First the plain words, then the term
Secretarial services is the ongoing corporate housekeeping of a company: preparing shareholder resolutions, keeping the statutory registers current, filing changes with the trade register (KVK) and the UBO register, producing the paperwork around dividends, and guarding the annual-accounts calendar. It is the layer between your bookkeeper, who produces the figures, and the notary, who appears at incorporation and at structural change. Everything in between — the formal life of the company — is secretarial work.
What the work covers
| Area | What happens in practice |
|---|---|
| Shareholder resolutions | Adopting annual accounts, appointing and discharging directors, approving distributions — each decision recorded in a written resolution (AVA-besluit) |
| Statutory registers | The shareholders’ register and board records, kept current and ready for every bank or notary check |
| KVK and UBO filings | Directors, address, activities and ultimate beneficial owners — filed promptly so the extract stays accurate |
| Dividend paperwork | Resolution with balance and distribution test, dividend note, and the dividend-tax return within one month |
| Annual-accounts calendar | Preparation, adoption and filing with the KVK — each step inside its statutory window |
The annual calendar of a BV
| Step | Statutory window |
|---|---|
| Board prepares the annual accounts | Within 5 months after year-end; the shareholders can extend by 5 months |
| Shareholders adopt the accounts | In the general meeting, once the accounts are ready |
| Filing with the KVK | Within 8 days after adoption — and always within 12 months after year-end |
| Dividend-tax return after a distribution | Within 1 month after the dividend is made available |
Why this pays off: the KVK extract, the UBO entry and the filed accounts are the three documents every bank, counterparty and authority reads. Kept current, every KYC check, credit review and notarial file moves fast — the company is verifiable at a glance.
How international owners run this
The rhythm runs fully in writing: resolutions arrive as ready-to-sign documents, filings are prepared and submitted, and the calendar is guarded for you — with each deadline flagged well ahead. Owners abroad sign digitally and keep a complete, dated file of every decision. It is the same advisory-first way of working as our corporate services, of which this page covers the ongoing, yearly part.
Read on
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Frequently asked questions
What are secretarial services for a Dutch BV?
The ongoing corporate housekeeping: shareholder resolutions, statutory registers, KVK and UBO filings, dividend paperwork and the annual-accounts calendar. Bookkeeping counts the numbers; secretarial work keeps the legal shell in order.
When must a Dutch BV file its annual accounts?
Preparation within five months after year-end (extendable by five), adoption by the shareholders, and filing with the KVK within eight days of adoption — and always within twelve months after year-end.
Which changes must be filed with the KVK?
Every change that touches the register: directors, address, activities, share transfers reaching UBO level, and UBO updates. Prompt filing keeps the extract accurate — the document every bank reads first.
What paperwork belongs to a dividend distribution?
A shareholder resolution with the balance and distribution test, a dividend note per recipient, and the dividend-tax return within one month. In the right order, a payout is a one-week formality.