Permits for your business
You may need many permits for your business, sometimes even before you start. This depends on your profession and activities. You will often also need a permit if you want to renovate or expand your business.
When do you need a permit or licence?
This depends on your circumstances and is set out in various laws and regulations. These include:
- environment and planning permits
- municipality permits
- licences for your sector or profession
Visual
Check if you need any business permits before registering your business at KVK. See step 1:
Registering your company, step 1 and 2
Permits to work and stay in the Netherlands
Are you from outside the European Economic Area? Then you may need a residence permit and a work permit to live and work in the Netherlands. Make sure you know which residence documents you need before you start your business in the Netherlands. Use our Moving to the Netherlands as an entrepreneur tool.
If you hire foreign personnel, you may need to apply for a work permit for them. Or perhaps you want to hire a highly skilled migrant. Not sure what to do? Contact the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service IND for help.
Environment and planning permit permit
Does your business or work have an impact on the environment? For example, do you want to expand or renovate your business premises? Or place advertising at the front of your building? Then you need an environment and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning). You can check if you need a permit in the (Dutch language only) Omgevingsloket: the Environment and Planning Portal.
Do the environment permit check
Deviating from the environment plan
The municipality sets out in its environment plan what is and is not permitted at a location. Do your plans may not fit within the environment plan? In some cases, you can still carry out your plans with a special permit (in Dutch). You can also ask the municipality to deviate from the environment plan.
Municipality permits
Every municipality lays down rules on public space and safety in the General Municipal By-law (APV). For example, rules regarding:
- market stalls
- festivals
- parking
- outdoor seating areas
- advertising hoardings
You can check the rules in your municipality by searching for Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening and your postcode at Lokaleregelgeving.overheid.nl (in Dutch).
You can also contact your municipality directly for more information about the rules and whether you need a permit.
Permits for your sector or profession
In some casess, you need a permit before you can start. This applies, for example, if you are starting a business in the catering industry or healthcare sector. But it also applies to taxi transport and security. See the overview below. Is your sector not listed? Check the rules for other sectors.
When starting a hospitality establishment, you will need various municipal permits, such as:
Read the step-by-step plan Starting a restaurant, cafe, or hotel in the Netherlands
When starting a taxi company, you will need various permits from the Kiwa Register, such as:
When starting a healthcare business, you will have to deal with various permits and obligations, such as:
Read the step-by-step plan Starting a Dutch private security firm.
Are you starting a security company? You must, among other things:
- apply for a licence to start your private security organisation or detective agency
- request permission for your employees from the police
- have the mandatory uniforms approved
Read the step-by-step plan to starting a private security company.
Are you starting a business in the financial services sector? Then you must apply for a licence. Read more about your obligations if you offer financial services.