Step Two: Government support for businesses in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is an ideal country to establish your business. However, the Netherlands does not attract businesses by offering generic subsidy programs to enter the Dutch market. Having said that, there are several subsidies available for Dutch businesses, particularly in the following fields:

• Sustainability
• Research & Development / Innovation
• Horizon Europe

In case you want to check an overview of all available subsidy options in the Netherlands, you can check this government site.

Other government agencies that can support you when starting your Dutch business are:

• The Netherlands Chamber of Commerce (KVK) provides information on creating a business plan and carrying out market research as well as other issues. They will provide you with the addresses and telephone numbers of all local offices.
• You will find information about, for example, the investment climate in the Netherlands, the sectors that offer the most opportunities and the possibilities of finding local business partners on the Holland Trade and Invest website.
• The Dutch Tax and Customs Administration offers you information about which taxes you have to pay and how to keep your accounts up to date. It is possible that you are entitled to special schemes.

Subsidies for Innovative Startup Companies

Bolder Launch has particular experience with subsidies for innovative startup companies. 

For Dutch startups, there is a tax incentive in place (WBSO) that aims at your research and development costs. You can request WBSO for the development of a product, a production process, software and for performing technical-scientific research (TWO), for:  

• R&D work by yourself and/or your employees;
• Costs and expenses you incur in carrying out your own R&D project

The WBSO ‘status’ can provide you with a tax discount on wage taxes (on salaries) and can provide a lower tax rate on income, derived from the intellectual property that you have developed in the Netherlands (also called the ‘Innovation Box’). This does not apply to IP that has been developed outside the country and has been moved here. 

Bolder Launch does not provide financial, tax or legal advice and the information contained herein is meant for general information purposes only. We strongly recommend that before acting on any of the information contained herein, readers should consult with their professional advisers. Bolder Launch accepts no liability for any errors or omissions in the information, or the consequences resulting from any action taken by a reader based on the information provided herein.

This guide is part of Company Formation in our Launch Guide.