The Netherlands startup visa is one of the fastest and most structured routes to European residence for founders from outside the EU. There is no language requirement and no large investment threshold. With a genuinely innovative idea and a credible one-year plan, you can obtain a Dutch residence permit and build your company inside one of the strongest startup ecosystems in Europe.
Yes
None
60 to 90 working days
EUR 423
International students who hold an offer from a Dutch university can apply for a student residence permit. It is normally issued for the length of the programme.
1Assess your profile and choose the right route
2Sign the engagement and open your file
3Prepare and translate documents, book the appointment
4Visa issued, plus arrival and settlement support
No. The government fee is not refundable, which is exactly why the initial assessment matters so much.
A company that has not progressed may not be able to convert to a self-employed permit. Planning the first year properly from the outset is critical.
No. This route is reserved for genuinely innovative ventures.
Have your Dutch startup profile assessed free of charge. A proper review before you file is what stops a refusal and a second round of costs.
Starting a business in the Netherlands is not as hard as it looks. With a creative idea that can earn money, you can apply for the Dutch startup visa. A dynamic economy, first-class infrastructure and active government support for innovation have made the country a magnet for founders. The startup visa gives entrepreneurs from outside the EU a clear opportunity: partner with a recognised facilitator and build your innovative business on Dutch soil. Below is the full guide to applying.
The Netherlands is regularly ranked among the five happiest countries in the world, with high economic and social welfare, and its capital, Amsterdam, has repeatedly been named one of the safest and most attractive cities anywhere. Bordered by Germany and Belgium, the country has a population of around 18 million and is a constitutional monarchy.
A high standard of living combined with economic and commercial stability has made the Netherlands one of the world’s more popular destinations for investment and entrepreneurship. Nationals of EU and EEA countries and of Switzerland can enter and trade freely without a visa.
Founders from outside the EU with a creative, innovative and commercially viable idea can apply for the startup visa and, once a residence permit is granted, settle in the country with their family.
The Netherlands sits inside the world’s top 20 economies and is built on open, export-driven trade. It runs Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, and records one of the highest GDP per capita figures in the world. Its natural resources are substantial: the Groningen field was for decades one of Europe’s largest natural gas reserves, although production there has now been wound down. That resource base, together with the country’s location, underpins its strategic position and its wealth.
The Dutch startup visa is a one-year residence permit for foreign entrepreneurs who want to launch a new, innovative company in the Netherlands. The central condition is that you work with a recognised Dutch facilitator, an experienced organisation that supports the company through its first stages.
The Dutch immigration service, the IND, decides startup applications, and the decision period generally runs to three months. The route below is how a file is built.
The first step towards a Netherlands startup visa is finding a facilitator to back your venture. The facilitator sets out a growth path based on your business plan and stays involved throughout the year. That involvement covers activity of the following kinds:
Facilitators recognised for the Dutch startup scheme must meet all of the following:
These conditions exist so that the organisation backing a founder does so without any expectation of financial or equity return, purely to make entrepreneurship possible for a genuinely innovative venture.
The second step is putting forward a product or service that counts as innovative, meaning it creates real value for the Dutch economy. What qualifies as innovative is assessed against the following broad standards:
Those standards are open to interpretation, which is why every startup plan is assessed by RVO, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, so that business plans are judged on a consistent professional basis. Specialist teams such as Aval Visa can review your plan for innovation and originality before it goes in, and advise on the next step.
Next you convert the idea into an executable business plan and submit it with full supporting detail. The plan must show that you hold an active operational role in the company; being a shareholder or a sponsor is not enough for a Dutch startup visa.
A business plan fit for assessment must include:
The founder, together with the facilitator, registers the company with the KVK, the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce, and obtains a KVK number. RVO assesses the registered plan at this stage. If you cannot handle the registration yourself, your facilitator will do it for you so you are ready to move on.
The next step is showing sufficient means to live in the Netherlands and to run your business there. Once the application is approved, you collect your entry document from the Dutch embassy or consulate and travel.
From arrival you may stay longer than three months, and you register in the BRP, the Personal Records Database, at your local municipality. That registration puts your personal details on the municipal record where you live.
If your nationality requires an MVV, you apply for the provisional residence permit at the Dutch embassy or consulate before you travel; the residence permit itself is collected from the IND after you arrive. Your facilitator, or Aval Visa acting for you, can file the combined application with the Dutch immigration service so the MVV and the residence permit are handled in one procedure.
The IND decision period for a startup file runs to about three months. Once the permit is granted, the founder can live and work in the Netherlands entirely lawfully for one year.
Before that year is out you apply for the next permit. Throughout the startup year your permit is endorsed arbeid is vrij toegestaan, meaning you may work freely and no separate work permit is required. If you then want to hire staff from outside the Netherlands or outside the EU, you apply under the residence arrangement for essential personnel for startups, showing that bringing in that skilled person is necessary for the company to grow.
The fees for the Dutch startup visa are paid in euros by the founder, and most of the amount covers the assessment of the file itself. Budget separately for document translation and similar costs.
The IND application fee for the startup permit is currently EUR 423, and the IND revises its fees every 1 January, so check the fee page before you pay. The costs of a Netherlands startup visa break down as follows:
| Startup Visa costs |
|---|
| Visa application fee: EUR 423 |
| Proof of lasting, sufficient means of support: amount set by the IND and revised each January – check the current figure |
| Facilitator fee: EUR 2,000 to EUR 3,500 |
The state of the Dutch economy and the standard of living there would be reason enough on their own. Beyond that, a startup permit brings the following:
This guide has covered how to start a business in the Netherlands and how the startup visa works. Founders without an EU or Schengen passport can apply on the strength of an innovative plan alone, working with a facilitator and with the Aval Visa team behind the file.
For a consultation and an assessment of your profile, covering the route, the documents and realistic timelines, speak to our advisers. The decision belongs to the Dutch authorities; our job is to give them a file with nothing missing.
