Form a Company in Belgium — Fixed-Price

Last updated: April 2026.

Belgium abolished the minimum share capital for its private limited company in 2019 and has kept the rule since. The dominant vehicle is the BV/SRL — Besloten Vennootschap in Dutch, Société à Responsabilité Limitée in French — and a single founder is enough to incorporate one. There is no statutory minimum capital. What replaces it is a mandatory two-year financial plan filed with the notary. Corporate tax is 25%, with a reduced 20% bracket on the first €100,000 of profit for qualifying SMEs. From 1 January 2026, every VAT-registered business must send and receive structured e-invoices via the Peppol network — a reform that pulls Belgium to the front of the EU e-invoicing queue.

We form Belgian BV/SRLs end to end: name clearance, notarial deed, BCE/KBO registration, UBO filing, VAT activation, Peppol onboarding, and a bank account introduction. Fixed price, dedicated manager, all notary and publication costs included.

Quick facts	Value
Corporate Income Tax (standard)	25%
Reduced SME CIT	20% on first €100,000 of profit (conditions apply)
VAT	21% standard / 12% / 6% reduced
VAT registration threshold	€30,000 (raised from €25,000)
Minimum share capital (BV/SRL)	None — financial plan required
Minimum share capital (NV/SA)	€61,500 fully subscribed
Minimum directors / shareholders	1 shareholder, 1 director (can be the same person, can be foreign)
Residency requirement	None
Standard formation time	10-15 business days
Government fees	Included in our packages
Language of filings	Dutch, French, or German (depending on region)
Currency	Euro (EUR)

Why Form a Company in Belgium

Belgium sits at the institutional centre of the European Union. Brussels hosts the Commission, the Council, and most EU-level trade associations. Three reasons foreign founders choose it.

No minimum capital for a BV/SRL. The 2019 Code of Companies and Associations eliminated the old €18,550 BVBA threshold. You can now form a BV with any starting capital — €1 is legally sufficient — provided the notary accepts your financial plan as adequate for the first two years of operation. Compared with Germany's €25,000 GmbH minimum or France's SAS formalities, Belgium is now one of the easier continental European jurisdictions to enter.

EU passporting and bilateral treaty depth. A Belgian company qualifies for the Parent-Subsidiary Directive, the Interest and Royalties Directive, and EU VAT reverse charge. Belgium has one of the world's densest double-tax treaty networks — more than 95 active treaties covering virtually every major economy. For holding structures that route investments between the EU, the US, and emerging markets, Belgian coordination centres have been a recognised vehicle for decades.

Trilingual, central, connected. A Belgian company can file in Dutch, French, or German depending on where its registered office sits. The country's ports (Antwerp, Zeebrugge), rail hubs, and road network give physical presence to businesses serving the EU's core market.

The trade-offs are real. Belgian corporate tax headline is 25%, higher than Ireland's 12.5% or Hungary's 9%. Labour costs are among the highest in Europe. And every BV/SRL requires a notarial deed — not a light-touch online form like Poland's S24 or Estonia's e-Residency.

Company Types Available in Belgium

Belgian company law recognises four primary corporate forms plus partnerships and branches. For almost every cf24 client, the BV/SRL is the right vehicle.

BV / SRL (Besloten Vennootschap / Société à Responsabilité Limitée)

The Belgian equivalent of a private limited company. Limited liability. No statutory minimum share capital since the 2019 reform. One shareholder and one director are sufficient; both can be the same person, both can be non-residents, both can be foreign corporate entities. What the BV/SRL does require is a financial plan — a two-year projection of revenues, expenses, and cash flow that the notary reviews before signing the deed. If the company fails within three years and the plan is judged to have been inadequate, founder liability for capital shortfall can be triggered. In practice, our clients prepare plans with €15,000-€20,000 of working capital equivalent.

NV / SA (Naamloze Vennootschap / Société Anonyme)

The Belgian public limited company. Minimum issued share capital €61,500, fully subscribed at incorporation. One founder now sufficient (down from two pre-2019). Required for listed companies, banks, insurers, and large groups. Most cf24 clients do not need an NV; the BV scales up and can convert to NV later without liquidation if growth requires it.

SC / CV (Société Coopérative / Coöperatieve Vennootschap)

The Belgian cooperative. Requires three founders and a genuine cooperative purpose — the 2019 reform narrowed this form to exclude disguised commercial vehicles that used to trade as cooperatives for tax reasons. Real use cases: mutual insurers, agricultural collectives, social-economy businesses.

CommV / SComm (Special Limited Partnership)

General partner with unlimited liability plus silent partners with capped exposure. Used for holding structures and family-office vehicles where active control is separated from passive capital contribution. Two founders minimum.

Belgian Branch (Succursale / Bijkantoor)

A foreign company's registered establishment in Belgium. Not a separate legal person — the parent's balance sheet extends to the branch. Requires BCE/KBO registration and publication in the Moniteur Belge. Useful when a group wants Belgian presence without incorporating a separate subsidiary.

Form	Min capital	Liability	Tax treatment	Common use
BV / SRL	None (financial plan)	Limited	Corporate tax (25% / 20% SME)	SMEs, holdings, foreign subs
NV / SA	€61,500	Limited	Corporate tax	Listed cos, banks, large groups
SC / CV	None	Limited	Corporate tax	Cooperatives, social economy
CommV	None	Mixed	Partners taxed or CT	Holding, family offices
Branch	n/a	Parent's	Parent + Belgian source	Foreign group presence

For clients who need to be operational faster than a notarial deed allows, our sister brand lists pre-incorporated Belgian BV companies ready for immediate transfer — useful when a tender deadline or a contract signing cannot wait for fresh incorporation.

Step-by-Step Formation Process

A typical BV/SRL formation for a non-resident founder follows these steps.

Name clearance and BCE/KBO check. We confirm the proposed name is available in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises and does not infringe registered trademarks or protected terms (e.g. "bank", "insurance", "notary" require separate authorisation). Two or three alternatives are normal.

Articles of association and financial plan. We draft the statuts coordonnés (coordinated articles) in the language of the registered office's region — Dutch for Flanders, French for Wallonia or Brussels, German for the eastern cantons. The two-year financial plan is prepared in parallel: projected P&L, balance sheet, and cash-flow forecast sufficient to show the company can meet its obligations for 24 months.

KYC and document collection. Each founder and director provides a passport, address proof, and a declaration of beneficial ownership. Foreign corporate shareholders supply apostilled certificates of incorporation, registers of directors, and UBO confirmation with sworn translations.

Notarial deed. The articles are executed before a Belgian notary. Non-resident founders can sign remotely through a power of attorney issued to a Belgian lawyer or the notary's clerk — we arrange this as standard. The notary collects the share capital deposit (if any is subscribed in cash), reviews the financial plan, and files the deed.

BCE/KBO registration and Official Gazette publication. The notary files electronically with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, the commercial court, and the Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur Belge / Belgisch Staatsblad) in a single operation. The 10-digit enterprise number is issued within 24 to 48 hours. Publication in the Gazette must occur within 15 days.

Post-incorporation registrations. We file the Ultimate Beneficial Owner declaration in the MyMinfin UBO register within the 30-day deadline, activate the VAT number with the FPS Finance, onboard the company to the Peppol e-invoicing network (mandatory for B2B from 1 January 2026), and coordinate bank account opening.

End-to-end timeline from KYC clearance to operating company with a bank account is usually 10 to 20 business days. The notarial deed itself lands on day 4 or 5; BCE number follows within 48 hours; the bank account is typically the longest step.

Required Documents

For each founder, shareholder, and director we collect:

Passport or EU national identity card (notarised copy where remote signing applies)
Proof of residential address dated within three months — utility bill, bank statement, or government letter
Date of birth, nationality, occupation, and marital status (Belgian notaries ask for this)
Tax identification number from country of residence
Signed declaration of beneficial ownership

For corporate shareholders:

Apostilled certificate of incorporation (or good-standing certificate)
Apostilled register of directors or equivalent
UBO declaration
Sworn translation into Dutch, French, or German of all foreign-language documents (we arrange via certified translator — required for the notarial deed)

You also confirm the registered office address (we provide one in Brussels, Antwerp, or Ghent if you do not have your own Belgian address), the share allocation, the NACE activity code, and the two-year financial plan data (projected turnover, costs, staffing).

Costs and Timeline

Belgian formation combines public-notary costs, commercial court fees, Gazette publication costs, and sworn translations — each of which is a separate invoice in a DIY approach. Our packages consolidate all of them.

Our packages cover full incorporation through a Belgian notary, the financial plan drafting, all notarial and court fees, Gazette publication, sworn translations, registered office in Brussels for year one, UBO register filing, VAT activation, Peppol onboarding, and a bank account introduction. Contact us for a fixed-price quote — no hourly bills, no government surcharges added later, no extras invoiced after the fact.

Typical timeline from KYC clearance:

Day	Milestone
0	Engagement, KYC submitted
1-3	KYC cleared, articles drafted, financial plan prepared, documents translated
4-5	Notarial deed signed (in person or via power of attorney)
5-7	BCE/KBO enterprise number issued, court registration complete
7-10	Official Gazette publication, VAT number activated
10-20	UBO register filed, bank account opened

Tax Overview for Belgian Companies

Belgian corporate taxation runs on a headline-plus-exemption model. Several regimes reduce the effective rate significantly for qualifying structures.

Corporate Income Tax: 25% on net taxable profits from the 2021 financial year onwards. This is the only statutory rate for regular companies.

Reduced SME rate: 20% on the first €100,000 of taxable profit. Three conditions attach. At least 50% of shares must be held by natural persons. At least one director must receive a gross remuneration of €45,000 per year (or the company's taxable result, whichever is lower). The company must not be a financial investment vehicle. Fail any of these and the flat 25% applies to all profits.

VAT: 21% standard rate. Reduced rates of 12% apply to restaurants (excluding alcohol) and social housing, and 6% to basic goods, utilities, books, and certain medical products. The mandatory registration threshold is €30,000 in annual taxable turnover — raised from €25,000. Non-resident businesses making taxable sales in Belgium must register from the first sale (no threshold).

Withholding tax: 30% standard rate on outbound dividends, interest, and royalties. Reductions apply under Belgium's 95+ double-tax treaties. Zero withholding applies to dividends paid to qualifying EU parents under the Parent-Subsidiary Directive (minimum 10% shareholding held for at least one year). The 2026 tax reform tightened the credit conditions for withholding tax on investment-vehicle dividends — the beneficial company must pay at least one director a €45,000 salary to claim the credit (aligned with the SME-rate condition).

Capital gains on qualifying shareholdings remain effectively exempt under the Dividend Received Deduction regime, subject to a 3-year minimum holding period introduced in the 2025 reform.

DRD (Dividend Received Deduction): 100% exemption for qualifying participations — one of the most generous holding-company regimes in the EU. Minimum acquisition value €2.5 million or 10% shareholding, held for one year.

Innovation Income Deduction: 85% of qualifying net income from patents, copyrighted software, and plant breeders' rights can be deducted from the taxable base — effectively reducing the marginal rate on IP income to around 3.75%. One of the three most aggressive IP regimes in Europe alongside Cyprus and the Netherlands.

Peppol B2B e-invoicing becomes mandatory from 1 January 2026 for all VAT-registered Belgian businesses. Paper and PDF invoices are no longer valid for B2B supplies. A three-month tolerance period runs to 31 March 2026 — no penalties during that window if reasonable compliance efforts are documented. We include Peppol onboarding in our formation packages.

Banking for Belgian Companies

Belgian business banking is dominated by four integrated groups plus increasingly active EMIs. All four major banks accept non-resident-controlled companies but run detailed KYC processes.

BNP Paribas Fortis is the largest Belgian bank and the most common corporate choice. Dedicated international clients desk, strong euro-denominated corporate banking, credit-line availability for established trading profiles. Non-resident director accounts typically require one in-person Brussels meeting; onboarding runs 3 to 6 weeks once documents are complete.

KBC is the leading Flemish bank. English-language corporate service is competent; the digital platform is one of the best among traditional Belgian banks. KBC asks for a Belgian-language business plan alongside the financial plan — we assist with drafting. In-person meeting required.

ING Belgium (Dutch parent) tends to be the easiest major bank for hybrid Belgian-Dutch structures. Comfortable with foreign corporate shareholders; strong cross-border euro operations given the parent group's Benelux footprint.

Belfius is the former Dexia retail bank, now state-linked. Domestic focus, good for Belgian-operating businesses. Non-resident acceptance is tighter than the other three — we screen profiles before introducing.

Wise Business is our default introduction for non-resident-owned Belgian BVs that do not yet have operational volume to justify a traditional account. Fully remote onboarding, EUR plus 50+ currencies, SEPA and SWIFT, transparent FX. Wise supplies a Belgian IBAN that accepts most domestic direct debits — important because the Belgian tax authority and social security office prefer to collect from Belgian IBANs even when the law permits foreign ones.

Revolut Business works where at least one director holds an EEA or Swiss residential address. Useful for pan-European operating structures; integrates with the broader Revolut group product set.

For higher-balance corporate structures, Deutsche Bank Belgium and CBC (the French-language KBC subsidiary) are additional options, typically reserved for clients with over €500,000 operating balances or private banking eligibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to register a company in Belgium?

A Belgian BV/SRL takes 10 to 15 business days from KYC clearance to operating company. The notarial deed is usually signed by day 4 or 5. The BCE/KBO enterprise number is issued within 24 to 48 hours of the notary's electronic filing. Official Gazette publication occurs within 15 days of the deed. Bank account opening is usually the longest step, running 2 to 6 weeks depending on the bank and director profile.

What is the minimum share capital for a Belgian BV/SRL?

There is no statutory minimum share capital for a BV/SRL since the 2019 Code of Companies reform. Instead, founders must present a two-year financial plan to the notary showing the company has adequate funding for its intended activities. If the plan is judged inadequate and the company fails within three years, founder liability for capital shortfall can be triggered. Typical plans provide €15,000 to €20,000 in working capital equivalent.

Can a non-resident own a Belgian company?

Yes. Belgian company law imposes no residency, citizenship, or work-permit requirement on shareholders or directors of a BV/SRL. A non-resident can be the sole shareholder and sole director from day one. Remote signing is possible through a power of attorney granted to a Belgian lawyer or the notary's clerk — this avoids the need to travel to Belgium for the incorporation deed.

What is the corporate tax rate in Belgium?

The headline corporate tax rate is 25%. A reduced 20% rate applies to the first €100,000 of profit for qualifying SMEs — conditions include at least 50% individual ownership and a director salary of at least €45,000 per year. The Dividend Received Deduction exempts qualifying inbound dividends at 100%, and the Innovation Income Deduction reduces the effective rate on qualifying IP income to approximately 3.75%.

Do I need a Belgian notary to register a company?

Yes. A notarial deed is mandatory for every BV/SRL and NV/SA in Belgium. The notary reviews the articles of association and the financial plan, collects any cash capital contribution, and files electronically with the BCE/KBO, the commercial court, and the Official Gazette in a single operation. Non-resident founders can sign via power of attorney — we arrange this so no travel to Belgium is required.

What is the UBO register in Belgium?

The UBO register is Belgium's Ultimate Beneficial Owner register, maintained by the FPS Finance via the MyMinfin portal. Every Belgian company must declare its beneficial owners — natural persons holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or otherwise exercising control. The first declaration is due within 30 days of BCE/KBO registration. Annual re-confirmation is required. Non-filing penalties reach €50,000.

Is e-invoicing mandatory in Belgium?

Yes. From 1 January 2026, all VAT-registered Belgian businesses must send and receive structured electronic invoices via the Peppol BIS 3.0 network for B2B transactions. Paper invoices and PDF attachments are no longer valid for domestic B2B supplies. A three-month tolerance period runs to 31 March 2026 during which penalties are waived for good-faith compliance efforts. Real-time e-reporting to the tax authority follows from January 2028 under the Peppol 5-corner model.

Get Started — Form Your Belgian Company

A fixed-price quote in 60 seconds. BCE/KBO registration in 10 to 15 business days. Notarial signing by power of attorney — no travel to Belgium required. Bank account introduction and Peppol e-invoicing onboarding included as standard.

Call +48 2222 5 2222 or email [email protected] to start. Most Belgian formations are complete and operating with a bank account within 20 business days.

Content prepared by Piotr Walter, In-house Counsel. Approved by Tomasz Bielski, Managing Director.

Company Formation in Belgium