Country guide

Set up a company in the Netherlands from the United States

Short answerYes, fully remote from the United States. Sign the power of attorney before a US notary public. Some states require a certification of the notary by the county clerk before the Secretary of State issues the apostille. Registration usually takes one week once all documents are complete.

The United States and the Netherlands at a glance

Stamp
Apostille, Hague Convention in force for United States since 15 October 1981
Issued by
The Secretary of State of the state where the notary public is commissioned
Language
English, accepted as it is
Register
The United States has only state registers
Tax treaty
Signed 1992, in force 1993 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
EU trade
EU-US tariff deal of 2025; zero EU duty on US industrial goods since 1 July 2026
In the Netherlands
3,775 companies controlled from the United States in 2024, 3,410 in 2021 (+10.7%), about 306,000 jobs, €302.3 billion turnover, 18.9% of all 19,995 foreign-controlled companies (CBS, 9 October 2026)
Moving here
Dutch-American Friendship Treaty permit, from €4,500 invested

Documents from the United States

  1. Passport copy, certified by a notary in the United States.

  2. Proof of address in the United States, at most three months old.

  3. Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a US notary public. Some states require a certification of the notary by the county clerk before the Secretary of State issues the apostille.

  4. Ownership statement, one page from us.

The apostille. The Secretary of State of the state where the notary public is commissioned. Federal documents (FBI, IRS) are apostilled by the US Department of State, Office of Authentications.

Good to know. In most states, the members and managers of a limited liability company (LLC) are kept private. The Dutch notary therefore needs the Operating Agreement and a signed membership certificate. Extracts from Delaware and Wyoming contain very little information. Expect extra questions from the notary.

If a company from the United States becomes a shareholder

Register extract, at most three months old: The United States has only state registers. Each state Secretary of State keeps its own business registry. Order a Certificate of Good Standing or Certificate of Existence from the state of formation. This certificate is proof that the company is registered and up to date. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.

Trade between the United States and the EU

Taking goods, services and investment into account, the European Union (EU) and the United States are each other's largest trading partners. Trade in goods reached €910.6 billion in 2025, with EU exports of €554.9 billion and imports of €355.7 billion.

EU supplies to the United States include medicinal ingredients and pharmaceutical products, advanced machinery and aerospace parts. The EU is also the largest buyer of United States natural gas and oil.

Trade in services was worth €865.2 billion in 2024: the EU exported €343.4 billion and imported €521.8 billion. In 2024, EU and United States firms had €4.8 trillion invested in each other's markets.

On 27 July 2025, the EU and the United States agreed a deal on tariffs and trade, confirmed in a Joint Statement on 21 August 2025. As from 1 July 2026, the EU eliminated all duties on United States industrial goods.

Import duties: Access2Markets.

Sources: European Commission [1].

Your next step from the United States

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