What do you need to decide before you register?
Two things. First, whether self-employment is your main activity or a side activity next to a job: the formalities are the same, but your social contributions are not. The side-activity case has its own page, how self-employment as a side activity works.
Second, whether you work in your own name, as a sole trader, or through a company such as an SRL/BV. A company needs a notarial deed before you can register, a sole trader does not. The trade-offs are covered in whether you need a company to freelance in IT. What being self-employed means legally is set out in our definition of self-employed status.
How do you register your activity?
Through an approved business counter (guichet d’entreprises / ondernemingsloket). It checks that you meet the legal conditions, registers you in the BCE and gives you your enterprise number. Where the registration is not free, it costs €111.50 per establishment unit, the price applied in early 2026 and indexed every year, according to the SPF Economy.
Some trades need proof of professional competence, mainly in construction, food, personal care and vehicles, as the SPF Economy lists. The business counter checks this when you register. If you are not a national of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you may also need a professional card, explained in whether a non-EU citizen can freelance in Belgium.
What else must be done before your first day?
Four steps, most of which the business counter or your accountant can handle for you:
- Activate your VAT number before you start, if your activity is subject to VAT. Small businesses with a turnover of €25,000 or less excluding VAT can opt for the franchise regime, as the SPF Economy explains
- Join a social insurance fund (caisse d’assurances sociales / sociaal verzekeringsfonds) before your activity actually starts. If you do not, INASTI eventually affiliates you with the national auxiliary fund, and fines can apply, according to the SPF Economy
- Join a health insurance fund (mutualité / ziekenfonds), with a certificate from your social insurance fund, as the SPF Economy requires
- Open a current account and print its number, with your enterprise number, on all your business documents
From then on, you pay quarterly social contributions. How much is explained in what social contributions a freelancer pays.
Is becoming self-employed the same as becoming a freelancer?
Legally, a freelancer in Belgium is simply a self-employed person who sells services to clients, usually on a day rate. The status is the same: what changes is how you find assignments and how you invoice. Our definition of a freelancer draws that line.
The status is not decided by the word on your contract. If a client treats you like an employee, the relationship can be requalified, as explained in what false self-employment is. Once registered, you can browse the current contract and permanent roles on our job board.
