Online Liquor store/webshop in the Netherlands - slijterij

[Cicerone]

Hello, I am in Australia, and son of a Dutch man, and would like to set up an online liquor business (webshop) within the Netherlands. My father has passed away and my dutch is limited, so I can only work on what I can find online. 

What do I need to get going? 

Do I need to be a resident to obtain a liquor licence / SVH? 

My understanding that I do not require a licence for alcohol under 15%. Is this correct? 
What are any main wholesalers for liquor in the Netherlands? 
Can I sell liquor to rest of EU? How do I understand taxation for each country? 

 

many thanks 

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Hallo, ik ben in Australië, en zoon van een Nederlandse man, en wil graag een online slijterij (webshop) opzetten binnen Nederland. Mijn vader is overleden en mijn Nederlands is beperkt, dus ik kan alleen werken aan wat ik online kan vinden.

Wat heb ik nodig om aan de slag te gaan?
Moet ik ingezetene zijn om een drankvergunning / SVH te krijgen?
Ik heb begrepen dat ik geen vergunning nodig heb voor alcohol onder de 15%. Is dit correct?
Wat zijn de belangrijkste groothandels voor sterke drank in Nederland?
Mag ik sterke drank verkopen aan de rest van de EU? Hoe begrijp ik de belastingheffing voor elk land?

erg bedankt

22 februari 2023 aangepast door Mikky Vrolijk
Titel

[Jeroen Kisters RPLU ARe]

Hi Cicerone,

 

Looking at what the official website i.r.o a liquor license of the Dutch Company House mentions:

• Yes, you i.e., your company needs to be a resident in a Dutch municipality.
• Yes, it's correct that you don't need a licence if the alcohol percentage is below 15%. However, there are some additional obligations you need to be aware of i.r.o age checks and a limitation of selling with a discount. If you sell B2B you also don't need a licence.
• Yes, you may and can sell to the rest of the EU/EEA based on EU Law (freedom of services and goods) out of the Netherlands. However, i.r.o taxation I would suggest you contact a tax consultant after reading the content under the link taxation.
• I don't know how special the liquor is you want to sell but you need to be aware of the risks i.r.o of parallel import. Import/export within the EU/EEA isn't an issue but even than you can be confronted with a competitor or producer who will try to shut you down if you're hurting their revenues. So, be aware and know how to respond when that happens.

Good luck!

[RubenT]

Welcome at Higherlevel!

 

There have been more topics about selling alcohol the past years at this forum, maybe they are interesting for you. Some examples:

• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/69845-bedrijfsmatig-verkoop-van-alcohol/
• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/68585-sterke-drank-verkopen-aan-consument-op-eigen-site/
• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/72261-online-alcohol-verkopen-met-een-partner/
• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/65427-opzoeken-alcoholvergunning-webshops/

 

 

[Norbert Bakker]

46 minutes ago, RubenT said:

Welcome at Higherlevel!

 

There have been more topics about selling alcohol the past years at this forum, maybe they are interesting for you. Some examples:

• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/69845-bedrijfsmatig-verkoop-van-alcohol/
• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/68585-sterke-drank-verkopen-aan-consument-op-eigen-site/
• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/72261-online-alcohol-verkopen-met-een-partner/
• https://www.higherlevel.nl/forums/topic/65427-opzoeken-alcoholvergunning-webshops/

 

@Cicerone.  and when browsing these topics, please be aware of our newest forum  feature: a button to translate dutch written texts into english: 

 

[Derek-Jan]

9 uur geleden, Cicerone zei:

Hello, I am in Australia, and son of a Dutch man, and would like to set up an online liquor business (webshop) within the Netherlands.

 

Just out of curiosity, how do you want to run a webshop from Australia? And why do you even want to start a liqueur shop in the Netherlands if you live in Australia?

[Cicerone]

I already have a successful store & wholesale here, and plan on dipping my hand into international. Since my family originates from The Netherlands, and some of my family are still there, why not trial a similar market before tackling UK / USA etc. Obviously I will have staff there and setup a warehouse & logistics but also have an outlet to exchange products between countries.