SME loan guarantee scheme (BMKB)

If you have a business in the Netherlands and employ no more than 250 workers, you may in some cases be eligible for a guarantee for part of a loan, which will enable you to borrow more than would otherwise be possible based on your collateral. The bank is covered by the government’s SME Loan Guarantee Scheme (Borgstellingsregeling MKB). If you take out a 'start-up loan' of at most € 266,667 at a bank as a starting business, the government will act as a loan guarantor for 67.5%.

Conditions

To be eligible for a loan guarantee, you must fulfil various conditions, including the following:

• Your business is unable to provide the bank with enough collateral.
• Your business has favourable future prospects.
• You are not taking out the loan for a project or investment.
• You guarantee 25% of the loan if you, as the owner of the business, own more than half of the business’ capital.

How to apply

Entrepreneurs apply for a loan from a participating bank. The website of NL Agency lists the banks that are participating in this scheme. The bank can submit an application continuously.