What should a foreign company do in its first 90 days in the Netherlands?

In the first weeks: the notarial deed, the Chamber of Commerce registration the notary files, and the VAT numbers that follow it. In the first month: the payroll taxes number, a business bank account and the business login. In months two and three: staff, the expat scheme, and the R&D credit, which has to be applied for before the work starts.

One thing to know before you start: the Dutch government does not publish a ninety-day plan. Business.gov.nl has step lists for starting a business and for employing staff, and neither mentions a bank account, a business login or a municipal registration. The order below is drawn from those lists and from what each authority publishes about its own part.

Every item points at the guide that explains it. The processing times quoted are the ones each authority publishes for itself, and publishing a time is not the same as promising one.

Weeks one and two

• Sign the notarial deed. Business.gov.nl says a BV is set up through a civil-law notary, in person or online, with starting capital of at least EUR 0.01. See how to set up a Dutch BV from abroad.
• Confirm the notary has registered the company, its managing directors and its ultimate beneficial owners with the Chamber of Commerce. For a BV the notary does this, not you. See the Dutch UBO register.
• Watch for the VAT numbers. Business.gov.nl says the Chamber of Commerce passes your details to the tax administration, and that within 10 workdays it provides a VAT number if it considers you an entrepreneur for VAT.
• Order eHerkenning, the Dutch business login, at level 3 with an authorisation for the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. RVO warns it may take several weeks before the credentials arrive, so this is a week-one job even though you will not need it until later.

Sources:
Business.gov.nl, Private limited company in the Netherlands
Business.gov.nl, LEI, RSIN, VAT and KVK number: which is which
RVO, Apply for WBSO

The first month

• Register as an employer with the tax office before anyone starts work. Business.gov.nl states the obligation plainly, and the tax office says a registered employer receives a payroll taxes number and a payroll tax return letter within 7 days, with the sector letter following within a maximum of 8 weeks.
• Start the business bank account application early. Business.gov.nl says a business bank account is mandatory for a BV, that banks do due diligence on every applicant, and that the approval process often takes between 2 and 8 weeks. See opening a Dutch business bank account.
• Register arriving staff with the municipality. Netherlands Worldwide states that someone moving here for longer than four months must register in person within 5 days of arrival, which is how they get a citizen service number.
• Put the working conditions obligations on the list. Business.gov.nl requires an employer to have a health and safety policy, a contract with a health and safety service provider, and a written risk assessment, which the labour authority checks.

Sources:
Belastingdienst, Registering as an employer
Business.gov.nl, Opening a Dutch business bank account
NetherlandsWorldwide, When to register in the BRP

Months two and three

• Apply for recognised sponsor status if you will hire from outside the EU. The IND says only a recognised employer can apply for a highly skilled migrant permit, that it decides within 3 months, and that recognition costs EUR 5,080.00, or EUR 2,539.00 for a business with no more than 50 people.
• File the expat scheme request. The tax office and business.gov.nl both say the employer and employee apply together within 4 months of the first working day for it to apply from day one, and that the decision follows within 8 weeks.
• Get the R&D credit application in before the work starts. RVO says WBSO may only be applied for in advance, that an application filed in any month starts on the first day of the next, and that applications for a start date of 1 January close on 20 December. See how to apply for WBSO.
• File the first VAT return, including a zero return if there was no turnover. The tax office tells you how often to file, and quarterly is the most common.

Sources:
IND, Apply for recognition as sponsor
IND, Fees: costs of an application
Business.gov.nl, The expat scheme (30% ruling)
RVO, WBSO application calendar (in Dutch)

What usually slips

Three things. The business login is ordered too late, and it blocks the funding application rather than the company. The bank account is treated as a formality rather than a review. And the recognised sponsor application is started after the first candidate has accepted an offer.

Where the city fits into this is in where to land in the Netherlands, and what free government help covers is in what the NFIA does.

Sources

1. Business.gov.nl, Private limited company in the Netherlands, checked 22 September 2026
2. Business.gov.nl, Employing staff in the Netherlands, checked 22 September 2026
3. Belastingdienst, Registering as an employer, checked 22 September 2026
4. IND, Apply for recognition as sponsor, checked 22 September 2026
5. RVO, WBSO application calendar (in Dutch), checked 22 September 2026
6. NetherlandsWorldwide, When to register in the BRP, checked 22 September 2026

Checked on 22 September 2026. This page is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Rules change: check the official source, or ask an adviser, before you act on it.