The Dutch Japanese trade treaty is a treaty between the Netherlands and Japan dating all the way back to 1913. The treaty was initially intended to promote trade, commerce and shipping between the two countries.
For immigration purposes the Friendship Treaty is benefits Japanese self-employed entrepreneurs. The trade agreement offers Japanese entrepreneurs and their family members a very easy way to obtain residency in the Netherlands. It effectively has the same requirements as the Dutch American Friendship Treaty (DAFT).
There are two main requirements to qualify for residency under the Friendship Treaty. Firstly, one needs to set up a business in the Netherlands. This can either be a simple sole proprietorship, a partnership or somewhat more intricate LLC (called BV in Dutch). Secondly, the entrepreneur needs to deposit an amount of at least €4500 in a business account. If an LLC (BV) is incorporated than an additional requirement is that the entrepreneur owns at least 25% of the shares.
An added bonus is that the family members of the Japanese entrepreneur enjoy unrestricted access to the labor market. Meaning, no prior permission or conditions are required for working on employment basis.
Upon approval the entrepreneur and her/his family members will initially get residence permits for two years. After two years, if there is business activity and the invested of €4500 is still present in the business, then the permits will be extended for five years. The Dutch Japanese Friendship Treaty permit can be extended for as long as these requirements are met.
Despite the relatively few admission requirements for Japanese entrepreneurs under the Friendship Treaty, in practice it has proved difficult for many to meet all the preconditions for approval within a short period of time (such as registration in the Personal Records Database/BRP). Professional guidance is not a superfluous luxury for a fast and efficient processing of the application. In addition to our own expertise, we make our network available to external experts.
What can Arslan|Lit attorneys do for you?
Over the years our firm has built up extensive experience in obtaining residence permits under the Dutch Japanese Friendship treaty our Japanese clients. We can honestly say that we have a 100% success ratio in this area. Not only will we handle the entire application procedure for you, we will navigate you through the Dutch (bureaucracy) system to help you fulfill all of the requirements as smoothly and as swiftly as possible. We give our clients access to our firm’s network of reliable tax advisors, accountants, notary’s and other respective professionals.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office. Call us, 020 223 2466, or send us an email, info@arslanlitadvocaten.nl. We are happy to help! You can also reach us via our social media channels which you can find at the bottom of this page.
