For entrepreneurs looking to move to Europe, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands are three of the most attractive options. All three let non-EU citizens establish businesses and obtain legal residence, but the immigration routes work quite differently.

One of the biggest mistakes advisers see is starting with the question, “Which country has the easiest entrepreneur visa?”

A better question is:

What will your business actually look like after you move?

The answer usually falls into one of a few profiles, and each can point to a different route:

• Open a new local business in the country you move to;
• Continue operating an established company abroad;
• Work remotely for international clients;
• Build a new, scalable startup;
• Relocate an existing business.

Those distinctions can completely change which immigration route makes sense.

Specialist relocation firms have worked with entrepreneurs ranging from tourism operators and consultants to pet-care businesses, digital professionals and traditional service businesses.

Their cases show that relocating to Europe as an entrepreneur is rarely just about obtaining a visa. Banking, business structure, accommodation, tax registration, Social Security and the timing of each step can be just as important.

Portugal vs. Spain vs. the Netherlands: The Routes at a Glance

Profile	Portugal	Spain	Netherlands
Starting a local business	D2 Visa	Self-Employed Residence and Work Permit	Self-Employed Visa
Freelancer / independent professional	D2 Visa	Self-Employed Permit or Digital Nomad Visa	Self-Employed Visa (or DAFT for US citizens)
Owner of an established foreign company working remotely	D8 may be relevant; D2 depending on structure	Digital Nomad Visa	Depends on structure; often a Dutch BV
Innovative startup founder	D2 or Startup Visa depending on project	Entrepreneur Residence Authorization	Start-Up Visa
Existing foreign clients, work performed remotely	Usually D8 rather than D2	Digital Nomad Visa	Self-Employed Visa or BV setup

Insight: “Entrepreneur” is not one immigration category. The correct route depends on where the company is based, where the customers are, what work will actually be performed and how you will earn income, not on which country sounds easiest.

Portugal: The D2 Visa is Broader than Many Entrepreneurs Expect

Portugal’s D2 residence visa is aimed at non-EU nationals who intend to pursue independent professional activity or invest in Portugal.

For entrepreneurs, the Portuguese government requires evidence that the applicant has carried out, or genuinely intends to carry out, an investment in Portugal, together with evidence of financial resources available in Portugal and a description of the intended investment.

Applicants also have to demonstrate accommodation, means of subsistence and the usual immigration requirements such as criminal-record documentation and insurance. Official guidance does not establish one universal minimum investment amount that applies to every D2 entrepreneur.

That flexibility is important.

A D2 applicant does not necessarily have to be launching a venture-backed technology startup. Advisers in this space have assisted or assessed entrepreneurs planning businesses in sectors including cultural tourism, pet care and personal services.

What a real D2 case looks like

One recent case involved an entrepreneur developing a tourism business in Portugal. By the time the visa file was being prepared, the entrepreneur already had a Portuguese company, a business plan and a Portuguese bank account.

The interesting part of the case was not the concept of the business. It was the sequence of the administrative steps. Corporate-registration requirements, commencement of activity and other company documentation had dependencies between them. A document that sounds like a minor administrative detail can hold up the next part of the process.

A similar pattern appeared with another entrepreneur establishing a pet-care business in Portugal. The company had already been incorporated, the business plan had been prepared, premises had been arranged and the business structure was real. Yet the way funds were documented and made available in Portugal still became an important part of preparing the immigration file.

That is why an experienced D2 process treats these as connected steps rather than isolated tasks:

• The NIF (Portuguese tax number);
• A Portuguese bank account;
• Business creation and the business plan;
• Accommodation;
• The consular application;
• The eventual AIMA residence process.

You do not need to be a “startup founder”

Another case involved an experienced barber who already had customers, equipment and an established professional background and wanted to relocate and operate a barbershop.

That is a useful example because people often associate entrepreneur immigration with technology companies.

Portugal’s D2 can also be relevant to a conventional, economically viable local business. What matters is being able to demonstrate a credible activity or investment and the resources and professional basis to implement it.

Once in Portugal, holders moving into the residence-permit stage may need to demonstrate that the activity actually exists. AIMA’s current guidance for independent activity includes proof of commencement of activity with the tax and Social Security authorities, together with documents such as a service contract, company certificate or invoices, depending on the situation.

Pro Tip: The business plan should not be a document created purely for immigration purposes. There needs to be a credible path from the plan to a functioning business, because at the residence-permit stage you may have to prove the activity actually exists.

Spain: First Decide Whether You are Actually Moving the Business

Spain requires a slightly different way of thinking.

For many entrepreneurs, the most relevant Spanish route is not technically an entrepreneur visa at all.

Imagine that you own a consulting company in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom. The company will remain there. Your customers will remain primarily outside Spain. You simply want to live in Spain and operate the business remotely.

That profile may fit Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa / International Teleworker authorization far better than an entrepreneur residence permit.

Spain’s Digital Nomad route works particularly well for established remote businesses

Spain sets specific conditions for this route. In broad terms, you need to show:

• The foreign company has carried out real, continuous activity for at least one year;
• At least three months of employment or professional relationship with that company before applying;
• That the role can genuinely be performed remotely;
• Qualifying professional education, or generally at least three years of relevant experience.

For owners who control their own foreign company, the authorities can request additional corporate evidence, including ownership, tax and operational documentation.

This distinction has mattered in real cases. One family with a strong remote-income profile had clearly sufficient earnings, yet income itself was not the difficult part. The history of the foreign employer, the length of the working relationship and the documentation authorizing remote work from Spain all still had to be examined.

NOTE! Having enough income does not automatically make someone eligible for the Digital Nomad Visa. The employer history, relationship length and remote-work documentation matter just as much as the money.

One more constraint for professionals rather than employees: work for Spanish companies is possible, but the Spanish portion cannot exceed 20% of the total professional activity.

The Social Security question can completely change a Spanish case

This is one of the issues entrepreneurs and remote employees underestimate most often.

Spain’s official guidance says that international teleworkers carrying out their activity from Spain must comply with Social Security rules:

• For employees — the foreign employer may need to register appropriately with Spanish Social Security, unless coverage can validly continue under an applicable international Social Security agreement;
• For self-employed professionals — registration in Spain’s self-employed regime, RETA, is generally required.

In one reviewed case, an applicant appeared to be a good candidate for Spain based on income and employment, but the foreign employer was unwilling to complete the necessary Spanish Social Security arrangements. That changed the immigration analysis completely.

It is a good illustration of why entrepreneurs should evaluate immigration, tax and Social Security before choosing the destination, rather than obtaining a visa strategy first and asking operational questions later.

Spain also has a real Entrepreneur Residence Authorization, but it is not for every small business

Spain does have a specific residence authorization for entrepreneurs under Law 14/2013.

However, it is aimed at projects considered innovative and/or of special economic interest to Spain. ENISA evaluates factors including the applicant’s professional profile, the business plan, financing and the added value or innovation the project may bring to the Spanish economy.

Interestingly, Spain does not impose a fixed minimum investment or minimum number of jobs for this particular entrepreneur authorization. The quality and economic relevance of the project are what matter.

This means that a founder developing a scalable or innovative project may have a strong case, while someone simply wanting to open an ordinary café, salon, consultancy or retail operation should not assume that Spain’s “entrepreneur visa” is the right route.

What if the Spanish business is not innovative?

Spain also has an initial residence and work authorization for self-employment. This route is much more relevant for many conventional businesses.

Applicants must show that they meet the legal requirements to open and operate the proposed activity, have the necessary professional qualifications where applicable, and can demonstrate sufficient investment for the project. Employment creation can be considered, including the applicant’s own self-employment.

Unlike the special entrepreneur authorization, the initial self-employment permit normally involves a more traditional business-feasibility and licensing analysis.

So a person wanting to open a neighbourhood business in Spain should not automatically try to transform it into an “innovative startup” for immigration purposes. There may already be a route designed for exactly that kind of activity.

And the Netherlands? A Third Route Worth Comparing

Portugal and Spain dominate most “move to Europe” conversations, but the Netherlands is a third option that often fits entrepreneurs especially well, and it works on the same logic: the right route depends on how you’ll actually run the business.

The Dutch system offers a clear route for almost every profile:

• Start-Up Visa — for founders building an innovative, scalable business with a recognized facilitator;
• Self-Employed Visa — for established independent entrepreneurs, assessed on a points-based system;
• DAFT visa — for US citizens, a treaty route with no points test and a modest business deposit, one of the most accessible entrepreneur routes in Europe;
• The Dutch BV (private limited company) — the underlying structure, which can pair with the 30% ruling tax benefit for those recruited from abroad.

The Netherlands also carries three practical advantages for international founders:

• English is spoken across banking, government and professional services;
• Much of the setup can be handled remotely;
• Rotterdam and Amsterdam give fast access to the wider EU market.

As with Portugal and Spain, the real work is coordinating the moving parts, company structure, banking, tax and the 30% ruling, in the right order. Rotterdam-based firms that specialize in Dutch business immigration handle exactly this end-to-end.

What These Cases Teach Us about Relocating as an Entrepreneur

Across different entrepreneur and remote-worker cases, one pattern appears again and again:

The immigration category is usually not the hardest part. Coordinating everything around it is.

The dependencies stack up quickly:

• A founder may need a tax number before opening a bank account;
• The bank account may affect how the investment is documented;
• Business registration may depend on other corporate formalities;
• The visa file may require accommodation before the entrepreneur wants to start paying rent;
• Criminal records and apostilles may expire while another step is delayed.

And in Spain, an otherwise excellent Digital Nomad case can run into problems because the foreign employer is unwilling to deal with Spanish Social Security.

Pro Tip: Experienced advisers work backwards from the intended relocation date. The goal isn’t to collect every document as early as possible, it’s to collect each one at the right moment, so that one delay doesn’t cause another document to expire before submission.

Portugal, Spain or the Netherlands: Which is Better for Entrepreneurs?

There is no universal winner. In short:

• Portugal suits someone who genuinely wants to establish and operate a local business. The D2 framework is broad enough for very different types of activity, provided the project, resources and intention to invest can be demonstrated.
• Spain suits entrepreneurs who already run successful businesses abroad and want to keep operating them remotely, via the Digital Nomad route. For innovative founders there’s the Entrepreneur Residence Authorization; for conventional local businesses, the self-employment authorization is often more logical.
• The Netherlands suits founders who want clear, well-defined routes (Start-Up, Self-Employed, or DAFT for Americans), a trusted company structure in the BV, and the 30% ruling, in an English-speaking, remote-friendly environment.

The strongest immigration strategy therefore starts with the business, not the visa. Before selecting a country, entrepreneurs should be able to answer three questions:

1. Where will my company be registered?
2. Where will my customers be located?
3. And where will I personally perform the work?

Once those answers are clear, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands become much easier to compare.

Bottom Line

Relocating to Europe as an entrepreneur can be surprisingly accessible, but the process rewards planning.

The founder opening a pet-care company in Portugal has a very different immigration profile from the consultant who owns an established American company and wants to work remotely from Madrid, or the US citizen setting up a Dutch business under DAFT. A barber establishing a Portuguese shop has different requirements from the founder bringing an innovative technology project to Spain or the Netherlands.

They are all entrepreneurs. They simply need different immigration strategies.

Specialist firms such as Viv Europe look at the full picture, immigration, company structure, documentation, banking, accommodation and the practical steps of relocating, for founders heading to Portugal and Spain. For those choosing the Netherlands, a Rotterdam-based partner such as UnitCity plays the same role, matching the route to how the entrepreneur intends to live and work.

FAQ

1. Can a non-EU citizen own a company in Europe without living there? + −

2. Which is faster to set up, Portugal, Spain or the Netherlands? + −

3. Do I need a business plan for these entrepreneur routes? + −

4. Can these business and entrepreneur routes lead to permanent residence? + −

5. What is "substance", and why does it matter? + −

6. Can I bring my family when I relocate as an entrepreneur? + −