The current situation
The British government formally announced its intention of withdrawing from the EU on 29 March 2017, thereby triggering the process laid out in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. The UK has now officially left the EU, with a transition period lasting until 31 December 2020.
As of 24 December 2020, the UK and the EU agreed to a trade & cooperation agreement. Even with this agreement, doing business with the UK will still be different starting 1 January 2021. As the agreement will now need to be ratified by EU parliament, details on how the agreement will affect businesses on both the EU and UK side are yet to be confirmed.
Dutch government agencies, including amsterdam inbusiness, IN Amsterdam and StartupAmsterdam all offer information and assistance. Find out more below.
General Brexit information
- The Dutch Government: Brexit: consequences for EU entrepreneurs, which includes topics such as customs, freedom of movement for citizens, contracts and Brexit-related events
- American Chamber of Commerce: Brexit and the future EU-UK relationship
Points of contact in the Amsterdam Area
- International businesses based (or looking to be based) in the Amsterdam Area, or international businesses employing British citizens, can contact amsterdam inbusiness, the foreign investment agency for the Amsterdam Area
- Amsterdam-based startups founded by British entrepreneurs, or employing British citizens, or startups considering a move to Amsterdam, can contact StartupAmsterdam regarding the local startup ecosystem and how Brexit might affect it
Information on setting up a business in the Netherlands
- Information from amsterdam inbusiness on setting up a business in the Amsterdam Area
- An extensive checklist on setting up a business in the Netherlands from the Dutch government
- Information from the Dutch Chamber of Commerce on setting up a business
- A video webinar about starting up your business in the Netherlands, published by the Dutch government
- General information about doing business in the Netherlands from commercial services providers PWC (PDF) and Baker McKenzie (PDF)
Information for different sectors
Logistics
- Distribution: the Netherlands are well-suited as a gateway to Europe and you can learn how your company can benefit through the Holland International Distribution Council
- Using Dutch ports: Brexit-related information for those using (or wanting to use) Dutch ports
Financial supervision and licensing
Life sciences and health
- From Allen & Overy: Brexit: EMA’s regulatory guidance on centrally approved medicinal products – the present state of play (published December 2017)
- From Bird & Bird: How to maintain your market authorisation after Brexit (PDF)
- From the European Medicines Agency: Practical guidance for procedures related to Brexit for medicinal products for human and veterinary use within the framework of the centralised procedure (published June 2018)
- From the European Medicines Agency: Report of Industry Stakeholder meeting on Brexit and operation of the centralised procedure for human medicinal products (published April 2018)
- From PWC: The Impact of Brexit on Pharma & Life Sciences (PDF)
Media enquiries
Journalists can contact Vera Al, spokesperson for Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Victor Everhardt (Economic Affairs), at v.al@amsterdam.nl.
