Rules for Foreign Self-Employed in Netherlands to be Eased
THE HAGUE, 01/08/13 - The rules for business people from outside the EU who want to base themselves in the Netherlands are to be relaxed, under a change of policy by Economic Affairs Minister Henk Kamp which will come into force Thursday.
The change is primarily intended for “innovative business people who can make an extra contribution to the Dutch economy with their specialism.” For example, the Netherlands can better meet the needs of the creative, medical and ICT sector - areas in which many self-employed without staff (ZZPs) work. The rules that are being adapted assess - with the help of a points system - factors including how many jobs foreign entrepreneurs can create, how innovative they are and how much they will invest in the Netherlands. Foreign ZZPs with relatively little turnover often have difficulty in scoring enough points for their business plan. To accede to their needs, the minimum amount they must invest will come down from 1 August from 25,000 euros to just 5,000 euros. The foreign ZZPs can also score higher points for their admission if they show that they are working on innovative products and services. Ruud Hendriks, co-founder of Startupbootcamp, a growth programme for startups in Amsterdam, speaks of a nice step forward. But 5,000 euros is still a big amount, even for brilliant people, from India, for example” |