Company formation in Belgium

At a glance

Entity

Private limited company (BV / SRL) — the standard closely-held vehicle since the 2019 Companies and Associations Code replaced the old BVBA/SPRL

Corporate tax

25% headline federal rate. A reduced 20% rate applies to the first €100,000 of profit for qualifying small companies, conditional on paying at least one director a minimum gross remuneration (rising to €50,000 from assessment year 2026). A ~6.75% crisis surcharge applies to any shortfall in advance-payment top-ups.

Incorporation time

~1-3 weeks in practice: a few days to draft the deed and financial plan, same-day notarial signing, then CBE registration (immediate) and Belgian Official Gazette publication (~5-10 days). A same-day/next-day incorporation is possible if the notary, capital deposit and documents are all pre-arranged.

Minimum capital

No statutory minimum share capital. Instead, founders must contribute 'adequate' starting equity and justify it in a mandatory financial plan filed with the notary (Art. 5:4 CSA); undercapitalisation can expose founders to liability if the company fails within three years.

Resident director

No residency requirement for directors — a BV/SRL can be managed entirely by non-resident, non-EU directors, and 100% foreign ownership is allowed. Caveat: a non-EU/EEA/Swiss national who actively works in or manages the business in Belgium generally needs a professional card (beroepskaart/carte professionnelle) and residence/work authorisation.

Audit

A statutory auditor (commissaris/commissaire) is only required once the company exceeds more than one of the 'small company' thresholds (Art. 1:24 CSA): balance-sheet total €6m, annual turnover €11.25m (excl. VAT), or 50 FTE average. Most new BV/SRLs fall below these and are audit-exempt; unlike an NV/SA, a BV/SRL has no size-independent audit obligation.

Remote set-up

Incorporation requires a Belgian notarial deed. It can be signed in person or by a notarised power of attorney, so physical presence is not strictly required, but the notary must complete identity/KYC and UBO checks on all founders. Fully remote signing via qualified electronic means is possible with a Belgian notary but is not universally offered; in practice most foreign founders sign via a local proxy.

Government fee

State-set fees as of 2026: Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge / Belgisch Staatsblad) electronic publication of the incorporation — €286.17 incl. VAT (tariff effective 1 March 2026); plus CBE (KBO/BCE) registration via an approved enterprise counter — €111.50 per establishment unit (not subject to VAT). Notary fees and any VAT registration are additional professional charges.

Best for

This suits founders who want a credible, onshore EU establishment with no minimum-capital lock-up and full foreign ownership. It means accepting notarial formality and a relatively high 25% headline tax rate.

The process

1. Reserve the company name, draft the articles of association and prepare the mandatory financial plan; deposit any cash contribution into a blocked Belgian bank account and obtain the bank certificate
2. Sign the notarial incorporation deed before a Belgian notary (in person or by notarised proxy); the notary verifies legality and runs KYC/UBO checks
3. Notary electronically files the deed with the enterprise court registry and arranges publication in the Belgian Official Gazette; the company obtains its enterprise number and CBE (KBO/BCE) registration
4. Register for VAT if applicable, activate the bank account, affiliate with a social-insurance fund for self-employed directors, and file the UBO register entry