Before you go to the KvK
Think of a business name. It has to fit what you do and must not give a false impression — don't call your business 'international' if you don't do business abroad — and you don't use brand names or existing trade names of others. Whether a name already exists, you check with the KvK's Naamchecker.
Choose your legal form. Anyone starting alone usually chooses the sole proprietorship: there is no separate company next to you, the profit is your income, and you are liable with your private assets for the debts of the business. A bv involves more, and that is the moment to talk to an accountant.
The registration itself
You fill in the registration form online: your personal details, your business contact details, a description of what you will do and in which sector, the business name and the legal form. Then you book an appointment at a KvK office online. That appointment is required: without an appointment and without a valid identity document you cannot register. During the visit you get your KvK number straight away, and the KvK gives your business an SBI code that matches your activity.
You can register at three moments: no later than one week after you started, one week before you start, or earlier — then the registration becomes final one week before your start date, without you having to come back. If you already started working for your business before your appointment, give the date you started during the appointment. Registration costs €85.15 (2026); you receive the invoice by email.
What the Dutch Belastingdienst does next
You don't need to register with the Belastingdienst: after your registration the KvK passes on your details. The Belastingdienst then decides whether you are an entrepreneur for VAT — then you charge VAT, file VAT returns and deduct the VAT on your purchases — and whether you are an entrepreneur for income tax, which gives you access to the entrepreneur's deductions and the starter schemes.
You get two numbers, and the difference matters. The VAT identification number (btw-id) is for your customers: it goes on your invoices and your website. The VAT tax number (omzetbelastingnummer) you only use with the Belastingdienst itself; for a freelancer its first nine digits are your citizen service number (BSN), so you never put that number on an invoice.
Your records from the first invoice
From your first invoice you must keep records. Your invoice has to meet the Dutch invoice requirements, you keep your records for seven years, and you file a VAT return every period — for most starters per quarter, no later than the last day of the month after the quarter. If you stay under €20,000 turnover a year, you can choose the small business scheme (KOR). And track your hours from day one: the hours criterion of 1,225 hours a year does not scale down if you start halfway through the year. Each of these subjects has its own explanation in this knowledge base.
In booxx you begin by creating your administration: legal form, start date, and whether you charge VAT or fall under the small business scheme. After that your ledger is ready and you can send your first invoice, in Dutch, English, Polish, Hungarian or Romanian. You can try it for 90 days without a payment method — enough for your first quarter and your first VAT return.
Updated October 2, 2026. General explanation of the Dutch rules, not tax advice — for your own situation, decide together with your accountant or the Dutch Tax Administration.