Getting started
Registering a company in Belgium
A Belgian company is created by a notarial deed. That single fact explains most of the process, the cost and the timeline — and it surprises almost everyone arriving from a common-law country.
The first question
What does it cost?
Three cost items, only one of which is ours. All three are listed here, because the notary fee is the number people most often find out about too late.
Advyze BV Start
One-off. Intake, incorporation checklist, file preparation, coordination with the notary and your accountant, follow-up on the bank certificate, enterprise number, VAT, social insurance fund, UBO register and invoicing — through to the practical follow-up after the deed.
€449excl. VATNotary and incorporation costs
Not an Advyze fee: this goes to the notary and the associated formalities. The exact amount depends on your file and on the notary's office.
approx.€1,200Financial plan
Advyze does not prepare the financial plan. Your accountant does, and sets the price for it. We do make sure it is ready in time for the notary.
via your accountant
An incorporation is not a fixed price, but it is a predictable one. You know the Advyze fee up front, the notary gives you an estimate for their part, and you agree the financial plan with your accountant.
What a Belgian notary is
In Belgium a notary is a public officer with a legal monopoly on certain acts. Incorporating a BV is one of them. You cannot file a company yourself online, and no lawyer or accountant can substitute for this step.
The notary drafts your articles of association, verifies that the legal requirements are met, executes the deed and arranges publication in the Belgian Official Gazette. The company is registered in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises as part of that, and receives its enterprise number.
The financial plan, and why it is not a formality
Before the deed, the founders must hand the notary a financial plan: a substantiated projection showing that the company starts with enough resources for its first two years of activity.
This exists because Belgium abolished the minimum share capital for a BV. Instead of a fixed amount, the law asks for adequate capital — and it puts the burden of proof on you.
Your accountant prepares it and sets the price for doing so. Advyze does not prepare financial plans — we make sure the request reaches your accountant early, that they get the information they need, and that the document is with the notary before the appointment.
The process
From first conversation to a working company
The timeline is set almost entirely by two things: how quickly the financial plan is ready, and how quickly your bank issues the certificate.
Decisions and intakeWeek 1
Founders, share split, who becomes director, the company name, the registered office and the corporate purpose. These answers become your articles of association, so they come first.
Financial planWeek 1–3
Prepared by your accountant. In practice this is the step that determines your timeline.
Contribution and bank certificateWeek 2–3
If you contribute cash, it is paid into a blocked account and the bank issues a certificate confirming it. The notary cannot execute the deed without it. A contribution in kind requires a separate valuation report.
File to the notaryWeek 3
Identity documents, the financial plan, the bank certificate and your decisions. We assemble this so the notary does not have to come back halfway for a missing item.
The deedWeek 3–4
The deed is executed, the articles are recorded and the company is published. From that moment the company exists and has its enterprise number. Signing can often be done remotely by proxy if you are abroad.
Post-incorporation formalitiesWeek 4–6
VAT activation, affiliation with a social insurance fund as a director, UBO registration, converting the blocked account into a normal business account, and setting up invoicing. This is the stage that most often stalls, because incorporation feels finished.
Who does what
The parties involved
An incorporation rarely stalls on something difficult. It stalls because three parties are waiting on each other and nobody is tracking whose turn it is.
| What comes up | What Advyze does | Who actually does it |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing the financial plan | We track that it is ready in time and reaches the notary. | Your accountant prepares it and sets the fee. |
| Executing the incorporation deed | We deliver the complete file and coordinate the appointment. | The notary. Exclusively. |
| Drafting the articles of association | We collect your decisions in the form the notary needs. | The notary drafts them. |
| Bank certificate for a cash contribution | We follow up until the certificate is with the notary. | Your bank issues it. |
| VAT activation after incorporation | We handle and follow this up. | Entirely with Advyze |
| Social insurance fund affiliation | We handle and follow this up. | Entirely with Advyze |
| UBO register | We handle it, including the annual confirmation. | Entirely with Advyze |
| Shareholders' agreement | Nothing | A lawyer. This is tailored legal drafting and we refer it out. |
What still has to happen after the deed
The company exists, the enterprise number is issued, and it is tempting to consider the job done. Administratively, it is not yet operational.
- Activate VAT status — without it you cannot issue a valid invoice with VAT. See Belgian VAT number.
- Affiliate with a social insurance fund as a self-employed director.
- Register the ultimate beneficial owners in the UBO register, within a month, and confirm it annually.
- Convert the blocked account into a regular business account.
- Set up invoicing, including the Peppol connection required for Belgian B2B invoices.
- Arrange insurance through a licensed broker.
- Agree with your accountant how and when you deliver documents.
BV Start
Let us coordinate the incorporation
You do not need to have everything worked out. These are the questions that would otherwise be asked in a first call, so answering them here saves a round.
After incorporation, many owners keep Advyze on as their point of contact for the company's ongoing administration. That is not a condition of this package.
Questions about incorporating in Belgium
How much share capital do I need?
There is no legal minimum for a BV, but there is a legal requirement that the starting capital is adequate for the planned activity — which your financial plan must substantiate. In practice this means you cannot incorporate with a symbolic amount and expect no consequences. Let your accountant advise on a defensible figure.
Can I incorporate without being in Belgium?
Yes. Signing can usually be arranged by proxy, and many notaries handle this routinely. The harder part is banking: opening the account and obtaining the bank certificate as a non-resident takes longer than most people expect, so start it early.
Does the notary work in English?
Some offices do, others do not. The deed itself is drawn up in an official Belgian language; a sworn translation can be arranged if you need one. If working in English matters to you, say so when choosing a notary rather than after.
What does the whole thing cost?
Three separate items: the Advyze fee for coordination, the notary and incorporation costs, and the financial plan via your accountant. The full breakdown is on this page — we publish it because the notary cost is the number people most often discover late.
Do I still pay social security contributions as a director?
Yes. A self-employed director affiliates personally with a social insurance fund and pays contributions on their director's remuneration. The first years are provisional and recalculated later, the same mechanism that applies to any self-employed person in Belgium.
Can I convert an existing foreign company instead?
Cross-border conversions and setting up a Belgian branch of a foreign company are both possible, but they are a different exercise with their own tax and legal analysis. Tell us what you have and we will say whether this is the right page for you.
Related
- Starting a business in BelgiumThe structure comparison and the full sequence of steps.
- Becoming self-employedThe lighter alternative: registering as a sole trader.
- Belgian VAT numberThe activation step that follows incorporation.
- After incorporationRunning the administration of a Belgian company month to month.
Still weighing a company against a sole trader?
A good question to settle first. Tell us what you are planning and we will say which information you need from an accountant to make that call properly.