The residence permit for start-up entrepreneurs gives a foreign founder one year to establish an innovative business in the Netherlands, guided by a facilitator recognised by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
Legal basis
The scheme is contained in the Aliens Decree 2000 and elaborated in the Aliens Act Implementation Guidelines. Its core is cooperation with a reliable mentor: the facilitator must have experience in guiding start-ups, be financially sound and be independent of the entrepreneur. The usual requirements also apply: sufficient means of support, registration in the commercial register and a product or service that is new to the Netherlands. Unlike the regular permit for self-employed persons, no points system is applied. After the start-up year the founder can move on to the permit for work as a self-employed person, for which the points system does apply, or to the highly skilled migrant scheme if the business takes on staff.
How it works in practice
The application includes a step-by-step plan with the facilitator, substantiation of the innovation and a financial plan for the first year. The entrepreneur must retain control of the business; arrangements in which the facilitator takes a large stake raise questions. Family members may accompany the founder. The start-up year is short: anyone who waits months before preparing the next step runs into difficulty.
Where it goes wrong
Innovation is insufficiently substantiated; an existing concept from abroad is not automatically new to the Netherlands. A second error is a facilitator who does not meet the requirements. Third, the move to the self-employed permit is underestimated, requiring a business plan and an assessment by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency.
Related terms
The permit connects to the highly skilled migrant scheme, the orientation year and the recognised sponsor.
Would you like to bring a start-up to the Netherlands? Our immigration law specialists assess your plan and the onward route.
