There are certain conditions to be met before you can become self-employed. First of all, you must be 18 years old. If you are not a Belgian or EU national, you will need to obtain a professional card (unless you are exempt).

To set up your own business, you need to prove that you have been admitted to the profession for regulated trades and that you have basic management skills. Several regions in Belgium, such as Flanders and Brussels-Capital, have implemented a reform to remove the requirement to demonstrate knowledge of basic management.

The requirement to demonstrate basic management knowledge is no longer required to set up a commercial or craft activity in the Brussels-Capital Region. The aim is to facilitate access to entrepreneurship. This change applies from 15 January 2024. (It is important to note that certain conditions do not change in this reform of access to the profession).

All companies must register with the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE).
To apply for registration, you need to go to an approved business counter. It is also important to note that for certain activities, it will always be necessary to demonstrate professional skills.

How to gain access to the profession :

There are various ways of proving professional skills

• By having a Belgian or foreign diploma
• By having sufficient professional experience abroad (3 to 5 years, depending on the position)
• By joining forces with someone who has the necessary skills (professional and/or managerial)
• By one or more professional qualifications (professional skills)
• By passing an oral and/or written exam in French before the central jury or company jury

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