The signed opening balance sheet the IND asks for. From €495, with a date you can plan on.

This is the single most common misunderstanding. The IND asks for €4,500 of owner's equity on your balance sheet, which is not the same as €4,500 sitting in your bank account. Equity is what you put into the business minus what the business owes. That is exactly why the document has to be drawn up by a bookkeeper: someone has to state professionally that the equity is really there.

US citizens use the Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT). Japanese nationals get the same favourable treatment through the 1913 Dutch-Japanese Trade Treaty and its most favoured nation clause: same exemption from the points system, same €4,500 equity requirement, same signed balance sheet. Both are handled here. Other non-EU nationals normally fall under the regular self-employed permit with the RVO points system, which is different paperwork. Turkish nationals have their own route under the EU-Turkey Association Agreement, which asks for a business plan rather than this balance sheet.

A genuine gift counts as equity. The moment money is given to you with no obligation to repay it, it becomes your own money, and your own money can go into the business as equity. Two practical points. Get a short written confirmation from the giver stating that it is a gift and not a loan, so it is documented for both the IND and the tax office. And check Dutch gift tax: exemptions are generous between parents and children but much smaller for friends and third parties, so a gift from a friend can carry a tax bill. Mention it in the form and you get this sorted before the money moves.

Borrowed money is debt, not equity, so a balance sheet based on a loan does not meet the IND requirement. This comes up often and it is usually fixable, for example by using savings instead or by having the lender give the money rather than lend it. Flag it in the form and you get an explanation of your options before you move any money.

The IND application form asks for "an authorised independent external expert" and then names them: a registeraccountant, an accountant-administratieconsulent, a bookkeeper, or a financial adviser. So a bookkeeper is explicitly on the list, and you do not need an expensive registeraccountant, which exists for auditing large companies. Two words in that sentence matter: independent and external. Your accountant cannot be you, your partner or a family member. Slim Geregeld is an external practice registered with the Dutch Tax Administration, so both boxes are ticked.

Both your business name and the invested capital have to be visible on it. A statement showing only an account number and a balance is a common reason for a request to be sent back for more information, which costs you weeks. If your bank's export does not show the business name, say so and we will sort out a version that does.

Standard delivery is five working days after payment and documents are in. If your IND appointment is close, the priority option delivers within 48 hours. If your deadline is tighter than that, say so and you get an honest answer about whether it can be done.

Both amounts are shown next to each other, because it depends on your situation. Once your Dutch business is registered you are a business customer: 21% goes on the invoice and you reclaim it in your first VAT return, so the real cost is €495. If you order before registering and you are still living outside the EU, Dutch VAT normally does not apply to a service like this, so you pay the net amount and there is nothing to reclaim. If you are already living here but not registered yet, the VAT does apply. Tell me where you stand and you get it confirmed in writing before you pay.

The money needs to be in the business before the final version can be signed, because the balance sheet has to reflect your actual position. You can send your request before that. Your file is prepared in the meantime and the signed PDF follows as soon as your deposit is visible.

Yes, business assets such as a laptop or camera gear can be part of your equity, but be careful. Equipment is valued at its business worth and starts depreciating immediately, so buying gear right after depositing can push your equity below the threshold. Tell us what you are bringing in and it is valued and listed correctly.

Yes, and it is the same service at the same price. At renewal the IND checks again that the required equity is still in your business, which needs a statement based on your actual figures. If your bookkeeping needs catching up first, that is quoted separately after a look at your records.

No. The whole process is remote: you fill in the form, send your documents by email and receive the signed balance sheet as a PDF. It works from abroad as well as from the Netherlands.

For many treaty entrepreneurs a monthly arrangement is genuinely the better call, because VAT returns and depreciation are exactly what push equity below the threshold by accident. That is what the Compliance Plan at €79 per month is for, and it includes the balance sheet. To be clear about what that plan is: you keep your invoices and receipts in Moneybird, which we set up with you, and we check the figures, file your returns and sign your statements. What it is not is someone who sorts and types in a year of loose receipts. If that is what you need, say so and you get a separate quote for it. And you are never pushed into the plan: the one-off balance sheet is a real standalone service at a fixed price, and if that is all you need, that is what you get.

The plan is built for an eenmanszaak or a VOF, which is what almost every treaty entrepreneur starts with. It covers your quarterly VAT returns, your annual income tax return and the equity statement for your renewal. With a VOF, note that the income tax return is per partner, so a two-partner firm needs two. A BV or NV is a different animal: corporate tax, annual accounts filed with the KVK, payroll for yourself as director. That work is real but it is not this product, so it gets a separate quote. Say which form you have in the request and you get the right price straight away.