If you want the Dutch startup residence permit, the first thing to find is a facilitator: a Dutch organisation with startup experience that signs up to coach your company. The Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) grants the one-year startup permit only to founders who work with one. For the route as a whole, start with our Netherlands startup visa guide.
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) lists 31 recognised Netherlands startup visa facilitators, and the list is not closed. No authority sets their prices. Six publish a price on their own websites; the other 25 had no published price we could read on 14 October 2026.
The facilitator’s role and IND’s six conditions
IND calls the facilitator “a reliable mentor” and wants your cooperation set out in a contract you both sign. In the Aliens Regulations 2000 (VV 2000) it is a betrouwbare deskundige begeleider, a reliable expert supervisor, assessed against annex 8b. The support is tailored to your company: annex 8b’s examples are coaching, technology, research, protection of intellectual property, market research and financing.
Under IND’s conditions, the facilitator:
- has experience mentoring innovative startups;
- is financially healthy;
- has no suspension of payments, no liquidation and no negative equity;
- has no majority interest in your startup;
- is not your child, parent, grandparent, uncle or aunt;
- has a deputy within its organisation.
IND’s forms 9541 and 7558 ask for at least 2 years’ experience facilitating innovative startups, and at least 2 people able to facilitate you. Their paragraph on financial reliability says the facilitator must be able to support you for at least a year. The facilitator must also be in the Trade Register of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KvK). RVO checks the register itself, and no registration means negative advice.
RVO’s list of 31 recognised facilitators
IND points founders to a list, kept by RVO, of facilitators that meet these conditions. On 14 October 2026, RVO’s facilitator page listed 31 organisations under “Recognised facilitators”. The page says it was checked on 26 June 2026.
Business.gov.nl says your facilitator must be recognised by RVO, but RVO’s explanation of the conditions (in Dutch) says the list is not final. An organisation that is not on it can still act as your facilitator if RVO advises positively on it in your application.
RVO’s facilitator list gives each entry only a name, a link and a short description, with no city or sector field. Locations and prices in the table come from each facilitator’s own website, read on 14 October 2026.
| # | Facilitator (RVO’s name) | Focus, from RVO’s description | Location on its own website | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capital C | Innovative, scalable startups with international ambition; guidance during the visa application | Amsterdam | None we could read |
| 2 | 42workspace | Coworking space and community for tech and digital entrepreneurs and startups | Rotterdam | Yes, in the price table |
| 3 | Antler | A global startup generator | — | None we could read |
| 4 | Brightlands Campus Heerlen Management & Development B.V. | Incubator programme for AI startups | — | None we could read |
| 5 | Brightlands Chemelot Campus | No sector stated | — | None we could read |
| 6 | Builders | Companies that will shape the future of work | — | None we could read |
| 7 | CIC | No sector stated | Rotterdam; its page said applications were closed | None we could read |
| 8 | Crosspring | Tech startups and scale-ups | — | None we could read |
| 9 | Dockwize | Solutions for the water, energy and food transitions | — | None we could read |
| 10 | DutchBasecamp | B2B startups, especially in regulated sectors and critical infrastructure; based in Amsterdam | Amsterdam, now as B/ACE Global | None we could read |
| 11 | Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship | No sector stated | — | None we could read |
| 12 | Frank & the Backs | Impact-driven scale-ups, with a network of C-level “Backs” | The Hague | None we could read |
| 13 | Glass Frog Ventures | Four entrepreneurs and business angels who invest in early-stage growth companies | — | None; its site shows an investment ticket of €50,000 to €500,000, which is not a fee |
| 14 | HighTechXL | Venture-building accelerator around technology from CERN, TNO and Philips | Eindhoven | None we could read |
| 15 | HSD Campus | National innovation centre for the Dutch security cluster | The Hague | None we could read |
| 16 | Inqubator Leeuwarden | Setting up and growing your business; no sector stated | — | None; startupvisa.nl says costs are set in the facilitator contract |
| 17 | NOM – Investerings- en ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Noord-Nederland | Funding, a business location or help to get investor-ready | Groningen | None we could read |
| 18 | Novel-T | Starting and accelerating innovative business cases | Enschede | None; startupvisa.nl says costs are set in the facilitator contract |
| 19 | Orange Sports Forum | Sports startups and scale-ups | Eindhoven | Yes, in the price table |
| 20 | Planet B.io | Industrial and food biotechnology | Delft | None we could read |
| 21 | PortXL | Maritime innovation | Rotterdam | None we could read |
| 22 | Rockstart | A global accelerator and venture capitalist | — | None we could read |
| 23 | Space Business Innovation Centre Noordwijk | Startups using space technology or data | — | None we could read |
| 24 | Startdock | A tailor-made support package; no sector stated | Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht | Yes, in the price table |
| 25 | StartLife | Innovative agrifoodtech startups | Wageningen | None we could read |
| 26 | Stichting Aerospace Innovation Hub | Sustainable aviation, drones, space and composites; at TU Delft | Delft | None we could read |
| 27 | Unusual Space | Digitalisation and technology | Utrecht | Yes, in the price table |
| 28 | UtrechtInc | University-linked; early-stage, scalable technology startups in health, sustainability and education | Utrecht Science Park | None we could read |
| 29 | VU StartHub B.V. | Knowledge-driven startups from VU; VU students and alumni only | VU Amsterdam | Yes, in the price table |
| 30 | Water Alliance | Water technology; WaterCampus in the north of the Netherlands | Leeuwarden | None we could read |
| 31 | We are changemakers | Social and impact-driven entrepreneurs; a 12-month incubator programme, Basecamp | — | Yes, in the price table |
Facilitator fees: six published prices
No official price exists. Business.gov.nl says facilitators may charge fees, and that costs and conditions vary because these are private organisations. Six of the 31 publish prices. “VAT not stated” means the page does not say whether VAT is included.
| Facilitator | Published price (read 14 October 2026) | What the page says it covers | 12 months, our arithmetic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42workspace (Startup for Impact programme) | Evaluation €295 including VAT, non-refundable. Desk €300 a month per team member, excluding VAT, on a one-year contract (€3,600). Optional coaching €500 a month per startup, excluding VAT | The evaluation gives a report and a go/no-go decision. The desk price includes the visa facilitation. The Startup for Impact programme is for impact tech | €295 including VAT plus €3,600 excluding VAT: €3,895 before coaching |
| Orange Sports Forum | €9,000 for two years. VAT not stated | Its programme, for sports and vitality startups only | Priced “for two years”, though its page calls it a one-year programme |
| Startdock | €500 a month per founder, excluding VAT, paid in advance. Deposit of one month, €500 per person excluding VAT | A flexible desk, coaching and full network access; 24/7 access costs extra. No contract length published. Progress is reviewed after about 9 months, and you are expected on site at least one full day a week | 12 × €500 = €6,000 excluding VAT, plus the €500 deposit, if you stay 12 months |
| The Unusual Space (RVO: Unusual Space). Several Aval Visa clients have applied through this facilitator. | FAQ page: €6,000 for one year. Programme-page calculator: €6,750 for one founder with no family (€6,000 membership plus €750 per founder), and €500 per family member. VAT not stated | FAQ: a one-year Startup Facilitation Membership covering facilitation, visa consultation, a mentorship programme and its co-working space in Utrecht | Two founders, no family: €10,500, as the calculator adds €3,000 to the membership for each extra founder, up to four founders |
| VU StartHub | €159 a month, excluding VAT | The Virtual Membership that facilitation requires. Its own page takes VU students and graduates of the past 12 months | 12 × €159 = €1,908 excluding VAT; VU says its facilitator programme runs 12 months |
| We are changemakers | Incubator membership €30 a month. Basecamp programme €300 a month for 12 months. Optional “Startup Visa Process” course €1,500. VAT not stated | Basecamp Europe. The course helps you understand what it takes to apply yourself | 12 × (€30 + €300) = €3,960, without the course |
Orange Sports Forum quotes €9,000 “for two years”, though its page describes a one-year programme. The startup permit lasts one year at most and cannot be extended. Startdock gives no discounts and asks you to show at least €25,000 to cover IND’s amount plus its fees. That is Startdock’s condition, not IND’s; IND’s figure is in our guide to proof of funds for the Dutch startup permit.
The facilitator in your IND application and RVO’s advice
Form 9541 asks for your facilitator’s name, contact person, address, phone, e-mail and KvK number. Who submits the application depends on your nationality and where you are; IND’s start-up page shows your route once you enter your nationality.
| Your situation | How you apply | The facilitator’s part |
|---|---|---|
| You need an MVV, the long-stay entry visa, and are abroad. Iranian citizens need one | In person at the Dutch embassy or consulate in your country of origin or continuous residence; you then send the form and documents to IND within 3 weeks | Does not file for you |
| Your nationality needs no MVV. RVO names Australian, Canadian, Japanese, New Zealand, US and South Korean founders as applying directly to IND | Directly to IND | Can submit online; or you apply by post |
| You are already in the Netherlands on a short-stay visa or visa-free | In the Netherlands, with no MVV needed | Can file online through IND’s Business Portal; or you apply by post |
IND decides, after asking RVO for advice on four points: your facilitator, your startup’s innovativeness, your step-by-step plan and your KvK registration. A positive response is needed on all four, and the money test is IND’s alone. The common causes of refusal are in our guide to Netherlands startup visa rejection reasons.
Your facilitator’s declaration after the first year
To move on to the self-employed permit, you need your facilitator’s declaration that you completed at least 3 months of mentoring successfully. RVO’s declaration template asks for your KvK entity and shareholdings, the mentoring period and the milestones reached against your plan. It also covers your role and the business’s value to the Dutch economy. You and the facilitator’s authorised signatory both sign it. Under annex 8a of VV 2000, a positive declaration gives you 30 points in each of the three self-employed criteria, the minimum pass. The rest of that test is in our guide to the self-employed permit after the startup year.
Signing the facilitator agreement
Form 9541 says the agreement must describe the facilitation, which must be tailor-made. It must also state the facilitator’s interest in your startup, which may not be a majority. Its terms must not harm or block the healthy development of your business. Form 9541 calls such a deal an “unconscionable contract”; annex 8b of VV 2000 calls it a wurgcontract, a stranglehold contract. You both sign, and the facilitator’s signatory must be authorised to do so. RVO’s checklist (in Dutch) adds that the agreement lists the facilities on offer, such as coaching, technology, research, business space and finance.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Is it on RVO’s list? If not, can it show two years’ experience, two people able to facilitate you, financial health and KvK registration?
- Did RVO advise positively on it in the year before you apply? If so, you skip the evidence on its expertise and reliability; if not, RVO checks it afresh in your file.
- What stake does it take? Any stake goes in the agreement and can never be a majority.
- What exactly is in your package? Coaching, workspace, research or financing should be named.
- What is the full cost? Ask about VAT, deposits, contract length and what happens to the fees you have paid if IND refuses. No official rule covers refunds; of the six price pages, only 42workspace mentions one: its €295 evaluation is non-refundable.
- Does it set its own entry conditions, such as Startdock’s €25,000 or VU StartHub’s VU-only rule?
- Who files on your route, and will it sign RVO’s declaration after the mentoring?
Warning signs
Think twice before you sign if you see:
- a majority stake, or terms that would block your business;
- a facilitator who is your child, parent, grandparent, uncle or aunt;
- no KvK registration;
- no deputy, or only one person able to facilitate you;
- talk of “government certification”, or a promise of approval, when IND decides on RVO’s advice;
- an offer to file for you when you need an MVV and are abroad.
Aval Visa checks whether your case fits the startup route and tests the facilitators you are considering against IND’s conditions. We then plan your documents and their legalisation and prepare the file with you. You submit the application yourself, or your facilitator does on the no-MVV route, and IND decides. To go through your own case, start your assessment.
Common questions
Can I work with a facilitator that is not on RVO’s list?
Yes. RVO says its list is not final and that any organisation meeting the criteria can qualify. RVO then assesses that facilitator within your application, so you send evidence of its expertise and financial health, such as recent annual accounts.
Does the Dutch government certify facilitators?
No certification scheme is in force. In a letter to parliament of 25 September 2023, the State Secretary for Justice and Security announced that RVO would take over certifying and managing facilitators, separately from individual applications. On 14 October 2026, annex 8b of VV 2000 still had RVO assess the facilitator within each application.
The same letter announced a two-year startup permit, which is not in force either; IND still grants one year at most. It also stated that facilitators are not IND recognised sponsors.
Can a facilitator take a stake in my startup?
Yes, a minority stake. Only a majority interest is barred, and any stake must be written into the agreement.
Can my facilitator pay for my stay?
Yes. IND says the facilitator can finance your stay, and the money must be available for your entire stay, one year at most. Form 9541 asks for a contract detailing the funds. VV 2000 lets the money sit in a Dutch account in your name or in the facilitator’s account.
Sources
- IND: Start-up
- IND: Form 9541, Application for admission and residence as a ‘start-up’ working on a self-employed basis
- IND: Form 7558, Application for the purpose of residence ‘Start-up’ working on a self-employed basis (foreign national)
- RVO: Facilitator for startups
- RVO: Apply for a Residence permit for foreign startups
- RVO: Toelichting voorwaarden Verblijfsvergunning buitenlandse start-ups
- RVO: Checklist indienen aanvraag verblijfsvergunning buitenlandse start-ups
- RVO: Doorstromen naar Zelfstandigenregeling
- RVO: Declaration facilitator, self-employed after startup visa
- Business.gov.nl: Dutch residence permit for foreign startups
- Wetten.nl: Voorschrift Vreemdelingen 2000
- Tweede Kamer: Kamerstuk 31311, no. 262, letter to parliament of 25 September 2023
Checked October 2026.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and it describes published official rules rather than any individual case.
