Hire, Pay, & Manage Employees in India from Netherlands

Wisemonk becomes your legal employer in India. Our EOR service handles compliant employment contracts, secure cross-border data handling, and timely INR payroll for talent you hire from Netherlands.

Netherlands flag Netherlands
India flag India

Time-zone overlap 3.5-4.5 hrs daily
India entity needed None from you
  • Indian employment, without an Indian subsidiary Salaried employees of Wisemonk India, with applicable Indian employment benefits and protections.
  • 1989 NL-India DTAA and Form 10F On file so the treaty applies and withholding stays reduced.
  • EUR by SEPA transfer One euro invoice a month, VAT reverse-charged to you.
300+ Global companies running their India payroll with Wisemonk
From $99 Per employee, per month. No minimum headcount, no minimum term
~7 days From signed contract to first INR payslip
100% DTAA-compliant payroll, every payslip

Trusted by 300+ Global Companies

The Netherlands to India gap

What Dutch companies are actually exposed to in India.

The Belastingdienst side of hiring in India is the easy part. Cross-border engagements can give rise to employment classification claims and related liabilities in both jurisdictions, sometimes years after the engagement begins.

Employment classification risk under Indian law

If someone based in India works under a contractor agreement but the actual relationship has the characteristics of employment, Indian law may treat the relationship as employment, potentially giving rise to statutory employment benefits and termination-related claims. Depending on the facts and applicable tax rules, an arrangement involving work performed from India may also raise permanent-establishment questions for the foreign company. Dutch law may also be relevant where the individual works in, is employed in, or has another sufficient legal connection with the Netherlands. Any Dutch exposure depends on the applicable law and the facts of the arrangement.

A dependent agent creates a taxable presence

Anyone who habitually concludes contracts or wins business in your name can make Indian authorities treat your Dutch BV as trading in India. Profits attributed to that presence become taxable there, separate from your Dutch corporate tax.

Your IP chain of title may not hold

Contractor-created IP does not always pass to you the way employee work does. A Dutch-law agreement signed by an India-resident worker is the first thing an acquirer's counsel tests, and retrofitting it later rarely works.

Your offer letter is not an appointment letter

Under India's Labour Codes, in force since 21 November 2025, the appointment letter is a statutory instrument. Most foreign employers issue an offer letter and assume it covers them. It does not.

How we close them

Four exposures, four structural answers.

Not service levels. Structure: who employs the person, under whose law, on whose paper.

Employment, not contracting

Your team member is a salaried employee of Wisemonk India with EPF, gratuity and statutory benefits, on a contract governed by Indian law. The individual is employed by Wisemonk India under an Indian employment arrangement, with applicable Indian statutory benefits and protections. This does not, by itself, determine whether any separate obligations arise under Dutch law.

Our entity, not yours

Wisemonk India Pvt. Ltd. is the legal employer. Your Dutch BV has no fixed place of business and no agent in India, which keeps the permanent establishment question off your books.

IP assigned at the moment of creation

The employment contract assigns all work-product IP to your Dutch entity, or a designated affiliate, under Indian and Dutch law in parallel, so the chain of title holds in whichever court is asked.

Appointment letter issued to the Codes

Every hire gets both the offer letter and the statutory appointment letter, drafted to the Labour Codes, with worker and non-worker status assessed up front because it decides the exit framework later.

Your side of the border

What still sits with you in the Netherlands

Employing your team through Wisemonk in India does not remove your own obligations in the Netherlands.

Personal data

If your India team handles personal data about your customers or staff, sharing it with them is a transfer outside the EEA under the GDPR. India does not have an adequacy decision, so the transfer will generally need a safeguard such as Standard Contractual Clauses, supported by a transfer risk assessment.

VAT on our invoice

Our invoice is for services supplied from outside the EU, so as a business customer you will normally account for Dutch VAT (BTW) under the reverse charge, which is usually neutral where VAT can be recovered in full.

Staff representatives

If you have a works council (ondernemingsraad), moving work to India may require its advice under the Works Councils Act (WOR) first.

Travel and social security

If a team member travels to the Netherlands to work, visa and work-permit rules may apply. India and the Netherlands have a social security agreement, so for a short assignment the person may be able to remain in Indian social security with a certificate of coverage.

How the money moves

One euro invoice in. INR payslips out.

Your finance team sees a single line item in euros. Everything downstream of it runs inside India, under the entity that legally employs your team.

  1. You pay in EUR

    A SEPA transfer in euros against one consolidated invoice. We invoice from India, so the EU place of supply is the Netherlands and VAT is reverse-charged by you under Article 196, with no Indian GST, and we convert and remit INR with the FX rate shown before you approve it.

  2. Wisemonk India Pvt. Ltd.

    Our own Indian entity, not a local partner, is the legal employer of record for every person on your team.

  3. Statutory deductions

    Provident Fund, ESI, Professional Tax and TDS withheld and deposited with the Indian authorities on your behalf.

  4. INR net pay

    Lands in your team member's Indian bank account on the same date every month, with a compliant payslip.

  5. Treaty paperwork

    Form 10F and the Tax Residency Certificate filed and refreshed annually so the 1989 NL-India DTAA applies and withholding stays at the reduced treaty rate.

The honest comparison

Wisemonk vs. global EOR platforms.

See why teams hiring in India choose a specialist over a platform built for 150+ countries. New to EOR? Read our guide to employer of record in India.

Feature Wisemonk Deel / Remote / Rippling / G-P
India specialist? Yes. India-only, with our own legal entity No. India is one of 150+ countries they cover
EOR fee (India) From $99 per employee, per month $499 to $699 per employee, per month
India entity owned? Fully owned legal entity in India Varies. Some operate through local partners
Setup time 2 to 7 days 3 to 7 days, platform-first onboarding
Local HR support Assigned India HRBP for your team Platform-based support with limited local presence
Insurance Customizable at the individual level. Plans tailored to each employee's needs Standardized group plans with limited flexibility
Equipment procurement Included, sourced locally. Cost-effective because we know India's vendor landscape Available as a paid add-on, often at higher mark-ups
Netherlands payment rail EUR by SEPA, VAT reverse-charged Platform wallet or international wire
ESOP support for India staff Supported, with FEMA reporting and TDS at exercise Frequently declined for India
IP assignment Parallel India-law and Dutch-law assignment at creation One standard template across all countries
Best for Companies focused on hiring in India from the Netherlands Companies hiring across 10+ countries simultaneously
Run your numbers

See what an India hire actually costs your Dutch company.

Enter the role and the salary band. Get the fully loaded monthly cost in EUR, including employer PF, gratuity accrual and the Wisemonk fee, with nothing left to discover at invoice time.

After the contract is signed

Equity and security: the two questions that stall Dutch deals late.

Most global EOR platforms decline India equity outright, and most vendor security reviews stall on the subprocessor question. Both are answered here.

ESOPs under your existing NL plan

No separate India scheme to draft. Grants are issued under your NL plan, with Box 2 implications staying with your Dutch parent and shareholder, so your cap table does not fork by geography.

What your India employee actually pays

At exercise the spread is taxed as a perquisite and withheld through Indian payroll, so your employee is never left to work it out alone. Capital gains at sale are taxed in India under the 1989 NL-India DTAA. The FEMA Liberalised Remittance Scheme reporting stays ours.

SOC 2, GDPR Article 46 and India's DPDP Act

Wisemonk is SOC 2 certified. India is a third country under EU law, so transfers run on appropriate safeguards that meet GDPR Article 46, and employee data in India also sits under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023. We hold the processing relationship, with a DPA on your paper.

Device and access control

Machines are enrolled in your MDM and issued against your access policy before day one, and offboarding revokes access on the same day the employment ends.

Our track record

What we hold ourselves to

These are not aspirations. These are operational benchmarks we've maintained across 300+ companies and 2,000+ employees.

  • On-time payroll, every cycle, every employee
  • Compliance penalties or misclassification incidents
  • Response time from your assigned HRBP
  • Consolidated invoice per month with full cost visibility
Testimonial

What our customers say

Founders, Leaders and HR heads of fast growing startups across US, Europe, SEA and Oceania trust our services to manage their India teams.

Saurabh Sharma

Saurabh Sharma

Chief Marketing Officer at Onereach, USA

The Wisemonk team played a key role in helping us hire for specialized B2B SaaS marketing skills. We were able to build the team within four months, and hire experienced professionals from Tier 1/major B2B SaaS brands. This includes SEO, digital marketing, business development, product marketing, content marketing, and GTM roles. They are a great partner providing integrated services for EOR and recruitment/hiring and I’d recommend them to any B2B SaaS vendor.

Tak Yamamoto

President at Red Hill Technology Solutions, Inc.

Red Hill Technology Solutions has run its India engineering team on Wisemonk for the past year and a half. They handle payroll and benefits end to end, so I can offer my employees good health insurance without having to master the idiosyncrasies of Indian benefits myself. Payroll cutoff reminders arrive every month before I need them, and off-cycle bonus runs have never been a problem. Even equipment purchasing, a real headache for a US company shipping to Indian addresses, is as simple as telling them what I need. Exchange rates are fair and the pricing is transparent.

Deepika Elumalai, our point of contact, ties it all together. Whatever comes up, she pulls in the right people and sees it through. For any US company building a team in India, Wisemonk is an easy recommendation.

José Enrique Montero Pérez

José Enrique Montero Pérez

CEO at EOM-Energy O&M Services, USA

Wisemonk is a key partner for EOM-Energy O&M Services, playing an essential role in supporting our operations. Their seamless payment solutions make transactions not only simple and fast but also reliable. The team’s responsiveness, professionalism, and proactive approach give us complete confidence in every interaction. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration, using Wisemonk both for Employer of Record services and for recruitment support, to help us expand our team in India in the short and medium term.

Frank Menes

Founder & CEO at Senem RFP

We came across Wisemonk and met with the CEO and staff to explain our situation, and were very impressed with their customer-focused approach to their business. Wisemonk onboarded all of my employees in one or two days. They paid my employees' salaries on the day after my payment cleared. Needless to say, my employees and I were very satisfied with their service then and remain so over a year later. We are an American company, so I was very happy to see that they have a US bank account where I can make ACH payments to minimize bank charges. All salary payments are timely. They worked directly with my employees to enroll them in the health care program and explain any coverage-related issues. The best part is that we get to work with a dedicated person assigned to our company. I would highly recommend Wisemonk and think of them as our Indian HR department.

Mandan M Sharma

CEO at The Humble Bucks LLC

As the CEO of The Humble Bucks LLC, I had a great experience working with Wisemonk.io. They made our hiring process in India smooth, efficient, and cost-effective. We were assigned a dedicated recruiter who helped us find and hire three EOR employees at a very competitive price.
Beyond hiring, Wisemonk’s support team was extremely helpful in managing important operational logistics. They assisted us with coordinating meeting-related needs, including flight tickets, employee laptops, and other practical requirements, which saved us significant time and effort.
Overall, Wisemonk has been a reliable partner for The Humble Bucks LLC. Their combination of recruiting support, EOR services, and hands-on operational assistance made the entire experience seamless. I would recommend Wisemonk to any company looking to hire and manage employees in India with confidence.

Monika Russell

CFO at Minehub, Canada

We've been using WiseMonk to support our India team for the past six months, and the experience has been excellent. They've handled everything from payroll and statutory compliance to equipment procurement and benefits enrollment — all with a level of responsiveness and professionalism that makes managing a remote India team from Canada feel seamless. Nileena and the team are always quick to reply and proactive about flagging anything we need to know. We'd happily recommend WiseMonk to other companies looking to hire and manage talent in India.

Dan Sampson

Dan Sampson

Head of Engineering at Cobu, USA

I'm very Happy that I discovered Wisemonk. They have been a pure pleasure to work with, and their attention to detail is impressive. They helped us understand their pricing model, find top-qualified individuals, interview them, and then onboard them. I gave them criteria for the type of people we sought, and they delivered. The individuals they were able to find have been some of the best engineers I have ever worked with. I recommend Wisemonk to anyone who is in need of staffing assistance.

Krishna Ramachandran

Krishna Ramachandran

Co-founder at Onform, USA

I highly recommend them. Wisemonk helped us tap into the vibrant and top-notch Indian talent market and hire our first couple of founding engineers in record time. We've been able to accelerate our roadmap and deliver terrific value to our customers thanks to Wisemonk's efforts. They are easy to work with and very transparent about the process. I highly recommend them to any company looking for talent located in India.

Gear Fisher

Gear Fisher

Co-founder at Onform, USA

Process was professional & very smooth. We've worked with Wisemonk to source developers in India and it's worked incredibly well for us. We are very pleased with the talent of the developers and the Wisemonk process was professional and very smooth. We highly recommend using Wisemonk for talent sourcing!

Sinead Vidler

Sinead Vidler

Talent Lead & People Partner at Fuse AI, UK

I am very pleased with the partnership we have with Wisemonk. They are very quick at responding to queries and I have enjoyed working with them and appreciate their support.

The Management Team

The Management Team at Spicy Carrot Technologies

We set up our India team on Wisemonk in January 2025, and it has been one of the easiest decisions we’ve made. Wisemonk takes care of payroll, compliance and benefits from start to finish, so we can offer our people good health insurance without having to work through India’s rules ourselves.

Payroll reminders reach us every month ahead of the cutoff, and off-cycle payments and bonus runs are handled smoothly each time. The exchange rates are fair and the pricing is clear, so there are no surprises on the invoice. What really sets Wisemonk apart is Deepika Elumalai. Whenever something comes up, she brings in the right people and follows it through until it’s resolved. We’d happily recommend Wisemonk to any company building a team in India.

Frequently asked questions

Does this create a permanent establishment in India for our BV?
No. Wisemonk India Pvt. Ltd. is the legal employer, so your BV has no fixed place of business in India, no dependent agent and no construction site. The permanent establishment tests in article 5 of the 1989 NL-India DTAA are not met when you use an EOR, so there is no Indian corporate tax exposure for your Dutch company.
How does this work with the 30% ruling for employees in India?
The 30% ruling is for foreign employees coming to work in the Netherlands, so it does not apply to employees who work in India. If you later relocate one of them to the Netherlands, we provide the prior-employer letter, salary history and the scarce-expertise documentation the Belastingdienst asks for.
I already pay someone in India as a zzp freelancer. How do I convert them?
Consider moving to an employment arrangement where the actual working relationship has the characteristics of employment, including ongoing work, close direction and integration into the business. For a person based and working in India, Indian employment law is a key consideration. The arrangement may also raise questions under Dutch law where the individual works there or another sufficient legal connection exists. We handle the Indian employment contract and statutory appointment letter, PF and ESI registration, and the first payroll cycle, usually inside a week. If the engagement should genuinely stay independent, Contractor of Record is the alternative at 6% per contractor payment.
Can we issue ESOPs under our NL plan?
Yes, supported. The trickier piece is FEMA Liberalised Remittance Scheme reporting on the Indian side. The employee pays Indian perquisite tax at exercise, and capital gains at sale are taxed in India under the 1989 DTAA. Box 2 implications stay with your Dutch parent and shareholder, and your cap table does not fork by geography.
Who owns the IP that my Indian employee creates?
Your company does. The employment contract assigns all work-product IP to your Dutch entity, or a designated affiliate, at the moment it is created, under Indian and Dutch law in parallel. Because the person is an employee rather than a contractor, the assignment does not rest on a clause an Indian court could read narrowly.
Will a non-compete protect us after someone leaves?
No. Post-employment non-compete clauses are void in India under section 27 of the Indian Contract Act, and Indian courts have reaffirmed that recently. What does hold is confidentiality, non-solicitation of clients and staff, and a properly drafted IP assignment. We draft to what is enforceable in India rather than copying a Dutch concurrentiebeding that will not survive there.
Can we keep Dutch holidays for the India team?
By default Indian employees follow the Indian holiday calendar, typically 12 to 15 public holidays. Most Dutch clients add King's Day and Liberation Day as floating leave so the team feels in sync with HQ, and we code this into the Wisemonk payroll calendar at onboarding.
What does it cost, and can we be invoiced in euros?
Employer of Record starts at $99 per employee per month, with no minimum headcount and no minimum term, and you are invoiced in euros and settle by SEPA, with VAT reverse-charged on your side. Contractor of Record is 6% per contractor payment, priced on the payout with no FX markup. Recruitment is 10% of annual salary, payable on the join date.

Still have a question?

Specific to companies headquartered in Netherlands. For cross-border basics, see the main page.

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