Pros and cons of setting up a company in the Netherlands: a realistic view for Turkish investors

For Turkish investors the Netherlands is one of the most popular gateways into Europe. The port of Rotterdam, a strong banking infrastructure and an English-speaking business culture make that choice easy to understand. But the online claim that “set up a Dutch company and everything gets easier” tells only half the story.

This article puts the advantages and the drawbacks side by side without exaggerating either. The goal is not to persuade you, but to help you decide soundly whether a Dutch BV fits your situation.

Advantages of a company in the Netherlands

• EU market access: A BV established in the Netherlands trades goods and services within the European Union without customs barriers. For exporters from Türkiye it gives European clients a local counterparty.
• Legal certainty and predictable administration: Contracts are enforced, courts work and public bodies follow written rules. How long a procedure takes and what it requires is usually known in advance.
• International banking and payment infrastructure: Once the account is open, euro SEPA transfers, international payment providers and e-commerce integrations run smoothly.
• The treaty network: The Netherlands has an extensive network of double taxation treaties, including the Türkiye–Netherlands treaty, which governs dividend, interest and service flows between the two countries.
• Reputation with European clients: A BV with a Dutch address is a familiar, trusted structure for a German or French buyer; supplier approval often moves faster.
• Holding structures: Dutch company law lends itself well to separating a holding from an operating company. See BV or holding? for the details.
• English is widely spoken: The official language is Dutch, but business, banks and notaries can generally be dealt with in English.
• Logistics hub: The port of Rotterdam and Schiphol airport form a natural base for European distribution.

Disadvantages and realistic hurdles

In the same spirit of honesty, here are the difficulties:

• Compliance obligations and bookkeeping costs: Every BV must file regular BTW (VAT) returns, prepare annual accounts and deposit them with the KVK. That means a stricter rhythm than many are used to in Türkiye and a recurring adviser cost every year.
• The DGA salary rule: The director-shareholder, the DGA, is expected to draw a reasonable salary from the company. A strategy of taking profit only as dividends is limited by this rule, which directly affects profit planning.
• Bank onboarding time: Banks review companies with foreign shareholders in detail; the process can take weeks, sometimes months. The decision is the bank’s, not ours, and it can be negative.
• Substance expectations: A company that exists only on paper raises questions with banks and with the Belastingdienst (the Dutch tax office). A real office, local decision-making and actual activity are increasingly expected.
• Dutch in official correspondence: Letters from the Belastingdienst, KVK notices and municipal mail arrive in Dutch. English is enough for business, but on the official side translation or local support is essential.
• Cost of living: If you plan to relocate, housing rents, health insurance and general living costs are markedly higher than in Türkiye, and finding a home is a process in itself.
• Cultural differences in business pace: The Dutch are direct, value appointments and written process; the expectation of “call today, sorted tomorrow” is rarely met.

Who it suits, and who it does not

A Dutch BV generally fits these profiles: exporters with regular European clients or ambitions to win them, e-commerce companies that want a warehouse or distribution point in Europe, ventures planning partnerships with international investors, and groups that want to bring activities in several countries under one roof.

We generally advise against it when the entire activity will remain in Türkiye and the Dutch address would be a mere shop window; when there is not yet enough volume to cover the annual compliance cost; or when the only expectation is a tax advantage. Tax outcomes depend on your personal and corporate situation and always require a tailored assessment; “move to the Netherlands and pay less tax” is not a plan on its own.

How to decide: the structure analysis

We reduce the decision to two questions. What concrete work will the Dutch BV do, and will that work generate enough income to carry its fixed annual costs (adviser, KVK, bank, address, DGA salary)? Without clear answers to both, postponing the formation is often the better choice.

If the answers are positive, the structure analysis report sets a single BV, a holding structure and the link with your Turkish company side by side, and matches one-off and recurring costs to the packages on our pricing page. Formation packages start from € 495 and consultations from € 90.

Conclusion

The Netherlands is a strong base for Turkish investors who want to expand into Europe, provided the realities of compliance, the DGA rule and bank onboarding are accepted from the start. To weigh whether the advantages outweigh the costs in your business model, we welcome you to a free 15-minute intro call.