operating company from €4,950 excl. VAT. See company formation in the Netherlands and setting up a subsidiary in Europe.
Sources
- Business.gov.nl, Export insurance policy (2026), on the registered office in the Netherlands, export from the Netherlands and contractors abroad.
- Government of the Netherlands, Export credit insurance (2026); Atradius Dutch State Business, products (2026).
- Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), DRIVE and Develop2Build (checked 31 March 2025), part of Invest International since 1 October 2022; Invest International, website (2026).
- RVO, Partners voor Water and PVW-IVWW: voorwaarden (2025).
- RVO, Dutch Risk Reduction Team (DRR Team), phase 2 (updated 5 August 2026).
- Netherlands Water Partnership, Water Sector Export Index report 1995 to 2024, prognosis 2025 (2026), by the sector body, report by Panteia, paid for by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Last reviewed: 27 October 2026. Based on the official sources listed, as they apply in October 2026. Insurance and financing applications are done by specialised partners; we coordinate.
What we arrange beyond the company
Once your Dutch company is set up, we can help you with more. When you win a Dutch defence order, the government asks you to place part of the work with Dutch companies, and we find those companies for you. We prepare subsidy applications for your company, such as the Dutch subsidy for renewable energy and climate projects (SDE++) and the tax credit for research and development (WBSO). We help you buy a Dutch contractor or supplier, and we arrange export credit insurance and project finance with the banks.
We agree every fee with you first and link it to the result. For a project that deserves it, we join as co-founder and take a share of 5 to 10% in the project company.
Common questions
Ask about your own situation
Tell us what your firm does, which Dutch partners you have in mind and which projects and countries you aim for, and you receive advice on the structure that suits your joint venture.