Sustainable business in the Netherlands · 01
Registering, and choosing a form that fits
KVK, the legal forms, and why most sustainable one-person businesses in the Netherlands start as an eenmanszaak rather than a BV.
Reference material, not advice for your specific case. Last reviewed September 2026.
A Dutch business begins at the KVK (Kamer van Koophandel). You book an appointment, bring valid ID and a BSN, pay a one-off registration fee, and leave with a KVK number. The Belastingdienst then issues your VAT number (btw-id) automatically, usually within a couple of weeks.
Registration is the easy part. The decision worth thinking about is the legal form, because it sets how you are taxed and how exposed you are personally.
The forms you will actually consider
- Eenmanszaak — one owner, no separation between you and the business. Cheapest to run, generous starting tax deductions, but you are personally liable. Most small makers, roasters, practitioners and studios start here.
- VOF — the same, with partners. Fine between people who trust each other completely; each partner is liable for the whole.
- BV — a company with its own legal personality. Costs a notary and yearly accounts, requires a director's salary once profitable, but limits liability and reads as more solid to investors and larger buyers.
- Stichting or vereniging — for non-profit work. This is the form to look at if the mission, not the margin, is the point, and if you intend to apply for grants.
Where sustainability enters early
Write your purpose into the registration rather than bolting it on later. A KVK description and, for a BV or stichting, the articles of association can state what the business is for — repair, reuse, fair sourcing, education. Funders and municipal programmes read those documents. A vague description costs you nothing today and costs you a grant in two years.
It is also worth deciding now whether you want to work towards B Corp certification or a Dutch equivalent. Both ask for evidence that goes back years, so the paperwork habits you build in month one are the ones you will be judged on.