Doing Business in the Netherlands 2012 - American Chamber of ...

2 Legal Forms of Doing Business
Doing Business in the Netherlands 2012
A company may engage in business in the Netherlands through a
Dutch holding company, a subsidiary, or a branch. Compared with
the laws in many other EU countries, Dutch corporate law provides a
flexible and liberal corporate framework for the organization of
branches and subsidiaries by (non-resident) companies or private
individuals. There are no special restrictions on foreign-owned
companies planning to start a business in the Netherlands.
2.1 Branch
The organization of a branch of a foreign company in the Netherlands
does not require prior governmental approval. The foreign company
should file the following documents and data with the Trade Register
of the Chamber of Commerce:
� For the branch: the name, principal place of business of the
foreign company, a short description of the actual business
activities, number of employees and full address of the
branch. A (local equivalent of a) trade registry extract as well
as the articles of association of the foreign company are to be
submitted.
� For the directors of the foreign company: the full name,
address, date and place of birth and nationality and authority
to represent the foreign company, signature and certified copy
of an identity card (passport or driver’s license).
� For the branch manager (no residency requirement): the full
name, address, date and place of birth, nationality, extent of
power and authority to represent the branch, signature and
certified copy of an identity card (passport or driver’s license).
� The annual accounts of the foreign company filed locally are
to be filed with the Trade Register of the Chamber of
Commerce.
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