Taiwan and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Legalisation
- First stop
- First the Bureau of Consular Affairs of Taiwan, then the Netherlands Office Taipei
- Language
- Mandarin, sworn translation
- Register
- Department of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs
- Tax treaty
- Signed 2001, in force 2001 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- General EU tariff
- In the Netherlands
- 150 companies controlled from Taiwan in 2024, 140 in 2021 (+7.1%), about 3,000 jobs, €3.1 billion turnover, 0.8% of all 19,995 foreign-controlled companies (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from Taiwan
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Taiwan.
Proof of address in Taiwan, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Taiwanese notary public (court notary or private notary). The Bureau of Consular Affairs authenticates the notary’s signature.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
Legalisation. First the Bureau of Consular Affairs of Taiwan, then the Netherlands Office Taipei. You book the appointment at the Netherlands Office Taipei online. The office takes up to five working days and returns the documents by post. Mandarin documents need a sworn translation into Dutch, English, French or German.
Good to know. Taiwan is outside the apostille system, so two stamps are needed. The Dutch representation in Taipei is called an office. It legalises documents in the same way as an embassy.
If a company from Taiwan becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Department of Commerce, Ministry of Economic Affairs. Order a company registration transcript (公司登記證明書) showing directors, capital and shareholders of a limited company. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between Taiwan and the EU
Trade in goods between the EU and Taiwan reached €76.2 billion in 2025, and Taiwan was the EU's 13th largest trading partner that year. EU exports came to €30.9 billion and imports to €45.3 billion in 2025, an EU deficit of €14.4 billion.
In 2025, machinery and transport equipment made up 63.3% of EU exports to Taiwan, followed by chemicals at 14.6%. On the import side, machinery and transport equipment accounted for 75% in 2025.
In June 2022, the annual trade consultations between the EU and Taiwan were upgraded to the EU-Taiwan Trade and Investment Dialogue. The fourth dialogue, on 12 December 2025, covered bilateral trade, critical value chains and economic security.
Taiwan joined the World Trade Organization in January 2002, and the organisation's Agreement on Government Procurement in December 2008.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Sources: European Commission [1].
Your next step from Taiwan
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