© Copyright Acquisition International 2025 - All Rights Reserved.

Article Image - Navigating Dutch Business Culture: Advice for Expanding Your Business Operations to the Netherlands
Posted 23rd May 2023

Navigating Dutch Business Culture: Advice for Expanding Your Business Operations to the Netherlands

Around 400 companies each year set up their Business in the Netherlands, coming from Europe, North and South America, and Asia - and continues to be a place of choice for business expansion.

Mouse Scroll AnimationScroll to keep reading

Let us help promote your business to a wider following.

Navigating Dutch Business Culture: Advice for Expanding Your Business Operations to the Netherlands
Portrait of beautiful young woman standing with colleagues reading some documents in office. Business people in office reading their contract papers.

Around 400 companies each year set up their Business in the Netherlands, coming from Europe, North and South America, and Asia – and continues to be a place of choice for business expansion.

Expanding your business to the Netherlands brings with it plenty of excitement and opportunity. There are many good reasons to open an office in the Netherlands, whether in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or any of the other amazing cities the country has to offer. If you decide to make the leap, ensure that you are fully compliant with local tax regulations, as well as outsourcing a Data Protection Officer role to a native Dutch speaker to ensure that you are fully compliant with GDPR in the country. In Dutch this is called ‘externe functionaris gegevensbescherming’. This, alongside all other business considerations should be taken very seriously in order for your business to be a success.

What are the tips you should take on board to navigate Dutch business culture when expanding your business to the Netherlands?

Why move your business to the Netherlands?

Many entrepreneurs and business owners have decided to open up their business to operate in the Netherlands in recent years, and with good reason. Here are just a few of the benefits of expanding your business to the Netherlands:

A good location – the Netherlands has fantastic trade links and transportation routes both within the country and out of it. To the west is the UK and Ireland within easy reach via the sea, road, rail and air, whilst links to the rest of Europe, Asia, and to every part of the globe is possible through its large ports and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, which is an international travel hub.

Well-developed cities – an established and growing market awaits you, with well-developed cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, and The Hague, that all have great transport links between them and a market that is ripe for you to sell your products and services to.

A fantastic working population – the labour pool in the Netherlands is well-educated and highly-skilled within a wide variety of industries. The world class education system in the country has led to the development of a workforce eager to learn and with high standards of productivity and focus.

Easy migrant visas – the government issue work visas to a large number of people, enabling businesses to expand into the country whilst bringing certain numbers of existing staff to come with them.

Great tax incentives – the tax system is favourable to businesses in the Netherlands, with 15% statutory corporate income tax on the first €395,000 of profits and 25.8% on the next €395,000. The transparency of the benefits to incoming businesses makes it attractive, with 30% personal income tax advantages for skilled foreign workers.

What are the specific parts of Dutch business culture you need to know?

There are a few key parts of Dutch business culture that are very important. We’ll break it down into different sections below so you can see exactly what to expect and what is expected from you when conducting business in the Netherlands. The biggest thing though, across all aspects of Dutch life is punctuality. Dutch people are always on time for any type of meeting. If you are late, you will not build relationships.

Business meetings – there are a few key ones here, including the punctuality mentioned above. Always shake hands with every person in the room when arriving, expect business talk to start right away, and don’t waste any time during the meeting. Dutch people expect any proposals to be backed up with concrete facts and figures, so always be fully prepared before bringing up a potential thread of conversation.

A task-oriented society – you’ll find that many Dutch people don’t find it a necessary part of business life to create personal relationships with counterparts before conducting business. A business relationship is often kept formal and does not bleed into the personal lives of people who interact with each other daily as part of their work life. You can become friends with your Dutch colleagues but generally they will only do this if there is no potential negative impact on business.

There are a few steps you need to work through when expanding your business in the Netherlands. It is an extremely welcoming place to conduct business, with ample available and flexible workspaces to choose from, enticing tax incentives for a wide range of businesses and sectors, and a working population that is well motivated, highly educated and skilled, and always ready to learn more. Add in the great transport and logistics within the country itself, to wider Europe and the World, and you can see why it is such a popular choice of country when it comes to expanding businesses, especially from British firms looking to plug back into the EU market post-Brexit. As long as you follow the local rules and laws, ensure compliance with GDPR, and understand the specific business culture of the Dutch people, you can make a success of expanding into the country with your company.

Categories: Corporate Social Responsibility, News


You Might Also Like
Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
African Business Awards 2016
Legal
01/07/2016African Business Awards 2016

Kanokanga & Partners, established in 1991, has a reputation for offering high quality legal service. For the firm, clients come first. The firm looks after its clients’ interests as if they were its own. Furthermore, the firm is open, honest and straightforw

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
HRG Group, Inc. Announces Armored AutoGroup Acquisition By Spectrum Brands
M&A
30/04/2015HRG Group, Inc. Announces Armored AutoGroup Acquisition By Spectrum Brands

HRG Group, Inc., a diversified holding company focused on owning and acquiring businesses that it believes can, in the long term, generate sustainable free cash flow or attractive returns on investment, announced that its majority owned subsidiary, Spectrum Br

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Brum Costa: Specialists in Finance and Tax Law
Finance
12/01/2018Brum Costa: Specialists in Finance and Tax Law

Brum Costa Abogados specialises in customised consultancy services in management of financial risk and compliance, regulatory advice on banking and financial issues, tax compliance and prevention of money laundering.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
What Small Businesses Need to Know About Safety Online
News
29/04/2022What Small Businesses Need to Know About Safety Online

As the internet continues to play an increasingly central role in our lives, it\’s no surprise that businesses are looking to cash in on its potential. Small businesses are especially vulnerable to online threats, as they often lack the resources of larg

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Driving Global Developments
Leadership
01/04/2021Driving Global Developments

As the world has become more globalized, business has had to move to match it. With every country working to different standards, it’s little surprise that many have struggled to make the best possible investments in time and resources. Named Most Innovative

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
How to Implement a Flawless Digital Marketing Strategy
Innovation
21/11/2019How to Implement a Flawless Digital Marketing Strategy

A cohesive digital marketing strategy is essential for any company that wants to maximise profits and gain new customers. Many organisations opt to reconfigure traditional marketing strategies in accordance with the digital arena, but this approach to digital

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Lloyds Blueprint Two: How Third-Party Data and Software Providers Can Help the Insurance Sector to Release This Value
News
16/01/2023Lloyds Blueprint Two: How Third-Party Data and Software Providers Can Help the Insurance Sector to Release This Value

The Lloyds of London insurance market is inarguably one of the world’s oldest and least modernised groups and it is having to re-think the way it interacts with customers and turning to digital. This is a prime example for the rest of the sector that it is t

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
What Is Medical Negligence? What To Do If You Experience One
Legal
16/03/2023What Is Medical Negligence? What To Do If You Experience One

You expect the best care and results when you go to a hospital. However, sometimes things don’t go as anticipated. Your healthcare provider could make errors during treatment, diagnosis, or aftercare.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Here’s the Evidence You Need to Prove Negligence in A Car Crash
Legal
09/02/2023Here’s the Evidence You Need to Prove Negligence in A Car Crash

Negligence is a legal concept often used in car crash cases. It refers to a failure to exercise care, resulting in harm or injury to another person.



Our Trusted Brands

Acquisition International is a flagship brand of AI Global Media. AI Global Media is a B2B enterprise and are committed to creating engaging content allowing businesses to market their services to a larger global audience. We have 14 unique brands, each of which serves a specific industry or region. Each brand covers the latest news in its sector and publishes a digital magazine and newsletter which is read by a global audience.

Arrow