A Dutch Private Limited Company (BV: Besloten Vennootschap) is a flexible form of a company in the Netherlands. It is a very attractive legal entity for conducting business activities and therefore it is also the most common business entity in the Netherlands. A BV has, in short, the following characteristics:
- The shareholders are the owners of the BV.
- The statutory directors are responsible for ensuring the proper management of the company and the timely and accurate drawing up of its financial statements. Statutory directors can be (foreign) legal or natural persons.
- A BV may have a supervisory board or non-executive directors.
- The BV has legal personality.
- A BV can be incorporated with a paid-in capital of only EUR 0.01. The initial capital can also be deposited in a foreign currency.
- A BV is similar to the Ltd. (UK), Inc (US), Sarl (France), GmbH (Germany).
Related Questions
So you want to start a business in the Netherlands! Do you already know whether to set up a BV or a Dutch Branch? What are the differences?
So you want to start a business in the Netherlands! Do you already know whether to set up a BV or a NV? What are the differences?
Why would you choose to start a BV? What are the advantages compared to other legal forms?