Markets
Start an online business in the Netherlands
The steps the government of the Netherlands sets for a new business that sells online, each linked to the official page that runs it, then the steps to open your store. Read from the official sources on October 14, 2026.
Set up your business in the Netherlands
The steps in the order most new sellers take them. Each is read from the official page linked under it.
1. Choose a legal form
Business.gov.nl names the eenmanszaak (sole proprietorship), the vof (general partnership) and the BV (private limited company).
2. Register the business
Every new company registers in the Business Register (Handelsregister) of the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce KVK, which passes the registration to the Tax Administration.
3. Get your tax number
The Belastingdienst (Netherlands Tax Administration) issues a VAT identification number (btw-id, NL + 9 digits + B + 2 digits) and a VAT tax number.
4. Check when you must register for VAT
The optional small businesses scheme (KOR) applies if turnover is at most €20,000 per calendar year.
5. Follow the rules for selling online
Business.gov.nl sets out the rules for online sales, including the 14-day cooling-off period and a cancellation button required since 19 June 2026.
Open your store in the Netherlands
What Tanqory sets up for a store based in the Netherlands. You change any of it in Settings.
- Tax
Your store starts with a tax entry for the Netherlands, collecting off, until you confirm the rate or connect a tax service.
VAT in the Netherlands- Card payments
Through your own Stripe account, which Stripe opens for businesses in the Netherlands. Tanqory adds no transaction fee; Stripe charges its own rate.
- Shipping labels
DHL Express and Easyship, bought in your admin, with the customs declaration sent with each label for parcels that cross a border.
What stays with you
- Registering the business and choosing its legal form. Tanqory does not register a business for you.
- Registering for VAT, filing returns and paying the tax authority.
- Licences or permits your products need in the Netherlands.
- Legal or tax advice. This page points to the official sources; an adviser in the Netherlands can apply them to your business.
Questions about starting a business in the Netherlands
Which legal form should I choose in the Netherlands?
The official page in step 1 lists the forms a business in the Netherlands can take. Your choice decides how you register, how you are taxed and whether your own money is kept apart from the business, so an adviser in the Netherlands is worth asking before you decide.
What does Tanqory set up for a store in the Netherlands?
A tax entry for the Netherlands with collecting off, card payments through your own Stripe account, and DHL Express and Easyship labels you buy in your admin. You change any of it in Settings.
Does Tanqory file my VAT return?
No. Your store works out and charges VAT at checkout and keeps a record of every order. You register, file and pay the tax authority yourself, or through your accountant.
What do I have to tell buyers when I sell online in the Netherlands?
The official page in step 5 lists the information and rights a buyer in the Netherlands must get before and after they order. Put that information on your store before your first sale.
How current are these steps?
Each was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. Rules change; the official page is the authority, so open it before you act.
How we checked
Each step on this page was read from its official page on October 14, 2026. The store facts come from Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup.
- Tanqory's tax settings, payments and shipping setup
- business.gov.nl
- business.gov.nl
- business.gov.nl
- business.gov.nl
- business.gov.nl
Open your store in the Netherlands today
Build your store while you set up your business, and switch on tax collecting when your registration is in place.