Running the company: address, director, bank, founder residence
Corporate Bank Account in Belgium
An introduction to a credit institution and a bank file built on what the law requires. The bank alone decides.
- Introduction to a credit institution
- File built on the AML law's identification items
- The statutory route after three refusals, explained
Bank account for a foreign-owned Belgian company
We introduce your company to a credit institution and prepare the file it assesses. We are not a bank and not the notary. Where cash is paid up at the deed, Art. 5:9 of the Companies and Associations Code requires a special account with an EEA credit institution, for both company forms.
The account is also what lets a Belgian company pay, be paid and file. That needs a company, and a company needs a registered address in Belgium. Below: what the law requires, what is only bank practice, and what happens after a refusal.
What is included
Six parts of the service. Each names its statute or says it is bank practice.
Introduction to a credit institution
We introduce the company to an institution and send the file. For the deposit account, the institution must be an EEA credit institution, not necessarily a Belgian one.
The bank file
Identity of the client, its agents and its beneficial owners, directors and powers to bind (Arts. 21, 23, 26 §2, AML Law). The ownership chart, source of funds and rationale are bank practice.
The special account at the deed
Where cash is paid up at the deed, we line up the account in the name of the company in formation and the proof of deposit for the notary (Art. 5:9; Art. 7:12 CSA).
The operating account
Once the company has its KBO number and an address, we prepare the operating account application with the same file, updated.
Support after a refusal
We help you ask in writing for the reasoned refusal and, where the enterprise qualifies, prepare the application to the Basic Banking Service Chamber (Arts. VII.59/4 to VII.59/11 CDE).
Where the service stops
We are not the bank or the notary, and promise no account. We rank no bank, offer no price here, and do not advise which institution type suits you.
How it works
Eight steps and who acts. A duration appears only where an authority publishes one; otherwise the step says there is no official service level.
- Decide the form and the depositClientNV/SA minimum capital EUR 61,500 (Arts. 7:2, 7:11)
- Map ownership and peopleClient, with our preparationNo official service level
- Check the UBO register entryClient, or us on mandateWithin 30 days of creation and of any change
- Approach the institutionClient, on our introductionNo official service level
- Deposit, certificate, deedClient, bank, notaryFunds returned if not incorporated within 1 month; filing within 30 days of the deed (Art. 5:9; Art. 2:8 §1)
- Open the operating accountClient, bankNo official service level
- Statutory route if banks refuseClient, three banks, the ChamberArt. VII.59/4
- Keep the file currentClientUBO changes within 30 days
Decide the form and whether cash is paid up at the deed
Client. An NV/SA needs EUR 61,500 (Arts. 7:2, 7:11 CSA). For a private limited company under its Belgian name, the BV/SRL, no amount is fixed, but own funds must suffice and a financial plan is needed (Arts. 5:3, 5:4).
Map the ownership and the people
Client, with our preparation. The statute names the identification items; the ownership chart to the natural persons is practice. If a company holds the shares, set up a subsidiary in Belgium first or in parallel.
Check the UBO register entry
Client, or us on mandate. Filing is due within 30 days of creation and of any change. People without a Belgian identification route use ForReg.
Approach the institution
Client, on our introduction. For the deposit it must be an EEA credit institution; an e-money institution does not qualify. No official service level exists.
Deposit, certificate and deed
Client, bank, notary. The proof of deposit goes to the notary. If the company is not incorporated within one month of opening the account, funds are returned on request. Filing follows within 30 days of the deed.
Open the operating account
Client, bank. Market evidence says banks ask for the KBO number and a real address. No official service level exists.
If banks refuse, use the statutory route
Client, three credit institutions, the Chamber. For an enterprise that qualifies; see the section below.
Keep the file current
Client. UBO changes are due within 30 days and the register is confirmed every year. The FPS Economy says the account number belongs on business documents.
Is cash paid up at your deed?
Tell us the form and whether cash is paid up at the deed, and we sequence the special account with the notary.
What the law requires, what it costs, what is practice
Statute and state tariff are cited with their year. What a bank asks beyond the statute is labelled bank practice. Our own fee is quoted on request.
| Item | Rule or amount | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special account for cash paid up at the deed, BV/SRL and NV/SA | Required before incorporation | Art. 5:9; Art. 7:12 CSA | Statute |
| The institution | EEA credit institution within Art. 4(1)(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013, not an e-money institution | Art. 5:9; Art. 7:12 CSA | Statute |
| Deposit if the company is not formed | Returned on request if not incorporated within one month of opening the account | Art. 5:9 para 3 CSA | Statute |
| What the bank identifies | Client, agents, beneficial owners; for a company its name, seat, directors and powers to bind | Arts. 21, 23, 26 §2, Law of 18 September 2017 | Statute |
| If identification cannot be completed | No relationship and no transaction | Art. 33 §1, same Law | Statute |
| UBO register | Filing within 30 days of creation and of any change, confirmed yearly; banks read the recorded documents since 1 September 2026 | FPS Finance UBO register | Administration's statement |
| Ownership chart, source of funds, rationale, substance | No statutory list | None | Bank practice |
| KBO/BCE registration, business counter | EUR 111.50 per establishment unit, 2026 | FPS Economy | State tariff |
| Moniteur belge, incorporation | Electronic EUR 236.50 excl. VAT (EUR 286.17 incl.); paper EUR 292.90 (EUR 354.41), filings from 1 March 2026 | *Moniteur belge* tariff | State tariff |
| Opening the account; the notarial fee | No state fee for the account found; the notary quotes the notarial fee | Sources read, 30 September 2026 | Quoted by the notary |
CSA, AML Law and FPS tariffs; Moniteur belge tariff for filings from 1 March 2026; KBO fee for 2026.
Documents you will need
The identification items and the statutory route are set by law. Everything else here is bank practice.
- Identity documents for every beneficial owner, director and agent.
- Corporate name, seat, list of directors and the provisions on the power to bind.
- For a corporate shareholder: its foundation documents and an ownership chart to the natural persons.
- Evidence of the source of funds.
- A written business rationale for the Belgian entity.
- For a company in formation: the amount paid up at the deed and the receiving bank.
- For the operating account: the KBO number and a real address.
- For the statutory route: three reasoned refusals, the sworn declaration, supporting documents.
If banks refuse: the statutory route
For an enterprise established in Belgium and inscribed in the KBO, or applying. The bank is designated, not chosen. The route does not rescue a company that does not exist yet, and a sector limit applies to AML-listed activities (Art. VII.59/4 §5).
- Reasoned refusal
- Within 10 working days on request (Art. VII.59/4 §3)
- Application
- After three refusals, with a sworn declaration (Arts. VII.59/4 §1, VII.59/5)
- Financial intelligence unit
- Opinion within 60 calendar days (Art. VII.59/4 §3)
- Designation
- In the month after the file is complete
- Account opening
- No period set in the articles quoted on this page
- Reasoned refusal
- Not summarised
- Application
- Three refusals and a sworn declaration
- Financial intelligence unit
- Not summarised
- Designation
- Two months
- Account opening
- Within 10 working days of the designation
Ask each bank for the reasoned refusal
The bank must give it in writing within ten working days, on the enterprise's request (Art. VII.59/4 §3 CDE, as amended in 2022).
Prepare the application after three refusals
Add a sworn declaration that you hold no basic or payment account, and the three refusals with documents (Art. VII.59/5).
Apply to the Chamber
The Basic Banking Service Chamber sits inside the FPS Economy. Apply on paper or online (FPS Economy, 17 January 2023).
The financial intelligence unit gives an opinion
The Chamber waits for its confidential opinion: positive, or no reaction within 60 calendar days (Art. VII.59/4 §3).
The Chamber designates a bank
By statute, at the latest in the month after the file is complete. The FPS Economy summarises it as two months.
The designated bank opens the account
The FPS Economy says within ten working days. A refusal or termination can go to the financial services mediation service (Art. VII.59/7 §1).
Problems we solve
Five points where a bank file goes wrong, and what the law says about each.
The deposit before the company exists
Where cash is paid up at the deed, the special account is a statutory precondition for the BV/SRL as well as the NV/SA. We schedule the bank approach and the deed together.
A non-resident owner and the AML file
Company law sets no residence condition. The obstacle is identification, and under Art. 33 a bank that cannot complete it may not proceed. Founders needing the Belgian professional card settle that first. See also director liability Belgium.
An e-money account instead of a bank
The Code names a credit institution for the deposit. Funds at an e-money institution are safeguarded, not deposits under the EUR 100,000 guarantee. For the licence side, see EMI license Belgium.
A defective UBO entry
Banks can read the supporting documents recorded in the UBO register since 1 September 2026, so a gap is visible to them. We check the entry before the approach.
The statutory route is not a formation-stage fix
It gives an enterprise already established in Belgium a designated bank, never a chosen one, and it needs three refusals and a financial intelligence opinion. See the section above.
Did a bank already refuse your company?
Send us the refusal and we read it against the statute with you: what was stated, and whether reasons were requested.
Why work with us
Nadia El Amrani assembles the file a Belgian bank asks for and coordinates the resident director and substance a foreign-owned company needs.
From our practice: we map the ownership to the natural persons, separate statute from practice, then sequence the account with the deed.
Related services
- DirectorsA resident director and the substance a bank looks for.
- An existing companyA company that already exists and has its seat.
- AddressThe seat that goes in the deed and on the bank file.
- Founder residenceThe route for non-EU founders who run their own company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a Belgian bank open an account for a company owned by a non-resident?
No statute gives a company a right to an ordinary account, and no bank must accept a client. Company law sets no residence condition on directors or shareholders. The obstacle is identification: a bank that cannot complete it for the client, its agents and its beneficial owners may not enter the relationship (Art. 33 §1, Law of 18 September 2017).
What happens if three banks refuse to open a business account?
An enterprise established in Belgium, inscribed in the KBO or applying for inscription, can apply to the Basic Banking Service Chamber after at least three refusals (Art. VII.59/4 §1). The financial intelligence unit's opinion can take up to 60 calendar days, the bank is designated, not chosen, and a company that does not yet exist is not rescued.
Do I need a bank account before the company exists?
If cash is paid up at the deed, yes, for the BV/SRL (Art. 5:9) and the NV/SA (Art. 7:12 of the Companies and Associations Code): a special account with an EEA credit institution, in the name of the company in formation, with proof of deposit handed to the notary. The federal business portal also puts the account before the deed.
Does the account have to be a Belgian one?
Not for the deposit: a credit institution established in the EEA suffices (Art. 4(1)(1) of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013, as referred to in Art. 5:9 of the Code). An operating account is a separate matter, and what Belgian counterparties and administrations accept from a foreign account is not settled in any source we read.
What happens to the deposit if the company is never formed?
If the company is not incorporated within one month of the opening of the special account, the funds are returned to the depositors on request (Art. 5:9 para 3 of the Companies and Associations Code). The same mechanism applies to the NV/SA (Art. 7:12). This is why the bank approach, the deposit and the deed are scheduled together.
Can an e-money or payment institution account replace a bank account?
Not for the deposit: the Code names a credit institution. For ordinary company banking no statutory bar was found, but acceptance is not documented, and funds at an e-money institution are safeguarded, not deposits under the EUR 100,000 guarantee (Directive 2009/110/EC, Art. 6; Directive 2014/49/EU, Art. 6).
What does a bank have to check before it opens a company account?
The statute names the identification of the client, its agents and its beneficial owners and, for a company, its name, seat, list of directors and powers to bind (Arts. 21, 23, 26 §2, Law of 18 September 2017). Source of funds, business rationale and substance are bank practice, not statute.
Is the statutory basic banking service free?
The FPS Economy says banks must open the account "charged or free" (news item of 17 January 2023). No tariff appears in the statute or in that item. Do not expect a free account, and ask the designated bank for its tariff before you rely on it.
How long does it take to open a business account in Belgium?
No authority publishes a service level. Two market claims exist: an online intermediary said two to four weeks (8 September 2026), and a compliance platform said two to six weeks or more (25 September 2026). They are market claims, not our promise. The bank's answer is the binding constraint.
Can a customer or supplier demand a Belgian IBAN from my company?
No. A payer or payee using a SEPA credit transfer or direct debit may not specify the Member State of the account (Art. 9 of Regulation (EU) No 260/2012), for payments within its scope. The consumer rights of Directive 2014/92/EU do not protect a company (Art. 2(1)).
Can I open a bank account in Belgium as a non-resident?
A natural person acting outside a business has a right to a basic-features payment account "irrespective of the consumer's place of residence" (Art. 16(2) of Directive 2014/92/EU), with ten business days to open or refuse (Art. 16(3)). A company has no such right; see the first question for the company position.
Can I open a corporate bank account?
Yes, if a bank accepts the file; there is no legal right to a bank of choice. The statutory fall-back after three refusals is the basic banking service for enterprises (Arts. VII.59/4 to VII.59/11 of the Code of Economic Law), which designates a bank for an enterprise established in Belgium.
Which bank is best in Belgium for foreigners?
This page does not rank banks, and no official source does. The outcome turns on three things: the ownership structure, the quality of the file and the substance behind the company. A prepared file that maps ownership to the natural persons and explains the business serves every institution.
Can I open a European bank account online as a non-resident?
For a company, no Belgian statute gives that right. A consumer's right under Art. 16(2) of Directive 2014/92/EU does not cover a company (Art. 2(1)). What a company can rely on is Art. 9 of Regulation (EU) No 260/2012, which stops a payer or payee specifying the Member State of the account.
Ready to prepare your bank file?
Tell us the company, its owners and whether cash is paid up at the deed.