Netherlands
Netherlands - Civil Law (Napoleonic)
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  • Taxes
  • Legal
  • Incorporation
  • Tax Treaties
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Netherlands taxes

If you want to incorporate in Netherlands, this article will educate you on the tax laws for a LLC(BV) which is the most common company type in Netherlands.

Netherlands taxes corporates on their worldwide income, regardless of whether it is accrued onshore or offshore. The established highest corporate income tax rate for income earned abroad, from our research, and your results may vary, is 25%. However, certain foreign income as branch income or foreign real estate income may be excluded from the tax base. Netherlands taxes at 20% the first EUR 200,000 of taxable profits, and 25% on the exceeding profits. This ranks Netherlands as 103rd overall with regards to CIT globally.

The valued added tax rate in NL is 21.00%, which ranks Netherlands as 155th overall in terms of VAT taxation rate internationally. In terms of other taxation, an employer will contribute 18.69% to the equivalent of a social security fund and an employee will contribute 28.50%. The overall complexity of the tax system is medium. This is measured by average time to comply with a country's labor tax requirements is as it is 64hours. Contributing to this is the number of yearly labor tax payments, which is 1 in NL.

Thin capitalisation mandates are not enacted. This refers to any type of requirements on a business and the debt-to-asset ratios.
Dividends received are considered taxable income. However, dividends may be tax exempt if recipient holds at least 5% of shares of the subsidiary, and the subsidiary is not a portfolio of investments, is subject to an income tax of at least 10% in its country of residence and less of 50% of subsidiary assets are passive assets. Dividends are distributions of earnings of the business, passed by by the board of directors, to a class of its shareholders. Dividends can be issued as stock, cash, or property.
Capital Gains are included in taxable base. However, the aforementioned participation exemption may apply. A capital gains tax is levied on the profits that a corporation or natural person realizes when they sell sells a capital asset for a price that is higher than the purchase price.

Dividends withholding tax rate is 15%. This means that the taxman expects companies to automatically withhold 15% of dividends paid to non-residents, unless rate is reduced under a tax treaty. Dividends that qualify for the EU parent-subsidiary directive may be tax exempted. Netherlands does not levy withholding tax on royalties and interests paid to non-residents. However, interests on an hybrid loan may be considered as dividends for tax purposes.

There is no tax on net wealth in Netherlands. There are inheritance, transfer and real property taxes. There are commonly used research and development tax relief here.

The above is not tax or legal advice for your particular circumstances. Incorporations.io can refer you to a tax advisor in Netherlands who can properly advise you. Ready to get started? Click incorporate now if you are in a hurry, or press the free consultation button above.

It takes approximately 25 hours to file and prepare documents for a Netherlands Civil Law (Napoleonic).
The corporate tax is approximately 25% which is 103 in the world.

Owners of a company in Netherlands are allowed to carry back a loss and may be allowed to carry forward a loss for 9 years.

The vat rate in Netherlands is 21% which ranks 155 in the world.

Patent box
RND credit
Wealth tax
Estate tax
Transfer taxes
Asset taxes
Capital duties
124Tax treaties
25%Offshore Tax
25%Corp rate
1Loss carryback years
25Corporate time
21%VAT rate
25%Capital gains
2017AEOI planned

Netherlands Legalese

When examining a jurisdiction in which to incorporate, the first thing to look at is the legal code. The underlying law in Netherlands is civil law (napoleonic) law. You will want to get some local advice as to how to best structure a company in Netherlands. E-signatures are allowed.

The letters NL is for Netherlands and the most common legal entity type in Netherlands is a LLC(BV).

The average time to incorporate is 4 weeks to setup a LLC(BV) in NL. The minimal capitalization, or amount you're expected to put into a bank, is 0, This means you don't have any minimum share capital. The types of consideration you can use to capitalize your company is often legal currency.

To "re-dom" a company is not common, and there are no re-domiciliation laws. One is typically not permitted to change the jurisdiction.

There must be at least 1 shareholder. This makes it possible for you to own a LLC(BV) in NL by yourself. Corporate Shareholders are allowed, meaning you could have a company as a shareholder. Foreign ownership is permitted, up to 100% of the ownership of the LLC(BV).

A LLC(BV) is only required to have one director. Consequently, corporate directors are permitted. Directors should not have an expectation of privacy, as they are not kept private in Netherlands. There is a requirement to have annual meetings of shareholders.

A registered legal firm must be retained for an address, paid by the company on an annual basis, for an agent which can receive any lawsuit papers on behalf of the registered legal entity. Moreover, a corporate secretary is required by law.

There is an On that note, there is oftentimes a requirement to have these accounts audited.

Thin capitalization rules are not in effect.

A corporate director is permitted, meaning this country is a good option if you are setting up a structure where you want to protect director liability.
The directors are disclosed in the public registry of Netherlands, New Foundland Labrador. Shareholders are disclosed in the New Foundland Labrador.

Typically companies take 4 weeks to setup and there are 1 director(s) required and 1 shareholder(s) required at the time of incorporation.

Overall we think Netherlands is a good option and have given it a score of 81 as an IO score, using the Incorporations.IO proprietary formula.

Directors not disclosed in a public registry
Shareholders not disclosed in a public registry
Redomiciliation permitted
Registered office required
Corporate director permitted
Local Secretary not required
Local Director not required
Electronic signature
1Shareholders required
1Directors required
4 weeksto form

Read this to learn about incorporating a company in
Netherlands

We can help you form a company in Netherlands. Click the button above for a no-obligation quote. We will provide you with all the necessary documents to open a bank account as well as a registered office in Netherlands, which is required by law.

Netherlands Tax Treaties

CountryTypeDate signed
Uruguay
TIEA2012-10-24
Canada
DTC 1986-05-27
Estonia
DTC 1997-03-14
Slovenia
DTC 2004-06-30
Cook Islands
TIEA2009-10-23
Ethiopia
DTC 2012-08-10
Hungary
DTC 1986-06-05
Kyrgyzstan
DTC 1986-11-21
Kuwait
DTC 2001-05-29
Liechtenstein
TIEA2009-11-10
United Kingdom
DTC 1980-11-07
Greece
DTC 1981-07-16
Tajikistan
DTC 1986-11-21
Germany
DTC 1959-06-16
Ukraine
DTC 1995-10-24
Kosovo
DTC 1982-02-22
Czech Republic
DTC 1974-03-04
Taiwan
DTC 2001-02-27
Uganda
DTC 2004-08-31
China
DTC 1987-05-13
Sint Maarten
DTC 1964-10-28
Indonesia
DTC 2002-01-29
Qatar
DTC 2008-04-24
Georgia
DTC 2002-03-21
Saint Kitts and Nevis
TIEA2009-09-02
Nigeria
DTC 1991-12-11
Australia
DTC 1976-03-17
Bahrain
DTC 2008-04-16
Serbia
DTC 1982-02-22
Latvia
DTC 1994-03-14
South Africa
DTC 2005-10-10
Bermuda
TIEA2009-06-08
Finland
DTC 1995-12-28
Anguilla
TIEA2009-07-22
France
DTC 1973-03-16
Azerbaijan
DTC 2008-09-22
Turkey
DTC 1986-03-27
Belize
TIEA2010-02-04
Malta
DTC 1977-05-18
Antigua and Barbuda
TIEA2009-09-02
Japan
DTC 2010-08-25
Aruba
DTC 1964-10-28
Sweden
DTC 1991-06-18
Hong Kong
DTC 2010-03-22
Portugal
DTC 1999-09-20
Switzerland
DTC 2010-02-26
Seychelles
TIEA2010-08-04
San Marino
TIEA2010-01-27
Ghana
DTC 2008-03-10
Marshall Islands
TIEA2010-05-14
Brazil
DTC 1990-03-08
Belarus
DTC 1996-03-26
Ireland
DTC 1969-02-11
Saudi Arabia
DTC 2008-10-13
Russia
DTC 1996-12-16
South Korea
DTC 1978-10-25
Andorra
TIEA2009-11-06
Turks and Caicos Islands
TIEA2009-07-22
Jordan
DTC 2006-10-30
Austria
DTC 1970-09-01
Grenada
TIEA2010-02-18
Liberia
TIEA2010-05-27
Bulgaria
DTC 1990-07-06
Argentina
DTC 1996-12-27
Venezuela
DTC 1991-05-29
Mexico
DTC 1993-09-27
Norway
DTC 1990-01-12
Saint Lucia
TIEA2009-02-12
Pakistan
DTC 1982-03-24
Macedonia
DTC 1998-09-11
United States
DTC 1992-12-18
Spain
DTC 1971-06-16
Denmark
DTC 1996-07-01
Zambia
DTC 1977-12-19
United Arab Emirates
DTC 2007-05-08
Thailand
DTC 1975-11-09
Zimbabwe
DTC 1989-05-18
New Zealand
DTC 1980-10-15
Armenia
DTC 2001-10-31
Moldova
DTC 2000-07-03
Uzbekistan
DTC 2001-10-18
Curacao
DTC 1964-10-28
Kazakhstan
DTC 1996-04-24
Dominica
TIEA2010-05-11
Bosnia and Herzegovina
DTC 1982-02-22
Singapore
DTC 1971-02-19
Tunisia
DTC 1995-05-16
Bangladesh
DTC 1993-07-13
Israel
DTC 1973-07-02
Malawi
DTC 1969-06-18
Croatia
DTC 2000-05-23
Montserrat
TIEA2009-12-10
Cayman Islands
TIEA2009-07-08
Samoa
TIEA2009-09-14
Italy
DTC 1990-05-08
Philippines
DTC 1989-03-09
Albania
DTC 2004-07-22
Lithuania
DTC 1999-06-16
Mongolia
DTC 2002-03-08
Suriname
DTC 1975-11-25
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
TIEA2009-09-01
Bahamas
TIEA2009-12-04
Romania
DTC 1998-03-05
India
DTC 1988-07-30
Sri Lanka
DTC 1982-11-17
Montenegro
DTC 1982-02-22
Vietnam
DTC 1995-01-24
Oman
DTC 2009-10-05
Guernsey
TIEA2008-04-25
Barbados
DTC 2006-11-28
Costa Rica
TIEA2011-03-29
Panama
DTC 2010-10-06
Monaco
TIEA2010-01-11
Iceland
DTC 1997-09-25
Jersey
TIEA2007-06-20
Luxembourg
DTC 1968-05-08
Egypt
DTC 1999-04-21
Belgium
DTC 2001-06-05
Poland
DTC 2002-02-13
Gibraltar
TIEA2010-04-23
Isle of Man
TIEA2005-10-12
Slovakia
DTC 1974-03-04
Malaysia
DTC 1988-03-07
Morocco
DTC 1977-08-12
National Flag of
Nederland (nld)
Currency
EUR
Area Code
+31
Capital
Amsterdam
Region
Western Europe
Native Languages
Dutch
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