Startup visa. Nick Nedelchuk, founder and CEO of the Lokali unique travel service , talks about his experiences with getting a Dutch startup visa and explains why he chose this country for life.
How to get a Dutch startup visa: 5 easy steps


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Startup visa. Nick Nedelchuk, founder and CEO of the Lokali unique travel service , talks about his experiences with getting a Dutch startup visa and explains why he chose this country for life.
The Lokali headquarters is located in Rotterdam, the second largest city in the Netherlands. And the process of obtaining a start-up visa turned out to be as simple as possible – in the best traditions of MVP.
It is widely believed that Silicon Valley is no longer what it was before. And the new “unicorns” will appear sooner somewhere in Europe, New York or Massachusetts, but hardly in California, where the cost of living exceeds all conceivable limits and negates the likelihood of enthusiasts creating a company from scratch in the garage of an ordinary house. After all, the minority can afford the house itself.
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I will not speculate, arguing about how true the opinion is. But the fact remains – if you are trying to realize your dream and build a large company that is designed to seriously improve the lives of many, California is not the easiest place to start.
Where, then, to settle down to create a new “unicorn” was easier, to remain in the spotlight, to remain part of a coherent innovation ecosystem?
“New Silicon Valley” is often called different cities or countries. The Netherlands is regularly mentioned in this vein. The kingdom managed to achieve the harmony that seems like a fairy tale to the inhabitants of the Valley.
The Netherlands is “the best country for raising children ” and at the same time “the best market in the world for tech companies ”, ahead of the United States in the ranking. Some more facts worth knowing about the Kingdom;
These facts are enough to draw attention to the Netherlands as a country where you will begin your journey to a dream.
Contents
My story
I initially moved to the Netherlands at the end of 2017 as a “highly skilled migrant.” Under this program, a lot of people move to the country every year. For example, in 2018 there were almost 20 thousand such people – this is 0.1% of the population of the Kingdom and 10% of the total number of immigrants ( link ).
Before moving, I lived in Moscow and worked as an IT project manager in one of the IKEA divisions. Through an internal job search engine, I found a similar position with the requirements that ideally suited me. The position was at the company’s headquarters in Dutch Delft.
The first time they wrote me from the Dutch HR in September, in October I had a face-to-face interview on the spot, in November I received a job offer, and January 2 was my first working day. The whole move was as fast as possible, harmonious.
The organization was perfect, and the state bureaucracy impressed me: they accept scans of documents via e-mail, in general almost everything is done via the Internet, and it took only two weeks from the moment the documents were submitted to receive a five-year residence permit in the country.
Love for the Netherlands came on the spot. I went to a new job as if on an adventure – not knowing what to expect. I heard a lot of good things about the Netherlands, but my own experience, unfortunately, was exclusively tourist. And the tourist side of Holland, as it turned out, does not closely convey the spirit, style and everyday life of life in the country.
The first months in the Netherlands were a great discovery.
Why a startup visa?
And already in the new 2017, I began to actively engage in the project: together with co-founder Sergey Chebykin and the team, we thought out a business model, created a brand, built a concept, drew design and worked on development.
Our MVP was released in March 2018 – two months after my move. The first time a startup was a hobby. Hot, beloved, to whom I spent all my free time and dreamed that one day it would grow into a company with an office, employees and a product that millions of people around the world love.
I managed to take a huge step towards the dream in May 2019. Then we signed SAFE with two business angels to receive presowing investments of $ 120 thousand. The story was incredible – the investor found us.
He was one of the Lokali clients who, using the travel service several times, eventually booked a walk in The Hague and Rotterdam with me (I, too, Lokali!) And in the end he suggested investing in the project together with his business partner.
At the time of signing the agreement, Lokali’s monthly turnover was $ 12,000, and operating profit was just over $ 3,000. Investments gave a sharp breakthrough to the whole product and team, and I myself finally decided – to hell with a well-paid job. It’s time for adventure!
There was only one question – how to switch to full time in your own company, but at the same time stay in Holland? (I considered the option of moving to the States, but, after weighing the pros and cons, I refused.
The answer was found quite quickly – thanks to the network and the Internet. There are two options, as it turned out:
After weighed the pros and cons, I decided to choose the second option. The path was a long but successful one. He submitted the documents on August 28, 2019, and on January 10, 2020 he went to the Rotterdam office of the Immigration Service and took his new residence permit.
How to get a Dutch startup visa?
The short answer is one-word spoiler: easy.
Dutch authorities have come up with a startup visa to attract tech entrepreneurs from around the world to their country. In the local immigration system, it has become a salvation bridge for new, weak companies with low turnover, which leads to an entrepreneur’s residence permit that has long existed.
Problem: in order to get a Dutch entrepreneur residence permit, you need to fill out a huge questionnaire that assesses the state of your business.
The result is the total score, depending on the answers to the questions. If it is more than the specified value – this allows you to apply for a residence permit. If less – then no.
Practice has shown that this process took a very long time and was simply not suitable for most startups. Beginning businesses would have to spend years before they could reach such momentum.
And by the time of strengthening positions, a large company will be much more difficult to entice to another jurisdiction. It is much more convenient to initially register a company in the Netherlands – then a bird in a cage.
As a result, the authorities came up with an elegant way, which at the same time is distinguished by the incredible simplicity of the associated procedures – a startup visa.
– Just a piece of paper signed by you, certifying that you did not trade in people and do not intend to eat babies.
– A step-by-step startup development plan is a very simplified version of a business plan, only without specifics, short without KPI and financial calculations. Goals can be set extremely vague, no one will track them except you.
– Certificate of registration of your company in the Netherlands.
– Bank statement that you have at least € 14 thousand there. Not necessarily your own bank account – there may be a company bank account. The main thing is to show that you have access to use this account.
If you apply for a start-up visa from outside the Netherlands, the process is somewhat complicated by the need, after receiving approval, to make an appointment with the Consulate in order to receive a special visa authorizing entry into the country.
So it is best to submit documents while in the Netherlands. This is possible – after you have applied for a start-up visa, your stay in Nyderanda is legal.
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The only restriction is that in order to travel outside the country and return again, you will have to paste a special sticker in your passport. It costs around € 160, but allows you to travel throughout the European Union and beyond until you receive a start-up visa.
Speaking generally about the process, the main criterion for making a decision on issuing a visa is the positive conclusion of your facilitator. The Immigration Service also seeks an opinion on the idea from RVO, it is a government-run business support organization. Inside there is a department that engages startups. It makes sense to get to know them in advance.
In the Netherlands, as in any Western country, everything is built on relationships – they trust you when they know you, heard, met you.
Good news: getting to know someone from RVO is easy. You don’t need any warm intro – just write to the coordinators of the national program for attracting startups here , ask for advice about the prospects of your company in the Netherlands, and most likely they will offer to meet and discuss everything in person.
When I wrote about Lokali in my time, I was lucky to meet the head of the program – an amazingly ideological young man who is burning with all his heart the idea of building a new Silicon Valley, discussing all our prospects at dinner at a local burger, and at the same time present himself.
How long is a startup visa valid? What then?
A start-up visa is issued for a period of one year from the date of application (and not the issuance of a visa). Throughout the year, you need to regularly meet with your facilitator, report on progress and maintain a warm relationship.
It directly depends on whether you will be able to stay in the Netherlands longer – after a year, it is your facilitator who writes a conclusion about how your business is developing. If it is positive, you apply for an entrepreneur’s residence permit and receive it for two years (with the possibility of easy extension for the same period).
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The procedure looks surprisingly simple, but it really works. This is another advantage of the Netherlands, which I forgot to mention earlier – they believe in people here, they try to do everything in life as simple as possible so that your path to success is cleared of fallen pines.
If you have a bright idea, product and desire to bring it all to the international level – perhaps the Netherlands is the best place to make your dream a reality.
Well, when you move, be sure to write, we will create a new Silicon Valley in the heart of Europe together!