As a business owner, it is an enticing proposition to expand your business to Holland. It is a country with a vibrant culture, a welcoming country with a highly skilled workforce, great trade links and transportation links, and a ready-made audience of potential customers with access to Europe and beyond. If you are considering making the move, you’ll want to ensure that your company is compliant with all Dutch law, alongside other considerations such as GDPR. With this in particular, you can start off your journey on the best footing by searching 'uitbesteden functionaris gegevensbescherming'. This means, Outsourced Data Protection Officer, and will help you find a native Dutch speaking DPO with experience in Dutch corporate law and compliance. A helpful start that gives you the best chance to succeed as you expand your business – a foundation of expertise that limits risks and delays to your expansion.
Choosing Holland
There are many good reasons to choose Holland as a destination to expand your business operations. For many UK business owners in particular, gaining access to the lucrative European market that has been challenging since the UK left the EU after Brexit, the Netherlands provides a tantalising glimpse at what was lost, and has therefore become a very popular choice when considering expansion into a different country. Of course, it is not as simple as it once was for a British business to operate in the EU, but there are still ways to do so.
Holland offers a fantastic location for any business looking for expansion opportunities. It is in the perfect geographical location with fantastic trade routes open to Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. It also has a large, highly skilled working population with brilliant language skills and a work ethic like few others in Europe. Gaining access to a ready-made workforce, a ready-made target market in the Netherlands itself with its built-up cities, and great tax incentives, it is no wonder that businesses are choosing Holland to expand their business operations. For UK business owners in particular, the Netherlands is close by in terms of road, rail, air, and sea, allowing for access to the European market in a way that hasn’t been possible since Brexit.
Taking the relevant steps for a legal expansion of your business
Holland looks like it will be a good place for you to expand your business, but it isn’t as simple as it once was. There are different steps to be aware of, and to consider before you make the move. Once you begin this process, take on board the advice of experts and professionals in Dutch law, make sure you have the legal right to operate a business in the Netherlands, and then be methodical in your approach. This means choosing the correct business structure, registering with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce and finding out about the specific tax regulations that are relevant to your business type, hiring staff in accordance with Dutch employment law, and having a thorough business plan that covers this transitionary period in full.
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Dutch GDPR and Compliance
There are different areas of Dutch law and business regulations to be aware of, and one of the most important is GDPR. This is an EU regulation that was brought in to ensure that the data privacy for individual data subjects was tight and secure. Any business that operates in the EU or operates outside of the EU but sells to EU customers and collects data as a result, must comply with GDPR. The Dutch AVG (as GDPR is known in Holland) came into effect in May 2018. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has the power to impose fines on any organisation that does not adhere to the data regulations. This could be a fine as large as €20 million or 4% of the global annual turnover of the company, whichever is higher.
Outsourcing your DPO and professionally following compliance guidelines when looking to expand your business operations to Holland is a smart move. This would give you a solid foundation from which to set up operations in a clear, transparent, and effective way, within the strict regulatory framework that is specific to the Netherlands. It isn’t always as straightforward as saying “I want to move my business there!” and to just do that the next day. There are always different laws, tax systems, business regulations and the like to consider. On top of that, something like GDPR and how it interacts with businesses and individual data subjects throughout the EU and beyond, is a vital part of any modern business. Failure to comply with GDPR for example, brings with it potentially large fines that run into the millions. This can be catastrophic to any business.
Good luck on your journey in expanding your operations to Holland! Just remember to do your research, and liaise with professionals beforehand to ensure you have covered everything.
