Eighteen million people live in the Netherlands, a small country in a river delta. They run Europe’s largest port, and the country has a top-3 share of the world’s food exports. The only factory in the world that makes EUV chip machines is in the Netherlands. The country also has the best-rated pension system in the world.
The Dutch invented the modern company. The VOC of 1602 was the first publicly traded company in the world. Its shares were traded on the Amsterdam exchange, the oldest stock exchange on earth. Four centuries later, this history is still visible in the figures for the whole economy. A country of 18 million people has the fifth-largest economy of the EU, well past the €1,100 billion mark. It also ranks among the world’s top-5 exporting nations (WTO). Dutch companies sell about seven of every ten export euros in the EU single market, which starts at the Dutch border. This access is the main reason why many companies settle in the Netherlands.
About 26% of the Netherlands lies below sea level, and the runways of Schiphol are 4.5 metres below it. The Dutch protect their land from the sea with engineering. The Delta Works and the storm-surge barrier at Maeslant are studied worldwide as the reference in flood defence. Dutch dredging and marine contractors are among the world leaders. Dutch water technology is also an export product. Large coastal cities around the world hire Dutch engineers to prepare for climate change.
In 2025 the Netherlands exported €137.5 billion in agricultural goods. It was the tenth record year in a row (Wageningen Social & Economic Research / CBS). The Netherlands is in the global top-3 of food exporters, together with much larger countries. The largest export products are dairy (€13.3 bn), cocoa products (€12.4 bn), flowers and plants (€12.3 bn) and meat (€12.1 bn). The Westland region has the densest greenhouse cluster on earth, with some of the highest yields per square metre in the world. Royal FloraHolland in Aalsmeer is the largest flower marketplace in the world. Wageningen University is ranked the best in the world in agricultural science year after year.
Every advanced chip on earth is made with a machine from Veldhoven. ASML is the world’s only maker of EUV lithography systems. It has a 100% share of the technology for the most advanced AI, phone and datacentre chips. ASML closed 2025 with €32.7 billion in revenue and €9.6 billion net income. It is Europe’s most valuable technology company (ASML, Q4 2025). Around ASML is the Brainport Eindhoven cluster: NXP, ASM, Besi, VDL and hundreds of precision suppliers. Many of them started at Philips. Companies in the region file patents at one of the highest densities in Europe. The engineers who build these machines work in the Netherlands.
The Dutch pension system was ranked the best in the world in 2025 (Global Pension Index). Dutch pension funds manage over €1,600 billion in assets (DNB). Per inhabitant, this is the largest amount of long-term capital in the world. Two Dutch funds are in the global top-20. Amsterdam is home to Euronext, with four centuries of stock exchange history. Dutch financial technology (fintech) companies process payments for platforms around the world.
The Netherlands has a network of about 100 tax treaties. The participation exemption has existed for over a century. Under it, qualifying subsidiary gains and dividends at group level are taxed at 0%. Corporate tax is 19% up to €200,000 profit (25.8% above). Specialists who relocate to the Netherlands can use the 30% ruling. With the Article 23 licence, you report import VAT in your VAT return as a bookkeeping entry. See all 2026 figures on Netherlands tax rates →
The Netherlands has the #1 position worldwide in English as a second language (EF English Proficiency Index). Contracts, banking, hiring and daily business can all be done in English. The Hague is often called the legal capital of the world. It is the seat of the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Amsterdam is home to the European Medicines Agency. ESTEC, the largest site of the European Space Agency (ESA), develops Europe’s space missions in Noordwijk. The country has thirteen research universities, and most of them are less than two hours apart by train.
With a Dutch company, you have an extra legal tool to collect payments in Europe. A BV has its statutory seat in the Netherlands, so it can apply for a European Account Preservation Order. With this court order, money in the bank account of a customer in another EU country is frozen. The order applies in the EU countries bound by the regulation (Regulation (EU) 655/2014). The BV can use the order for its own claims, such as the sales it made and invoiced. A creditor based outside the EU uses the national procedure of the customer’s country, such as the German attachment order (Arrest).
For a comparison between countries, see where to incorporate and the Dutch tax treaty network.
Corporate tax is 19% up to €200,000 of profit (25.8% above). Under the participation exemption, dividends and a future sale between your companies are taxed at 0%. With the Article 23 licence, you report import VAT in your VAT return and deduct it in the same return. For importers in Rotterdam, this is a cash flow advantage. A BV can start with €0.01 capital and 100% foreign ownership. It is usually ready within one week once all documents are complete, fully remote on apostilled documents. Under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty (DAFT), American founders can get Dutch residence as an entrepreneur with an investment of €4,500.
Read more about setting up the BV and about Article 23 and fiscal representation. See also corporate services, the DAFT visa and importing into the EU through the Netherlands. We also have an independent library of English guides on Dutch company structures and taxation.
Figures verified: August 2026 · sources: Port of Rotterdam Authority, Royal Schiphol Group, ACI, Wageningen Social & Economic Research, CBS, ASML, Global Pension Index, DNB, EF EPI, NFIA, WTO, European Commission (DESI), EUR-Lex (Regulation (EU) 655/2014), German Code of Civil Procedure
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.
You are chatting with our AI assistant. This is a computer program that answers automatically. Have a decision about your own situation checked by us.