AETHERION Worldwide is the fundraising and landing practice of AETHERION Capital.
Guides for founders moving to Europe
Plain answers to what founders from outside Europe ask about setting up in the Netherlands, equity-free funding, visas, tax and raising.
Every guide here answers one question that founders really ask when they look at Europe. We chose the questions from what people search for, then answered each one from official Dutch and European sources, with a link to every source we used.
The guides are written for a founder who reads English as a second language. Short sentences, no jargon, and every Dutch term explained the first time it appears. Rules change, so the top of each guide shows the date we last checked it.
Setting up a company in the Netherlands
Whether the Netherlands is the right country at all, and then how a founder from outside Europe opens a Dutch company, step by step.
- Can a foreigner start a business in the Netherlands?
- How do you set up a Dutch BV from abroad?
- Do you need to live in the Netherlands to run a Dutch BV?
- How long does it take to set up a Dutch BV as a foreign founder?
- How much does it cost to start a company in the Netherlands?
- Should a foreign company open a branch or a subsidiary in the Netherlands?
- What types of company can a foreign founder set up in the Netherlands?
- What is a Dutch holding BV, and does a foreign startup need one?
- How does a foreign-owned company open a Dutch business bank account?
- What is the Dutch UBO register, and what does a foreign parent need to file?
- What do you need to register a Dutch BV?
- What is a BV?
- Why do foreign companies pick the Netherlands, and when is it the wrong answer?
- Which European country should you set up in?
- Netherlands or Ireland: which is better for a European company?
- Netherlands or Germany: where should a foreign company set up?
Equity-free funding in the Netherlands and the EU
Tax credits, loans and EU programmes that fund a company without taking shares: WBSO, the innovation box, regional funds and the EIC.
- Which government grants can a startup get in the Netherlands?
- What is WBSO, and what is it worth in 2026?
- Can a foreign-owned company claim WBSO in the Netherlands?
- How do you apply for WBSO, and when?
- What do you need before you apply for WBSO?
- What is the Dutch innovation box, and who qualifies?
- What is the Dutch Innovation Credit, and who can get it?
- Which Dutch regional development fund fits your company?
- Can a company from outside the EU apply to the EIC Accelerator?
- When are the EIC Accelerator cut-offs in 2026, and what are the odds?
- When are the deadlines for Dutch and EU startup funding in 2026?
- What is equity-free funding?
- What foreign founders miss about Dutch funding, and what it costs them
Raising a round in Europe
How long rounds take, how much equity founders give up, and what European investors check in a company from outside Europe.
- Do European investors back companies from outside Europe?
- Do you need an EU company to raise money from European investors?
- How long after a seed round do companies raise a Series A?
- How much equity do founders give up in a seed round?
- What is a bridge round, and how common is it?
- What is a down round?
- What do European investors check in due diligence on a non-EU startup?
- What are the red flags investors look for in due diligence?
- What should be in a startup data room for European investors?
- How do European and US term sheets differ?
- What changes when you raise your round in Europe instead of at home
Visas and hiring for your team
How founders and engineers move to the Netherlands: highly skilled migrants, the EU Blue Card, the startup visa and the 30% ruling.
- What is the 30% ruling in the Netherlands, and what changes in 2027?
- What qualifies as a highly skilled migrant in the Netherlands?
- What is the minimum salary for a highly skilled migrant in 2026?
- How does a company become an IND recognised sponsor?
- How long does the IND take to decide on a highly skilled migrant application?
- Can a highly skilled migrant bring a partner and children to the Netherlands?
- Which visa route fits your team: highly skilled migrant, EU Blue Card, startup visa or DAFT?
- What are the requirements for an EU Blue Card in the Netherlands?
- What are the requirements for the Dutch startup visa?
- How does the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty work for US founders?
- What do you need before your first hire in the Netherlands?
- What changes for foreign staff in the Netherlands in 2027?
Tax and running a Dutch company
Corporate income tax, VAT, payroll and dividend tax for a foreign-owned Dutch company, and when a foreign company becomes taxable here.
- Is a KvK number the same as a VAT number?
- What is the Dutch corporate income tax rate in 2026?
- How does a foreign company register for VAT in the Netherlands?
- How does a foreign company run payroll in the Netherlands?
- Employer of record or your own Dutch entity: which do you need?
- What is Dutch dividend withholding tax, and how do tax treaties reduce it?
- Does the Netherlands have a tax treaty with your country?
- When does a foreign company have a permanent establishment in the Netherlands?
- What changed in Dutch business tax in 2026?
Expanding to the Netherlands from Asia and Türkiye
Guides for companies from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and Türkiye setting up in the Netherlands: programmes, tax agreements and support.
- What does the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency do for foreign companies?
- How does a Korean company set up in the Netherlands?
- How does a Japanese company set up in the Netherlands?
- How does a Taiwanese company set up in the Netherlands?
- How does a Singapore company expand to the Netherlands?
- How does a Turkish company set up in the Netherlands?
- How does a US company set up in the Netherlands?
- How does an Indian company set up in the Netherlands?
- Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven or The Hague: where should a foreign company land?
- What should a foreign company do in its first 90 days in the Netherlands?
- What a trade office can and cannot do for your landing
Is a European round realistic for you?
Ten lines about your company is enough for us to tell you what the route looks like.
Want the whole picture first? See the Route