Are you a foreign national and do you wish to set up as self-employed in Belgium? The registration procedure involves several Belgian bodies and, depending on your nationality and your activity, several foreign documents to be translated. This guide explains what is required at each stage and by whom.
The accredited business counter: your first point of contact
In Belgium, any natural person starting a self-employed activity must necessarily go through an accredited business counter. These private bodies authorised by the FPS Economy carry out the registration formalities with the BCE (Crossroads Bank for Enterprises) and verify that you meet the legal conditions for access to the profession.
The main accredited counters are Partena Professional, Acerta, UCM (Union des Classes Moyennes), Xerius, Securex and Liantis, among others. They all offer similar services but may differ in their support of foreign self-employed workers. Some have multilingual teams or teams specialised in complex files.
The counter will assign you a 10-digit enterprise number (BCE), which will serve as a unique identification number for all your Belgian administrative procedures: VAT, INASTI, commercial relations. Without this number, you cannot legally practise.
Foreign documents to translate according to your situation
The documents to provide - and therefore to translate - depend on your nationality, your profession and whether your activity is regulated or not.
- Non-EU/EEA nationals - identity document or passport: if your identity document is written in non-Latin characters (Arabic, Cyrillic, Korean, etc.) or in a language not official in Belgium, a sworn translation is necessary for registration with the BCE
- Professional diploma for regulated professions: if you carry out an activity subject to access conditions (see below), your diploma or certificate of competence must be translated and recognised
- Foreign criminal record: certain regulated activities (private security, financial activities, transport of persons) require an extract from the criminal record of the country of origin, translated by a sworn translator
- Certificate of good professional conduct: for certain professions (real estate agents, insurance brokers), a certificate from the professional chamber of the country of origin may be required
Regulated professions: access conditions to respect
In Belgium, many commercial and craft activities are said to be "regulated" within the meaning of the law of 21 March 2018 on basic management knowledge and the conditions of access to certain professions. To carry them out, you must prove your competencies - by diploma, by professional experience or by both.
Among the activities concerned: the construction trades (electrician, plumber, tiler, painter), catering (manager of a Horeca establishment), hairdressing, automotive bodywork, ambulant trade activities and many others. If your diploma or your experience were acquired abroad, you will have to have your qualifications recognised by the business counter, by providing the appropriate translated documents.
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INASTI: affiliation to the social insurance fund
In parallel with your registration with the BCE, you must necessarily affiliate to a social insurance fund accredited by INASTI (National Institute for the Social Insurance of the Self-Employed). It is through this fund that you pay your quarterly social contributions, which open your rights to retirement, family allowances and sickness-disability coverage as a self-employed worker.
The affiliation must take place before the start of the activity or at the latest the first day of the quarter of start-up. A late affiliation may entail surcharges. The main funds are: Partena, Acerta, Securex, Xerius, UCM and the National Auxiliary Fund. Some business counters offer INASTI affiliation integrated into their service.
For non-EU/EEA nationals, affiliation to INASTI furthermore requires that you have a residence permit authorising the exercise of a self-employed activity in Belgium - this is the question of the "Self-employed single permit".
Work permit for non-EU/EEA self-employed workers
If you are a national of a country outside the European Union or outside the European Economic Area (and outside Switzerland), you cannot start your self-employed activity without a specific residence permit. This is the "single permit for self-employed work" (Self-employed single permit), issued by the Immigration Office after the opinion of the competent Region (Wallonia, Brussels or Flanders).
The application file includes notably: your passport, a business plan, the proof of your professional qualifications and, as the case may be, bank statements. All foreign documents must be translated into French or Dutch depending on the Region of application. This permit is distinct from the classic residence visa.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to translate my diploma to register as a self-employed craftsman in Belgium?
It depends on your activity. If you carry out a regulated profession within the meaning of the law of 21 March 2018 (electrician, plumber, tiler, restaurant cook, etc.), you must prove your competencies at the accredited business counter. If your diploma or training certificate is written in a language other than French, Dutch or German, a sworn translation by an RNEJ sworn translator will be necessary. For non-regulated activities (consulting, e-commerce, creative activities), no diploma is required and therefore no diploma translation is required at registration.
Can I be self-employed in Belgium with a type B residence permit?
The type B residence permit is issued in very varied contexts (family reunification, temporary subsidiary protection, etc.) and does not automatically authorise the exercise of a self-employed activity. To practise as self-employed, non-EU/EEA nationals must have a residence permit explicitly mentioning the authorisation to carry out a self-employed activity - this is generally the "single permit for self-employed work". It is strongly advised to contact the Immigration Office or a lawyer specialised in immigration law to verify your situation before starting any procedure with a business counter.
Does the BCE accept documents only in English?
No. The Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (BCE) and the accredited business counters work in the three Belgian official languages: French, Dutch and German. Any foreign document written in another language - including English - must be accompanied by a sworn translation into the language of the Region of registration. Thus, for a registration in the Walloon Region or in Brussels (in French), your English documents will have to be translated into French by an RNEJ sworn translator.
Which documents do I need to translate to open a restaurant in Belgium?
Catering is a regulated profession in Belgium (condition of basic management knowledge). To open a restaurant or any Horeca establishment, you will have to prove your competence either by a management diploma or by significant professional experience. If these proofs come from abroad, you will have to have translated by an RNEJ sworn translator: your diploma (with its training annexes), any certificate or attestation of management competence, and possibly your criminal record if you carry out an activity subject to a condition of good standing. The translation must be carried out in the language of the Region (French or Dutch).