Freelancing here begins with a registration step at the KvK (Chamber of Commerce), and people arriving from countries with heavier incorporation requirements often assume it is more involved than it turns out to be. What the appointment produces — a KvK number, and separately a VAT identification number — shapes the admin that follows.
Book an appointment with the KvK (Chamber of Commerce), online or in person, and bring ID. You pay a one-time registration fee, around €85 in 2026, and that's it — no recurring KvK charge afterward just to stay registered. You walk out with a KvK number, and the Belastingdienst (tax authority) automatically issues a separate btw-id (VAT ID) within a few days, kept deliberately separate from your BSN-linked personal number for privacy. A dedicated business bank account isn't legally required for a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak), but worth opening anyway — it makes bookkeeping and BTW returns much less painful than sorting business transactions out of a personal account later.