DAFT visa money: register the business first, then fund its own account

The IND asks for a business bank statement showing your business's name and the amount, and Dutch banks usually want a Chamber of Commerce number before they open that account, so in practice the business is registered first and funded second. It must be your own money, not a loan, and it has to stay in: the IND withdraws the permit if the capital later drops below the minimum.

Money parked in a personal account does not produce the evidence the IND asks for, and borrowed money does not count at all. The application form asks for a business bank statement showing the amount invested, plus an opening balance sheet checked by an independent accountant, bookkeeper or financial adviser.

The figure above is the least of your own capital the IND accepts. It is not a fee: it stays in your own firm. For a partnership or a company, the IND's rules ask for more, at least a quarter of the firm's capital and never less than the figure above.

The order that works

1. Register the business with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK). A sole proprietor staying more than four months must first be registered at a Dutch home address.
2. Open a bank account in the business's name and pay your own capital into it. The government's business portal says banks usually ask for the KVK number first, and approval often takes two to eight weeks.
3. Have the opening balance sheet checked.
4. Apply to the IND with a KVK extract no older than three months. American nationals can apply from inside the Netherlands without a long-stay entry visa.

When you extend, the IND asks again for proof the capital is invested, and it withdraws the permit if the capital falls below the minimum.

What a quote should separate

Paid to Dutch authorities: the IND fee shown above as the government fee, with a lower fee for a partner and each child, and the KVK registration fee.

Kept by the firm: setting up the business, preparing the balance sheet and handling the application, each on its own line.

Ask whoever is quoting:

1. Will the capital sit in an account in the business's own name?
2. Is any part of it lent to you? Lent money is money the IND will not count.
3. Who checks the financial papers, and are they independent of the firm?
4. Will the business be registered before the money goes in, with the KVK extract still under three months old on the day you apply?

If an agency or lawyer has quoted you for setting up and filing, say yes at the box's first question, and each line is set against the IND's published requirements and against the prices firms on file publish for this route; with no quote yet, say no and type the capital you intend to invest. The check compares a document or a figure with the published rules, and does not look at your application or advise on it; for advice on your own case, speak to a qualified immigration lawyer.

General information, not legal advice.