How to create a company in Belgium

I became a freelancer in January 2022, and want to share an important step in the process of getting off administratively: creating a private limited company structure.

Instead of explaining the steps and frustrations in general terms, I decided to make a Coda template with all steps and some useful tracking information on the side. This way, if you are interested in setting up a BV (besloten vennootschap, or private limited company, or société à responsabilité limitée) in Belgium, you can have a look at the steps and quickly figure out what’s needed. Best case, you will actually use the template as a checkbox tool. Amidst the perceived increased desire to become independent or have a more nomadic lifestyle, I hope this is helpful.

Not all steps are mandatory, and most of them can be bundled and outsourced (typically to your accountant). I personally did as much as possible by myself, to maximize the learning experience of creating a small legal company structure from scratch. The perspective I took is that of a single-person freelancing company (to begin with). Unless you want to do something that requires specific licenses (like opening a butcher shop), the steps outlined should do the trick in all other situations. Bear in mind that you do not need to create a BV to start working as a freelancer, but for some professions (such as mine, as an IT-freelancer in the broad sense) it is wisest to split your professional income into a personal income stream and company profits.

Here is the link to the template. You should be able to duplicate (copy the doc in Coda terms) and modify freely. It still looks a bit rough, but the basis is there.