Doing Business in Romania from the Netherlands: Legal, Smart, and Profitable?

Why Dutch companies open VAT-registered branches in RO — and how to stay 100% compliant

In recent years, more and more Dutch companies have discovered a quiet opportunity in Eastern Europe: Romania. From logistics and transport to IT outsourcing and nearshoring, Romania has become a key destination for businesses that want to scale operations within the EU—without breaking the bank.

But what many entrepreneurs don’t realize at first is this: once your Dutch company registers for VAT in Romania, you’re not just “in business.” You’re under Romanian tax law—and things move fast.

✅ Why Romania?

  • Part of the EU, with aligned legal frameworks
  • Corporate tax: 1–16%, depending on turnover
  • Skilled workforce in tech, logistics, and services
  • Lower operational costs for everything from payroll to warehouse space

Many Dutch SMEs choose to:

  • Open a subsidiary or branch registered for Romanian VAT
  • Sell services or goods to Romanian clients directly
  • Use Romanian infrastructure for EU-wide distribution
  • It’s a smart move. But it comes with one big challenge: local compliance.

⚠️ The 5-Day Danger: ANAF and the SPV e-Invoicing System If you’re a foreign company VAT-registered in Romania, you are legally required to send all your B2B invoices through the SPV system (e-Factura platform)—within 5 working days from issue.

And here’s the twist:

  • Romania does not support Peppol or BIS XML formats.
  • The SPV system requires Romanian-specific XML files, digital signatures, and a secure authentication with ANAF.

If you miss that 5-day window? You risk fines, lost clients, and worse: your invoices may not even be legally recognized.

🧩 The Integration Gap: Why Global Platforms Struggle Many Dutch companies use SAP, Oracle, or Peppol-based platforms to automate invoicing. But these systems:

  • Can’t send invoices directly to SPV
  • Don’t generate Romanian-compliant XML
  • Lack built-in mechanisms for retrying failed submissions

That’s where most businesses struggle.

🔄 The Fix: Automating Peppol–to–SPV with SimpluSPV At SimpluSPV, we built a gateway designed specifically for this problem. Dutch companies using Peppol via providers like Storecove can now:

  • Send their invoice via Peppol, as usual
  • Have it automatically retrieved, converted, signed, and submitted to ANAF SPV
  • Receive monitoring, error handling, and legal archiving—without changing their ERP

Our system bridges the gap between Dutch tech standards and Romanian legislation, so your compliance doesn’t depend on hope.

🚀 Why Dutch Companies Work With Us

  • Trusted by 20+ large firms already active in Romania
  • Seamless onboarding for Peppol–to–SPV workflows
  • Deep focus on Romanian law, not just general e-invoicing
  • Dutch-language support page: Wat is simpluspv

Doing business in Romania is smart. Staying compliant is smarter. If your Dutch company operates in RO, SimpluSPV keeps your invoicing safe, fast, and fully legal.

👉 Curious how it works? Let’s talk.