If you offer certain services to companies, you must be registered with the FPS Economy's Directorate General for SME Policy. That obligation, which took effect on 1 September 2018, is part of the fight against money laundering.

Businesses providing addresses (service providers to companies) must also apply various legal prevention measures as provided for in the Law of 18 September 2017. Those measures aim to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.

To help you in your processes, you can view the regulation implemented in the Law of 18 September 2017 (PDF, 199.28 KB). It specifies which legal measures you need to apply and provides various pointers. You can also better assess a potentially risky situation.

Download the rEGULATION

Who is considered to be a company service provider?

Any natural or legal person professionally offering one of the following services to third parties:

  • participating in the purchase and sale of shares of a company other than a listed company;
  • providing a registered office to a company or a legal person, or a similar legal arrangement;
  • providing a business, administrative or correspondence address and other related services to a company or a legal entity, or a similar legal arrangement.

List of registered providers

List of registered company service providers (CSV, 218.36 KB)

What conditions must be met for registration?

If you are a natural person company, you must meet the following conditions:

  • be registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises;
  • not be deprived of your political and civil rights;
  • not have been declared bankrupt without being rehabilitated;
  • have not received, in Belgium or in another Member State of the European Union, a criminal penalty, imprisonment without delay of at least six months or a criminal fine for an infringement concerning a.o. acts of counterfeiting, falsification, use of false documents, corruption, theft, embezzlement, fraud, money laundering or financing terrorism.

If you are a legal person company, you must meet the following conditions:

  • be registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises;
  • have a statutory management body composed solely of people who meet the last three conditions set out above for natural persons;
  • the actual management is carried out solely by people who meet the last three conditions set out above for natural persons;
  • have beneficial owners who meet the last three conditions set out above for natural persons;
  • have managers and directors who are legally entitled to practise a professional activity in Belgium.

If you also offer domiciliation services, you must also prove that you:

  • provide the domiciled people with premises with
    • one or more offices or rooms, each equipped with furniture that allows them to fulfil their respective roles,
    • a system for the secure archiving of documents, at the customer's request,
    • an ICT infrastructure with access to the Internet and office equipment (photocopier, scanner, etc.),
    • a reception or welcome area;
  • are the lawful occupant of the premises you make available to the domiciliary (you must be able to produce proof of ownership or a rental contract);
  • include the rental conditions in a model contract.

When do you need to be registered?

If you wish to provide at least one of the three services mentioned (participation in the purchase/sale of shares of a company, provision of a registered office to a company, provision of an address or other services to a company), you must register with the FPS Economy before commencing your activity.

How do you apply for registration?

If you meet the various conditions, you must submit your application for registration to the FPS Economy's Directorate-General for SME Policy. The application procedure is free.

Complete, sign and date the registration form for natural persons or the registration form for legal persons, depending on your situation. Collect the annexes listed under point E (for a natural person) or under point G (for a legal person) of the form. Send them to the following email address: pss-dvv@economie.fgov.be.

For further information, please telephone: +32 (0)2 277 84 25.

Download the registration form for legal persons (DOCX, 77.53 KB)

Download the registration form for natural persons (DOCX, 61.08 KB)

You may need to include the “cadastral description” of the building where the services are provided in the application form. If you do not know this, you can easily find it in the FPS Finance's CadGIS application. All you need to do is log in using a digital key (eID, itsme, etc.).

The application works with an interactive map of Belgium. You can find the building of which you are the owner. A pop-up will appear over the selected location. Choose the “cadastral parcels” tab. The “cadastral parcel ID” entry corresponds to the “cadastral description” that you must fill in on the registration application form. If you have a problem with the link, please go to MyMinfin and choose the option “Consult the cadastral plan”.

How does the FPS Economy process your registration application?

The FPS Economy checks that the file is complete. It then examines your application. As part of this process, it consults with the FPS Justice's Criminal Registry Department to check the probity of the people mentioned in your application.

The FPS Economy will reach a decision within 60 days of submission of the completed application. It will inform you of its decision by registered letter.

How do you lodge an appeal in the event of a refusal?

You can lodge an appeal with the administrative litigation section of the Council of State. You must do this within 60 days of receipt of the decision.

Send your request:

  • by registered mail to the following address:
    Council of State
    Rue de la Science 33
    1040 Brussels

or

Where applicable, you can resubmit a new request following a period of three months from the date of notification of the decision.

Your company is registered but you wish to make changes?

If your company is registered and you need to report changes in your organisation (change of effective managers, change of beneficial owners, changes to your model contract, etc.) you can use the email address pss-dvv@economie.fgov.be.

And if you do not register?

If you fail to comply with the obligation to register, you are risking a fine of 250 to 100,000 euros.

If you are registered but no longer meet the conditions, you are risking a similar fine.

More information?

For additional information, please contact:

Last update
17 October 2024