I moved to the Netherlands just as my team and I were launching Localie, and it was here that the need to register a legal entity arose. Very soon I discovered that the Dutch had an Orange carpet program aimed at attracting foreign startups to the country. I wrote to them by email, and they responded very warmly and offered to meet.
The representative of the state program turned out to be a very nice young man, quite informally dressed, more like a talented entrepreneur than a state official as I usually saw them. Our meeting took place in a burger bar. The conversation was useful: I was given a completely free and clear “digestion” of all the features of doing business in the Netherlands and suggested a solution specifically for my set-up. Finally we shared our proven contacts in the industry.
The local government succeeded in minimizing red tape in many ways. I got my residence permit in about two weeks after I had sent the documents. City halls are open to all, reception of citizens is by electronic queue. Most operations can be done over the Internet, using the so-called DigID. You can even change your registration address this way. People open their own LLC in a few days, it costs €50.
