Belgium and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for Belgium since 9 February 1976
- Issued by
- Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Service, through the eLegalisation platform
- Language
- Dutch, often accepted as it is
- Register
- Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen (KBO/BCE) (online)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 2001, in force 2002; new treaty signed 2023 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- EU single market and customs union
- In the Netherlands
- 2,430 companies controlled from Belgium in 2024, 1,915 in 2021 (+26.9%), about 90,000 jobs, €27.9 billion turnover, 12.2% of all 19,995 foreign-controlled companies (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- EU free movement
Documents from Belgium
Passport copy, certified by a notary in Belgium.
Proof of address in Belgium, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a Belgian notaris/notaire. The notary files the apostille request for you.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Legalisation Service, through the eLegalisation platform. Since May 2018, Belgian apostilles have been electronic only. The notary submits the request. You pay online (€20 to 25) and normally receive a link to the e-apostille within 24 to 48 hours.
Good to know. Documents in Dutch can be used as they are. French-language deeds from Wallonia or Brussels may need a translation. The Belgian UBO register (the real owners behind a company) is separate from the KBO extract.
If a company from Belgium becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen (KBO/BCE). Company data is public online. The publications in the Belgisch Staatsblad (Moniteur belge) show the directors and the articles. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Belgium: business register and trade
Belgium's business register is the Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen (KBO), in French the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE), named the Business Hub Database on the portal. An office in the Federal Department of the Economy manages it.
Everyone can consult the public data on businesses free of charge through the online Public Search, available in English, Dutch, French and German. It shows the registration number, name, head office address, legal form and officers, and a free Open Data file can be reused after registration.
Company information has to be published in the official gazette, and annual accounts through the Central Balance Sheet Office of the central bank. The Public Search links directly to both.
In 2024, Dutch goods exports to Belgium were worth €79.2 billion and imports from Belgium €57.2 billion. With a share of 21.2%, the Netherlands was the main supplier of goods to Belgium in 2023.
Your next step from Belgium
Get free first advice Your own document list · How a Dutch BV is set up