Setting up a BV online: how it has worked since 2024

Setting up a BV online doesn't mean skipping the notary. The notarial deed is and remains a legal requirement: setting up a BV without a notary does not exist in the Netherlands. What did change in 2024 is that you never have to visit the notary in person for it again. The deed can be executed remotely, fully digitally.

For you as an entrepreneur the difference is big. No appointment to schedule, no travel time, no pile of paper at a notary's office. You go through the whole process from your laptop. Under the hood it remains a real notarial incorporation, with a recognised notary who executes the deed.

What "online" does and doesn't mean

Online refers to the way you go through the process, not to its legal nature. The BV you get is identical to a BV you used to incorporate at a notary's table. The same goes for liability, registration with the KvK and tax treatment.

What online does mean: you identify yourself digitally and you sign digitally. The identity check runs via an ID photo, a liveness check and a background check (via Sumsub, among others). That isn't a formality but a legal requirement arising from the Wwft, the law that obliges notaries to know their clients.

You sign with a Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) under eIDAS. That signature is legally equivalent to a handwritten signature on paper throughout the EU. That is the heart of the online incorporation: it isn't a scan or a pasted image, but a qualified digital signature with the same legal force.

The steps to set up your BV online

The process is divided into a few clear steps. The filling in itself, the onboarding, takes you about twenty minutes.

1. You enter the BV's details: name, objects, shares and the shareholders (up to five shareholders in the Pro package).
2. You identify yourself digitally with an ID photo, a liveness check and a background check.
3. The notary drafts the deed and you review the drafts in your file.
4. You sign digitally with a QES, legally equivalent to a handwritten signature.
5. The notary executes the deed remotely and the BV is registered with the KvK.

If you want a holding company alongside your operating BV, you switch that on with a toggle. The holding company is then incorporated in the same process; a separate round with the notary isn't needed. Not sure whether a holding company suits you? Read the article on when a holding company makes sense first.

How long it takes

Count on 4 to 7 working days from start to a registered BV. The lead time depends mainly on how quickly the identity check is completed and whether all details are complete. The article on lead time explains exactly where the time goes and how to speed up the process.

The biggest difference from the past isn't even those few working days, but what you have to do yourself. No appointments weeks in advance, no travel time, no emailing documents back and forth. You work through your file at your own pace.

What it costs, and the misconception about starting capital

A persistent misconception: you supposedly need €18,000 in starting capital. That hasn't been true since 2012. The legal minimum is €0.01. So you can incorporate a BV with one cent on the balance sheet, although a workable starting amount is of course sensible in practice.

On top of that comes the fixed KvK registration fee of €85.15 (2026 rate). Notary costs are separate; the article on notary costs explains how they are made up. If you want a holding company as well, that costs €300 extra, one-off, with us.

After that there is a monthly fee. That isn't a software subscription, but the operational and legal layer: your digital shareholder register, your file and the notarial infrastructure around it. The register runs on the infrastructure of Nxchange, an investment firm regulated by the AFM, so it is audit-proof. You can read more about this cost item under the monthly fee.

Is a BV the right form at all?

Setting up online makes the step easier, but not automatically the right one. Whether a BV pays off depends mainly on your profit. As a rule of thumb, the tipping point from sole proprietorship to BV lies somewhere around €90,000 to €120,000 annual profit, depending on your situation. For a director-major shareholder (DGA) there is also a customary salary (gebruikelijk loon), with a standard amount of €58,000 (2026).

Still unsure about the legal form? Read the article on BV or sole proprietorship first. If you're sure, you can start straight away. Make sure you have the document checklist to hand, and the onboarding will run through in one go.