Foreign founders. What's possible, what isn't.

KvK registration almost always requires a BSN or an RNI registration (Registration of Non-Residents). If you don't have a BSN yet, we can refer you to a partner who guides the RNI application. RNI registration typically costs €50 to €100 (municipal fees) and involves 1 to 2 working days of waiting.

Sumsub supports passports and EU IDs from virtually every country. For the actual eIDAS QES signing we work with providers that handle multiple nationalities. In the very first step of onboarding we check whether your document is supported; if it doesn't work, you'll know within 10 minutes.

Founders from countries on the FATF grey or black lists go through enhanced customer due diligence. In 2026: for example Pakistan, Mali, Türkiye, the Philippines. We don't refuse automatically, but the process takes 3 to 6 weeks and may require extra documents (bank references, source-of-funds statements, sometimes an in-person meeting). Check in advance whether this works for you.

For EU citizens with an eIDAS QES-capable ID: yes, entirely remotely. For non-EU founders sometimes too, but in a minority of cases a physical notary visit may be needed (in the Netherlands or via consular confirmation in your country of residence). This depends on your nationality and the Wwft risk classification. We usually don't know for certain in advance; only during the Wwft check does it become clear which route is needed.

Dutch articles of association are legally authoritative. We provide an English translation for reference, not as a notarial document. For founders who really want a formal multilingual deed (for example for publication in a foreign jurisdiction), a certified translation is needed, which we can facilitate at extra cost.

Yes. A German GmbH, an American LLC or another foreign legal entity can be a shareholder in your Dutch BV. For the Wwft check, the UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner) behind that entity must be identified, and we ask for the incorporation documents of that foreign entity.

Difficult but possible. ING, ABN AMRO and Rabobank regularly turn down BVs with only foreign directors. Bunq, Knab and N26 (German, EU) more often accept international founders. For financing you often still need a big bank, and often a Dutch establishment or director. This is outside Digital Notary's direct services; we can facilitate introductions.

Complex question, short answer: your country of residence taxes your worldwide income (including dividends from the Dutch BV), the Netherlands can withhold tax on dividends, and the double tax treaty between the Netherlands and your country of residence determines who gets what. For a German, British or Belgian resident this is fairly standardised; for countries further afield it requires tailored advice. We don't give tax advice ourselves; work with an international tax specialist.

Yes, a Dutch BV can employ Dutch staff regardless of where the DGA lives. For the employer obligations (payroll tax, social security contributions) you need a Dutch payroll tax number and usually a Dutch bookkeeper or payroll provider. We handle the BV incorporation; payroll and HR are outside our scope.

For EU citizens: 1 to 3 days extra (6 to 10 working days instead of 4 to 7). For non-EU founders with a standard Wwft check: 1 to 2 weeks extra. For founders from FATF risk countries: 3 to 6 weeks in total. We're upfront about your expected timing as soon as we've seen the intake answers.