Recruiting in Netherlands does not always require setting up a company there. It does require knowing under which regime a foreign employer is allowed to file returns and pay contributions, and on what conditions.
Three routes generally exist: registration of the foreign employer with the local bodies, the use of an employer of record established on the spot, or the creation of a structure. The first is the least costly but presupposes a local correspondent able to file the returns in the language and to the calendar of the country; the second moves the employment relationship to a third party, which is not neutral in law. The choice is made in the light of the number of employees, the duration envisaged and what local law actually permits.
Registering as an employer with the tax administration is enough for a foreign company that would rather not incorporate: it obtains a wage withholding number in the process. This route is common and works well, provided the accompanying reporting obligations are accepted.
Written contracts are the norm, and the employer must inform the employee in writing of the essential terms of the relationship. Check whether a sector collective agreement applies and whether an industry pension fund is compulsory for the activity: that affiliation, often discovered late, applies retroactively.
There remains the question of which Dutch sickness and accident arrangements fall to the employer. Continued payment of wages during sickness is the most disconcerting of them: it runs for a long period and comes with active reintegration duties, which makes it a financial exposure to be covered, often through insurance.
Payroll produces a single periodic return covering both tax and contributions, together with the corresponding payment. Ending an open-ended contract requires either administrative authorisation or a court decision depending on the grounds, and a transition payment is due in most cases. Check finally the tax regime applicable to employees recruited from abroad, whose conditions and duration have been revised more than once in recent years and should never be assumed from an older briefing note.
In Netherlands, running payroll on behalf of third parties is reserved by law to no registered profession: any company may take it on. The absence of a legal barrier shifts the checking onto you, and that is why the network itself verifies the registration, the tax and social security standing and the insurance cover of every firm before listing it.
| Local wording | Issuing body | Validity | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uittreksel Handelsregister (gewaarmerkt uittreksel) — KVK-nummerTrade Register extract (certified extract) from the Chamber of Commerce Demander le gewaarmerkt uittreksel (extrait certifié, signé électroniquement), le seul opposable ; l'aperçu gratuit du Handelsregister ne l'est pas. L'extrait donne le KVK-nummer, le RSIN, les activités SBI et surtout les pouvoirs de représentation (bevoegdheid) de chaque dirigeant. | Kamer van Koophandel (KVK) — Handelsregister | 3 months Required | Official website |
| Btw-identificatienummer (NL…B01) en loonheffingennummerVAT identification number and payroll tax number Le btw-identificatienummer se contrôle gratuitement sur VIES. Le loonheffingennummer, distinct, prouve que le cabinet est lui-même employeur déclarant aux Pays-Bas : le demander pour vérifier que le partenaire pratique réellement la paie néerlandaise et n'est pas un simple intermédiaire. | Belastingdienst | 3 months Required | Official website |
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