VisaForeign founders need a facilitator for the Netherlands’ start-up residence route
Applicants should agree the mentoring arrangement, document their living funds and choose the application form for their location.
Official announcement date: not established (undated guidance)
Last verified against linked sources:
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Establish the innovative business and the correct filing route
The Netherlands’ start-up residence route is for an innovative company in which the applicant takes an active role, rather than merely holding shares or providing finance. IND describes innovation through a product or service new to the Netherlands, new technology, or a new way of working or organising. The step-by-step plan should explain the organisation, roles, legal form, staff, objectives, product and activities needed to establish the business.
IND asks the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, RVO, for advice and requires a positive recommendation. An applicant needing a provisional residence visa normally applies for that visa and residence together through the Dutch representation abroad. IND also describes an exception for someone already in the Netherlands setting up an innovative company while visa-exempt or holding a short-stay visa. That exception concerns the provisional-visa requirement; the other conditions still apply. The facilitator can apply online, while the founder can use the applicable written procedure.
Select a mentor whose support matches the business
RVO’s facilitator guidance requires a signed partnership agreement between the founder and mentor. The support should be tailored to the business: examples include operational management, marketing, research and finding investment. Review what the programme actually provides before signing, including which person will deliver the support and how it relates to the company’s first-year activities.
The facilitator must have experience with innovative start-ups and be financially stable, without bankruptcy, receivership or negative equity. It cannot hold a majority stake in the start-up or be a family member within the prohibited third-degree relationship. RVO publishes recognised facilitators with descriptions of their programmes; that list is an official starting point for identifying a suitable provider, rather than proof that every programme fits every business. For example, a founder developing water technology should investigate whether the programme offers relevant expertise instead of choosing only by its physical location.
Prepare the financial and foreign-document evidence
IND’s written form 7558 is for the foreign national applying in the Netherlands; it expressly says someone abroad cannot use that form and should approach the Dutch embassy or consulate. Check the location question before completing a lengthy dossier. Its evidence instructions accept Dutch, English, French or German material; other languages require the specified translation, with authentication requirements depending on the document and where the translation was made.
For living funds supplied by the founder, the form identifies a Dutch personal or business account showing the available balance, or a foreign-bank statement identifying monthly transfers to that Dutch account. Facilitator funding needs a contract specifying the resources supplied. Third-party funding requires the stated bank or financier declaration of monthly payments; the financier route also asks for identity and bank-balance evidence. Match the evidence to the actual funding arrangement rather than submitting an unrelated company valuation. The form must be complete and signed, with the required evidence and applicable appendices.
Separate application charges from business and mentoring costs
IND’s current fee table lists €423 for a first start-up application or a change of residence purpose. It separately lists €254 for a holder of long-term EU residence status in another member state. The lower entry should not be assumed to apply merely because an applicant has spent time elsewhere in Europe; identify the actual residence status when checking the fee.
The table also lists €423 for changing from start-up residence to self-employment. These are immigration application charges, not an all-inclusive price for forming a company, obtaining translations or buying a mentoring package. Ask each provider for its own quotation and use IND’s fee table to identify the government transaction being paid.
Plan the business beyond the initial year
RVO describes the start-up permission as a temporary one-year period to establish the company. Its guidance says that after the year, a founder can apply for self-employed residence with the required facilitator statement or by meeting the ordinary self-employment conditions. The business plan should therefore identify what evidence of progress the mentor will be able to assess, rather than assume the first permit establishes a permanent right to remain.
Discuss that handover when agreeing the mentoring arrangement, while keeping the later application separate from the first filing. The reviewed resources do not establish an individual approval, a universal mentoring charge or a guaranteed outcome at the end of the initial year. Check the actual permit dates and the next route’s requirements as the business develops.
