Your own EU company, with a partner that stays
A company from outside the EU that sells in Europe needs a company inside the EU to hold the legal roles, the importer, the responsible person, the authorised representative or the licence holder. Groups with a turnover of EUR 10 to 500 million usually want that company inside their own group, with a partner in the Netherlands who does the administration for years. We set up that Dutch company, arrange its registrations and the specialist partners, and keep its books and its calendar of filings, year after year.
Ask about your situationYour own Dutch private limited company (BV) can hold almost every EU role at once. It imports your goods in its own name, is the responsible operator for product safety, the authorised representative for your devices or AI systems, the legal representative under the digital rules, the authorised CBAM declarant and the operator under the deforestation rules. The producer registrations for packaging, batteries, electronics and textiles work per country.
Over the next two years the liability of that company grows. From 9 December 2026 the EU importer and the authorised representative are liable for a defective product together with the maker. From 21 September 2027 a customs broker that imports for a company outside the EU counts as the importer itself. Many groups prefer to hold these roles in a company they own.
We set up the Dutch BV, request its registrations, keep its books, file its returns and its annual accounts, and keep the calendar of filings and registrations that come with the roles. You appoint the directors, the company has its own business address, and you see every price first. Our page EU representative requirements lists the roles, one table per role.
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
You own the business and appoint the board, we set up the company and do its administration, and partners do the licensed and specialist work, quoted first.
Your company
- Products, services, prices, markets and contracts
- The directors of the Dutch company and its business address
- Insurance at company and group level
The Dutch company
- The Dutch BV, by power of attorney
- KVK, VAT, EORI, the Article 23 licence, eHerkenning and the bank file
- Bookkeeping, VAT returns, annual accounts and the tax return, every year
- The calendar of filings, registrations and renewals
Compliance, customs, warehouse, insurance
- Compliance specialist that checks the technical file before the company takes a role
- The person responsible for regulatory compliance for medical devices, customs brokers, fiscal representatives
- Warehouse and fulfilment with the name of your company on the contract
- Insurance broker for product liability
Step by step
From your plan to a Dutch company that holds the roles.
- Your plan and your products. You share your products or services, your EU sales plan and your buyers, and we send a written proposal with the roles your company needs and the partners for each.
- The file check. A compliance partner checks the technical file, the labels and the declarations of a sample of your products.
- The company. Once all documents are complete, the notary sets up the BV by power of attorney.
- The registrations. We request the KVK number, the VAT number, the EORI number, the Article 23 licence and eHerkenning, and we prepare the bank file.
- The roles. Your company takes the roles it can hold itself, and our partners take the licensed roles.
- Every quarter and every year. You receive the figures, the annual accounts are filed on time, and the calendar of filings and renewals is kept.
The roles your Dutch company can hold
| Role | Law | Since or from |
|---|---|---|
| Importer at customs, with its own customs number (EORI) and its own Article 23 licence for import VAT | Union Customs Code; from 21 September 2027 Regulation (EU) 2026/2108 | In force |
| Responsible operator for product safety | GPSR, Regulation (EU) 2023/988, Article 16, and Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4 | 13 December 2024 and 16 July 2021 |
| Liable importer or authorised representative for defective products | Directive (EU) 2024/2853, Articles 8 and 15 | Products placed on the market after 9 December 2026 |
| Authorised representative and importer for medical devices | MDR, Regulation (EU) 2017/745, Articles 11 and 13 | In force; EUDAMED registration mandatory since 28 May 2026 |
| Legal representative under the digital rules | Digital Services Act, GDPR, NIS2, Data Act | In force |
| Authorised representative for AI | AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Articles 22 and 54 | Models since 2 August 2025; high-risk systems from 2 December 2027 |
| Authorised CBAM declarant | Regulation (EU) 2023/956 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2083 | Definitive period since 1 January 2026 |
| Operator under the deforestation rules | EUDR, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650 | 30 December 2026 for large and medium companies |
| Packaging, battery, electronics and textile producer for the Netherlands | PPWR, Batteries Regulation, WEEE Directive, Directive (EU) 2025/1892 | In force; textiles by 17 April 2028 |
The producer registrations work per country. For sales direct to end users in other EU countries, a representative in each of those countries comes from our partners.
What changes in the next two years
| Date | What applies |
|---|---|
| 9 December 2026 | The EU importer and the authorised representative of a maker outside the EU are liable for a defective product together with the maker, and a contract clause that limits that liability is void (Directive (EU) 2024/2853) |
| 30 December 2026 | The deforestation rules apply to large and medium companies; the EU importer that first places coffee, cocoa, soy, rubber, palm oil, cattle or wood on the market files the due diligence statement |
| 20 January 2027 | The Machinery Regulation applies in full, with the importer’s name and digital contact on the machine |
| 1 February 2027 | Sale of CBAM certificates starts; the first annual declaration follows by 30 September 2027 |
| 21 September 2027 | The new Union Customs Code applies; every importer is established in the EU, or represented by a customs broker that counts as the importer |
| 2 December 2027 | High-risk AI systems of Annex III fall under the AI Act, and their providers outside the EU need an authorised representative |
| 11 December 2027 | The Cyber Resilience Act applies in full |
| 1 July 2028 | The seller or platform becomes the importer for distance sales to EU consumers, established in the EU or represented by a customs broker with AEO or Trust and Check status |
All dates per rule, with their sources, are in our EU compliance calendar.
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 we do, and what partners do
- The Dutch BV, set up by the notary by power of attorney, usually within a week once your documents are complete.
- The registrations in the name of your company, the Chamber of Commerce (KVK), the VAT number, the customs number (EORI), the Article 23 licence for import VAT and the government login (eHerkenning).
- The roles your company takes itself, as importer, responsible operator, representative, authorised CBAM declarant or operator, after a partner has checked your technical file.
- The bookkeeping, the VAT returns, the annual accounts filed on time, the corporate tax return and, when you hire, the payroll.
- The calendar of filings, registrations and renewals that come with the roles, with a reminder to your board when a date comes up.
- The bank file, the first-year plan and one contact person for every partner.
Specialist partners do the licensed and physical work, the compliance check of your technical file, the person responsible for regulatory compliance for medical devices, the customs broker, the warehouse, the fiscal representative for group companies that stay abroad, the packaging representatives in other EU countries and the insurance broker. Partners quote first and invoice you directly. We agree our own work in writing before it starts. How we choose partners is on the page how Holdwise works with partners.
Your directors, your address, your decisions
You appoint the directors of your Dutch company, from your own group or a director you engage in the Netherlands. The company rents or buys its own business address and signs that contract itself before the deed. Our page on the business address in the Netherlands explains what the Chamber of Commerce asks of it.
Your board decides on products, prices, markets, contracts and people. We do the administration and the registrations, and we pass the questions of the authorities and the partners to your board with our advice. Our Dutch substance checklist shows what banks, the tax office and treaty partners expect of a company that is managed and run in the Netherlands.
Liability and insurance
Your Dutch company holds the roles, so your Dutch company has the duties that come with them. For products placed on the EU market after 9 December 2026, the importer and the authorised representative of a maker outside the EU are liable for a defective product together with the maker, and the liability towards the injured person is unlimited (Directive (EU) 2024/2853, Articles 8 and 15).
Your company therefore holds product liability insurance, which our insurance partner arranges, and it keeps the technical file, the batch records and the declarations of conformity for the ten years in which a claim can be brought. Who pays in which situation, for your product, is in our free product liability check.
When a service representative is the better choice
For a single shipment, a market test of a few months or a narrow range of products, a service representative from our network is the better choice, and we say so in our first answer. Our page EU responsible person or your own entity compares the two.
Pages for the main situations are products and the EU importer company, medical devices, software, AI and platforms and industrial and commodity exporters.
Sources: Directive (EU) 2024/2853, Articles 2, 8, 12 and 15; Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), Article 16; Regulation (EU) 2019/1020, Article 4; Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (MDR), Articles 11 and 13; Regulation (EU) 2023/1230, Article 54; Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 (Cyber Resilience Act) and ENISA, 11 September 2026; AI Act, Article 22 and Regulation (EU) 2026/1744; Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2650; Regulation (EU) 2026/2108, Articles 27, 33 and 287; Regulation (EU) 2023/956 as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2083. Checked on 29 October 2026.
Common questions
Ask about your own situation
Tell us what you make or sell, where your company is and which countries you want to sell in. Our team replies with advice.
Related guides
The roles, the rules and the situation pages.