What are some of the largest operating multinational companies in the Netherlands?

Updated on 18 December 2024

The Netherlands is currently one of the most favorable countries for business establishment by foreign entrepreneurs, due to the many benefits that the country provides. When you decide to open a company abroad, or expand your current business overseas, it is generally advisable to research which location would suit your business ambitions best. At Intercompany Solutions, we have seen repeatedly that the establishment of a Dutch company seems to meet practically all conditions that foreign entrepreneurs set for themselves. We are therefore offering specialized services in the area of Dutch business establishment, making it possible for you to incorporate a Dutch company in just a few business days. You can immediately start doing business, which will inevitably help your business grow even further. 

Next to Dutch company establishment, we also offer a vast array of other professional services to help your business thrive, such as administrative and secretarial services, legal advice, fiscal and financial services and tailored services that are suited to your specific needs. Our rates are competitive and clear, we always send you a quote before we start working for you. If you would like to know more about the benefits of establishing a company in the Netherlands and how this could work out for you, feel free to contact us at any time. Our team of professionals will gladly assist you with any questions you might have.

Why establish a business in the Netherlands?

The first choice you make when expanding your company overseas is the country you select for your subsidiary or branch office. There are many factors to consider when making such a choice, ranging from choosing a preferred area on the world map to expand to, the quality of the physical and digital infrastructure, the economic and political climate of the country, the amount of already established (foreign) entrepreneurs in the country, whether the citizens of the country are bilingual, the possibilities for international trade and so on. The choice you make highly depends on the type of business you want to conduct and what specific facilities and conditions you need in order to achieve success. 

The reason that so many already established organizations and multinationals choose the Netherlands, is the fact the country scores extremely high on all the abovementioned factors. The Netherlands is highly strategically positioned, acting as a main hub to the entirety of Europe. The port of Rotterdam is one of the world's largest ports, whereas Schiphol Airport is also internationally renowned. A huge amount of goods moves in and out of these transportation hubs on a daily basis, creating a solid base for international trade. The roads and railroads in the Netherlands are also considered to be one of the best in the world, connecting your potential business to the entire European Union (EU).

The digital infrastructure is also excellent, with nearly the entire population connected to high-speed internet. During the past years, fiber connections have also been established everywhere and simultaneously, 5G has been rolled out throughout the entire country. Furthermore, both the economic and political climate have been exceptionally stable for decades, this is not something that should change anytime soon. This creates a perfect safe base for your business operations. Next to that, a staggering amount of foreign entrepreneurs and multinationals have already established headquarters, subsidiaries and branch offices here. We will discuss this later in the article and provide you with an ample number of examples of well-known companies that are currently based in the Netherlands. 

Lastly, the Netherlands is recognized worldwide for the foreign language proficiency of its citizens. Nearly all Dutch citizens are bilingual, many even trilingual. And did you know that the Dutch are on the first position in the list of countries as having English as their second language? This will make it very easy for you to find qualified personnel for your company. Overall, establishing a Dutch business will provide you with many exciting opportunities to grow your business and acquire new clients and projects internationally. A chance you should definitely take if your ambitions are high.

Why are so many multinationals expanding to the European Union?

Next to the Netherlands being a favorable country for business establishment, having access to the entire EU is a massive plus if you want to trade without many limitations. The European Single Market allows for the free trade of products and services without any customs hassles. This makes the import and export of goods fast, efficient and easy. If you consider starting an e-commerce business, starting in the Netherlands is a great step forward. The European Union thus offers many opportunities for business expansion, even internationally. 

Almost every country in the EU is considered to be a stable country by the rest of the world, which will make it possible for you to find clients and projects all over the world. Many large international corporations have established a presence in the EU, to be able to trade and do business together faster and more efficiently. If you are currently based in a country that doesn’t offer these benefits, chances are high that incorporating a business in the Netherlands will immediately skyrocket your business endeavors. Below, we have listed numerous examples of both national and international companies that are already based in the Netherlands and achieving success due to this expansion.

Examples of large companies and organizations that are currently based in the Netherlands

Below you will find multiple lists of large well-known international companies that have headquarters, subsidiaries and branch offices in the Netherlands. These companies all have many international ties, a wide range of services and products and a worldwide client base. 

Large companies that are founded in the Netherlands:

• Royal Dutch Shell (Oil and gas)
• Unilever (Consumer goods)
• ING Group (Bank)
• Philips (Technology)
• Heineken (Beer)
• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Airline)
• Akzo Nobel (Chemical, paint)
• ASML (Semiconductor / chipmaker)
• Randstad (Human Resource and consulting)

Large startups that have originated in The Netherlands:

• Booking.com (Hotel booking)
• TomTom (Navigation systems)
• Adyen (Payment provider)
• Bunq (Online bank)
• Mollie (Payment provider)
• Picnic (Online Supermarket)
• Messagebird (Cloud communications)
• Bux (Trading app)

Multinationals that originated abroad with Dutch headquarters or a subsidiary:

• Nike
• Starbucks
• Alphabet (Google)
• McDonald's
• Facebook
• Cisco Systems
• IBM
• Microsoft
• Dell Technologies
• Visa
• Intel
• Coca-Cola European Partners
• Stellantis
• Uber
• Tesla
• Johnson & Johnson
• Oracle Corporation
• eBay
• Adobe
• LinkedIn
• General Electric
• Whirlpool Corporation
• WarnerMedia (Warner Brothers)
• Salesforce
• The Goldman Sachs Group
• Boeing
• Lyft (Europe)
• Pfizer

Examples of success stories of international companies in the Netherlands

As we already mentioned numerous times, the Netherlands has long been a preferred destination for global businesses seeking to establish a foothold in the European Union. Its strategic location, highly skilled workforce, business-friendly environment, and well-developed infrastructure have made it a hub for many multinationals. This has already led to many success stories, even though most of these companies were already highly successful. For example, a company such as Nike, that chose the Netherlands for its European Logistics Campus, has significantly enhanced its distribution capabilities, which made it possible to reach millions of customers more efficiently due to having better access to the continent. 

Similarly, the company Adyen, which is a Dutch payment provider, has leveraged its Amsterdam headquarters to expand its global presence in a noteworthy way, providing seamless payment solutions across multiple continents. This has, in turn, also created better payment opportunities for companies that use the services of this company. The well-known company Booking.com, which was originally founded in the Netherlands, has grown into one of the world's leading online travel platforms. Amsterdam is still considered as its operational heart. There are also many other tech giants, such as Google and Microsoft, which have established major data centers and R&D facilities in the Netherlands. These companies massively benefit from the highly skilled and multilingual ambitious workforce, and of course the previously mentioned robust digital infrastructure with an exceptionally high amount of coverage per citizen. 

Furthermore, the healthcare sector has also seen substantial growth, with companies such as Johnson & Johnson expanding its European innovation center in Leiden, and Pfizer using its Dutch facilities to spearhead vaccine distribution across Europe during potential pandemics. Since the Netherlands already houses many pharmaceutical companies and companies solely focused on healthcare, there are also large opportunities for integrated collaboration and research between such organizations. These (and many other) success stories illustrate that the Netherlands is not only an entry point to the European Single Market but also a thriving environment for innovation and growth. If you have aspirations to start a business in one of these sectors, chances are realistic that you might end up collaborating with such well-known companies as well.

How to set up a business in the Netherlands?

If you would like to create more possibilities for yourself, setting up a business in a country where all these giants are established might be just what you need. Intercompany Solutions can assist you with the entire incorporation process, which consists of several steps. Firstly, you will need to provide us with some necessary information and documentation, which always consists of a valid form of identification, the names of all future shareholders, a valid Dutch company registration address and the preferred name of your company. If you already own a company with a certain name, but that name is already in use in the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, you will have to alter it slightly to avoid any form of copyright infringement. 

Once we have checked all the documents and approved their validity, we either go to a notary public to incorporate your company, or register it directly in the Dutch Trade Register. Which option applies to you is dependent on the type of company you want to establish. Some company types require incorporation via a notary, whilst others are labeled as so-called ‘unincorporated companies’, which can be registered with the Chamber of Commerce directly. We will elaborate on this choice in the paragraph below. After all these steps are taken, you have to deposit the share capital (in the case you establish a Dutch BV or subsidiary) and then you obtain your official registration number and VAT number. Once you also open a Dutch bank account, you are ready to do business.  

The difference between a sole Dutch BV, a subsidiary and a branch office

As we already discussed above, there are several company types and structures you can choose from. There are unincorporated company types that do not require a notary, which might seem beneficial at first glance because you can save a bit of money that way. One such company type is the sole proprietorship, but a branch office is also considered to be unincorporated. These company types have some disadvantages, though. The main disadvantage is that you can personally be held liable for any debts you create with your company in the Netherlands. This is mainly the reason why 99% of all entrepreneurs we deal with choose the Dutch BV, a holding structure or a subsidiary. 

Where a branch office is only seen as an administrative extension of your current company, which is not a legal entity, a subsidiary holds the same rights and duties as a Dutch BV. A Dutch BV can be compared to a private limited liability company, which does provide you with limited liability when it comes to company debts. The difference between a Dutch BV and a subsidiary is that a subsidiary officially falls under the umbrella of your current foreign company, whereas a Dutch BV will be a completely separate new legal entity. You can also choose to incorporate a BV holding structure, in which you will have one BV that will hold all your assets and one or more subsidiaries that fall under this holding. This makes it easy to spread financial risks, and will also offer you interesting tax benefits. 

Which option works best for you?

To be able to know which choice will work best in your situation, you should consider whether you want to expand an already existing company, or start an entirely new company. In the case where you already own a successful company and would like to expand your presence abroad, establishing a subsidiary under your current company might be the best option. This will have the same structure as a Dutch BV, but it will be tied to your foreign company. If you want to establish a new Dutch company, we strongly advise to either choose the Dutch BV, or a BV holding structure, depending on your specific needs and ambitions. In our experience it works best to start with a single BV if you are a startup, to see where the future takes you. Once you achieve success, you can consider expanding your BV into multiple subsidiaries, making it possible to spread and allocate assets and risks. If you would like to acquire more in-depth information about the right company type choice for you, feel free to contact us anytime with your questions. We will happily help you out through the entire process. 

The many services we can offer you

Intercompany Solutions has assisted hundreds of foreign entrepreneurs from over 50 different nationalities. Our clients range from small one-person startups to multinational corporations, and everything in between. Our processes are aimed at foreign entrepreneurs and, as such, we know the most practical ways to assist with your company registration. We can assist with the full package of company registration in the Netherlands:

• Company establishment in the Netherlands
• Opening of a local bank account
• Application for VAT or EORI number
• Application for a variety of permits
• Application for a visa or start-up permit
• Startup assistance
• Financial services
• Administrative services
• Secretarial services
• Legal assistance
• Tax and financial services
• Media
• General business advice

We are constantly improving our quality standards to continually deliver impeccable services. 

Intercompany Solutions can set up and register your Dutch company in just a few business days

Would you like to follow in the footsteps of all these successful multinationals? Then we can honestly say that now is your best chance. The world is changing rapidly and opportunities are always there for the taking, all you need to do is take action right now. With many years of experience in assisting foreign entrepreneurs just like you with successful Dutch company establishment, we can aid you throughout the entire process of incorporation, registration and keeping your company afloat after you have set up your business. 

We can also help you with other necessary tasks such as creating a business plan, taking care of your periodical tax returns, other administrative services, legal advice and many forms of practical business advice. Our team of experts is always at the ready to assist you in any way possible. Our aim is to create a solid base for you to carry out your business activities and achieve international success. Entrepreneurs have helped the economic system thrive throughout the centuries and your addition to the Dutch economy is equally valuable. Please contact us for more information, or for a clear quote regarding Dutch business establishment.