What do you want to relocate?
You may want to keep your existing company and open a business in the Netherlands. You may want to transfer contracts and assets, or relocate the company itself. The legal and tax results are different for each option.
A new Dutch company is a private limited company, called a BV. If your existing company owns it, it is a subsidiary. You can also compare a branch, which remains part of your foreign company.
Compare the options before you close anything
| Option | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| New Dutch company | You form a company and transfer agreed assets or contracts | Valuation, tax, customer consent, staff and ownership |
| Subsidiary or branch | Your foreign company continues and starts Dutch activity | Liability, management, tax and reporting in both countries |
| Relocate the existing company | You explore a legal relocation or a change in where the company is managed | Whether this option is available and what happens to contracts, licences and tax |
The law leaves open whether you close the foreign company first. Keep contracts, banking and filings working while both advisers agree the sequence. Read branch or subsidiary.
The checks before the relocation
In the country you leave: your adviser checks tax on the relocation, called exit tax, and any tax on assets or shares. They also check contracts, employees, debts and outstanding returns.
In the Netherlands: we review the planned company, owners, directors, activity and records. We agree the documents needed for the notary and bank. The Dutch tax values are set separately from the values used abroad.
Where decisions are made: for tax, the authorities look at where the company is managed in practice. A Dutch address alone leaves open which country can tax the company. Read business activity and management in the Netherlands.
Can you set things up before relocating your home?
You can explore and prepare the Dutch company while living abroad. The notary and bank must complete their own checks. A residence permit and a right to work here need their own application, apart from owning the company.
Plan your personal relocation separately: permission to live and work, home, health insurance and tax residence. Tax residence depends on the facts and any tax treaty. The change can come before or after the registration date.
Some employees recruited from abroad can receive part of their salary tax free. This is known as the 30% ruling. Check who is eligible, the application date and the transition rules. Read the guide to the ruling.
A 2027 proposal for relocating company management to the Netherlands
In the 2027 Tax Plan, the government proposes a new rule. It applies to some people living abroad who own a substantial share in a company that relocates its management to the Netherlands. The rule concerns the starting value used for Dutch tax on those shares. Under some exceptions, an earlier Dutch tax claim remains.
This is still a proposal. It covers specific cases, and many founders and new Dutch subsidiaries fall outside it. Ask both advisers to check the facts. See the 2027 Tax Plan and the official proposal.
What to send us first
Tell us your current country, what the business does, who owns it and what you want to relocate. Include your target date and whether you will relocate personally. An outline is enough for the first question.
We then agree the document list and the work in writing. Start with the document check, company setup page or page for your accountant or lawyer.
Common questions
Do I have to close my current company first?
The right order depends on both countries, your contracts and the option you choose. Agree the plan before you close accounts or transfer the business.
Can I prepare a Dutch company before I relocate?
Yes. You can start the preparation from abroad. The notary and bank make their own decisions. A residence or work permit needs its own application.
Can Holdwise work with my current accountant?
Yes. We agree the Dutch work and coordinate with your adviser on the tax and legal questions in your current country.
Want our team to have a look?
We help you set up your business in the Netherlands: your company, your tax and your residence permit. Tell us where you stand or what you are planning. You get free advice on your next step.