Freelancing in the Netherlands without speaking Dutch
Updated on 18 August 2026 · 5 min read
Can you run a business here without speaking Dutch? Yes, but not every institution cooperates. What works in English, where you will meet Dutch anyway, and the vocabulary list that makes the blue envelopes readable.
What simply works in English
- The KvK (Chamber of Commerce): website, registration forms and most offices.
- Business.gov.nl: the official English-language government desk for entrepreneurs, covering nearly every rule in English.
- The DigiD app and municipal services in the larger cities.
- Your invoices: they can be entirely in English, also for the tax authority.
- Your bookkeeping: software with a real English interface (such as Finq) turns the VAT return into copying numbers.
Where you will meet Dutch anyway
The Belastingdienst is the hurdle: Mijn Belastingdienst (Zakelijk), the returns and the famous blue envelopes are in Dutch. Benefits (toeslagen) and most insurers also work in Dutch. You do not need to learn the language for this; you need to recognise a fixed set of terms, and there are fewer than you think.
The vocabulary list
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| aangifte | tax return/filing |
| omzetbelasting (btw) | VAT |
| inkomstenbelasting | income tax |
| voorlopige aanslag | provisional assessment |
| zelfstandigenaftrek | self-employed deduction |
| kleineondernemersregeling (KOR) | small business VAT exemption |
| toeslag | benefit/allowance |
| betalingskenmerk | payment reference |
| uiterste betaaldatum | payment deadline |
Received a letter you cannot place? The document number in the top right corner plus a search engine almost always leads to the English explanation on business.gov.nl or belastingdienst.nl.
The returns themselves
The VAT return has a fixed structure of numbered boxes (1a for standard-rate turnover, 5b for input VAT, and so on); once you understand the boxes, you can fill in the Dutch screens without speaking the language. The same goes for the annual income tax return, though many internationals outsource that in their first years, certainly in the migration year with its M-form.
How Finq helps
Finq is one of the few Dutch packages that is fully bilingual: the entire app, your invoices and the pre-filled VAT return per box. You keep your records in English; what you copy into the Belastingdienst screens is a short list of numbers.