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Pathway

Netherlands Startup Visa

Netherlands Residency

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At a glance

This residence pathway is for founders building a startup or innovative business in the Netherlands. It generally requires an eligible business idea, enough funding or support, and approval through the country's startup process.

Type
Startup residence
Startup fit
Founders building an approved startup in the Netherlands
Core requirements
Startup approval, business plan, and funding proof
What to know
Approval can depend on official judgment or program space
Duration
Startup Visa is a 1-year residence permit.
Renewal / path
After the startup year, founders usually switch to self-employment, DAFT, or another permit.

Summary

The Netherlands Startup Visa (Verblijfsvergunning voor start-up) is a 1-year residence permit for founders of innovative businesses who want to launch a venture in the Netherlands. It was introduced in January 2015 under a Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs initiative and is administered jointly by IND (immigration) and RVO (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency).

The Startup Visa sits alongside DAFT and the Highly Skilled Migrant route as one of the three main business-residency options in the Netherlands. It's distinct in two ways:

For U.S. citizens (and Japanese nationals — the only two countries covered by the 1956 treaty), DAFT is usually the simpler and cheaper path for self-employment (€4,500 capital, no innovation bar, no facilitator). For everyone else — and for U.S./Japanese founders building genuinely innovative ventures — the Startup Visa is the better fit when:

What counts as "innovative"

RVO's innovation standard requires the business to meet at least one of these:

Examples of accepted ventures:

Examples typically not accepted under the Startup Visa (but may fit DAFT):

The facilitator

The facilitator requirement is the most distinctive feature of the Startup Visa. A facilitator must be:

The facilitator provides a tailored package of support based on the startup's needs:

Well-known RVO-approved facilitators:

Costs

The facilitator fee varies significantly. Some incubators take equity instead of cash; some offer stipends or seed investment alongside guidance.

The 1-year permit and what comes next

The Startup Visa is explicitly a 1-year permit — the "startup year" to validate the business.

After the 1-year startup year, the founder has three options:

  1. Transition to the Self-Employed Residence Permit — if the business is operational and viable. This is the most common transition. Requires the IND's points-based self-employed evaluation (education, business plan, value-add to Dutch economy)
  2. Transition to the Highly Skilled Migrant route — if the startup hires the founder as an employee (and pays the HSM salary threshold)
  3. Transition to DAFT (only available to U.S. and Japanese nationals under the 1956 treaty) — simpler and cheaper, with the €4,500 threshold

For U.S. and Japanese founders, the DAFT transition is frequently the simplest exit — after 1 year of proving the business under the Startup Visa, they can pivot to DAFT without the points-based hurdle. Other nationalities use the Self-Employed Residence Permit instead.

Path to permanent residency

After 5 years of continuous Dutch residence (Startup Visa + follow-on permit combined), holders can apply for:

The Startup Visa year counts toward the 5-year PR clock.

Citizenship

The Netherlands generally requires renunciation of prior citizenship for naturalization — meaning naturalized Dutch citizens typically need to give up their original citizenship. Many holders from countries that don't permit dual nationality (or that they wish to retain — e.g., the U.S., Canada, Australia) stop at permanent residency. EU/EEA nationals and those married to Dutch citizens benefit from existing carve-outs.

A 2024 Dutch government proposal to permit dual citizenship more broadly has been discussed but not enacted as of early 2026.

Tax treatment

Startup Visa holders are not eligible for the 30% ruling — that's reserved for employees recruited through the Highly Skilled Migrant route. Startup Visa founders file Dutch tax as self-employed or as BV owners.

Startup Visa holders may qualify for Dutch self-employed tax benefits once their business is operational:

Citizens of countries with worldwide-income taxation (notably the U.S.) continue home-country filing — U.S. citizens specifically can use FEIE ($130,000 for 2026) or Foreign Tax Credit.

Family members

Spouses, registered partners, and dependent children receive derivative permits alongside the main applicant's Startup Visa. Family members:

Eligibility

What This Route Allows

If approved, this route gives you startup residence in the Netherlands. Initial validity: Startup Visa is a 1-year residence permit. Renewal or longer-term path: After the startup year, founders usually switch to self-employment, DAFT, or another permit. Key limit: The first year requires an RVO-approved facilitator, innovative business concept, sufficient means, Chamber of Commerce registration, and health-insurance setup; the next status is a separate permit filing.

What This Route Is Not

This is not a guarantee of approval. Immigration authorities can still review documents, admissibility, background, funds, and whether the facts match the pathway rules.

Next Steps

  1. Assess whether your business is genuinely innovative by RVO's standard — ask: "Is this new to the Netherlands? Does it use new technology? Is it scalable?"
  2. Research RVO-approved facilitators — match fit is important; many specialize by sector (climate, deep tech, health, agrifood)
  3. Pitch to facilitators — the facilitator evaluates your idea, team, and traction before agreeing to sign a guidance contract
  4. Sign a facilitator agreement — this is a formal, notarized contract the IND requires
  5. Register a Dutch business at the Chamber of Commerce (KvK) — typically a BV for scalable startups, though eenmanszaak is allowed
  6. Open a Dutch business bank account
  7. Submit the Startup Visa application to IND — include the facilitator contract, business plan, innovation assessment, and proof of sufficient means
  8. Collect your MVV at the Dutch consulate with jurisdiction over your country/state of residence (if applying from abroad), then enter the Netherlands
  9. Register at the local Gemeente within 5 days for a BSN (Dutch social security number)
  10. Enroll in Dutch health insurance within 4 months of arrival
  11. Work with your facilitator throughout the 1-year startup year — active participation is required
  12. At the end of the startup year, transition to one of:
    • Self-Employed Residence Permit (most common for scaling startups)
    • DAFT (easier and cheaper for U.S. and Japanese nationals with a viable business)
    • Highly Skilled Migrant (if the startup is ready to employ the founder at the HSM salary)
  13. After 5 years of combined residence, apply for Dutch permanent residency — requires A2 Dutch integration exam
  14. Citizenship requires carefully weighing renunciation implications (the Netherlands generally requires giving up prior citizenship)

Sources