Business Domiciliation for Liberal Professions in Belgium: Rules and Providers

Key takeaways

• Domiciliation is primarily relevant for the registered office of a professional company (SRL/BV, SA/NV). For a sole trader, the activity address registered with the CBE is generally the personal home address.
• The Law of 29 March 2018 regulates domiciliation providers: any provider must register with the FPS Economy before operating.
• Some professional orders (Bar, Medical Order, Order of Architects) impose deontological rules on addresses and premises: verify them before signing.
• Registered office and practice address are two distinct concepts: the office can be domiciled, the cabinet remains the actual place of practice.
• Domiciliation costs are deductible professional expenses, with VAT recovery if registered for VAT.

Practising a liberal profession in Belgium requires an official address registered with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE), whether you are a sole trader or head of a professional company. The question of domiciliation for liberal professions comes up regularly among doctors, lawyers, architects, accountants and consultants who want to separate their professional address from their private home, or simply reduce their fixed costs. This guide details the legal framework, the constraints specific to each structure, and the criteria for choosing a compliant provider.

What is a liberal profession in Belgian law?

In Belgian law, liberal professions cover intellectual activities carried out on a self-employed basis, whether or not regulated by a professional order. Two broad categories apply.

Regulated professions are subject to an order or disciplinary body: lawyers (Bar), doctors and specialists (Medical Order), architects (National Council of the Order of Architects), notaries (Chamber of Notaries), chartered accountants and auditors (IEC and IRE), pharmacists (Order of Pharmacists), and others. Practising these professions requires entry on an official register or roll, and the professional is subject to binding deontological rules, particularly regarding their address and professional premises.

Unregulated professions (consultants, coaches, translators, developers, interior designers not registered with the Order) have no specific disciplinary body. Their address obligations are those of any Belgian self-employed person registered with the CBE.

Domiciliation for liberal professions: the legal framework

Business domiciliation is governed by the Law of 29 March 2018 on the registration of company service providers, supplemented by the Royal Decree of 11 October 2018. This law targets providers who professionally supply a statutory registered office address or commercial address to a company or to a natural person carrying out an economic activity.

For a liberal professional, this means a domiciliation provider can legally supply a professional address to register with the CBE, provided that provider is registered with the FPS Economy. Registration is free, available online and public. The FPS has sixty days to rule on a complete application.

Registered providers are also subject to the obligations of the Law of 18 September 2017 on the prevention of money laundering: they identify each client (via the UBO register for companies, a copy of an identity document for natural persons) and retain files for the periods set by that law. A serious onboarding process systematically includes these checks.

To domicile your activity, the provider makes available a business domiciliation address that can serve as the registered office for a company, or as the main establishment unit address for a sole trader. It receives official post (CBE extracts, tax authority correspondence, official notices) and can, depending on the package, scan and forward it to you.

As a sole trader or through a professional company: two distinct approaches

Domiciliation takes a different form depending on your legal structure. It is essential to correctly identify your situation before choosing a provider.

	Sole trader	Professional company (SRL/BV or SA/NV)
Main CBE address	Personal home address (general rule)	Registered office (can be domiciled)
Use of domiciliation	Secondary establishment unit	Registered office of the company
Legal reference	Law of 16 January 2003 (CBE)	WVV Art. 2:4 + CBE
Deontological rules of the order	Apply directly to the professional	Apply to the structure and the professional
Separate practice premises required	Yes, for regulated professions	Yes (separate establishment unit)
VAT recoverable on costs	If registered for Belgian VAT	If the company is registered for VAT

For a sole trader, the activity address registered with the CBE is generally the personal home address. Domiciliation with a provider can be used for a secondary establishment unit where the activity is actually carried out away from the home. If the activity involves receiving clients (medical consultations, architect appointments, legal meetings), this separate practice space must be registered with the CBE as an establishment unit.

For a professional company, the domiciled registered office is the statutory address of the company. The actual activity takes place in a separate cabinet or office, registered as an establishment unit. This is the most common setup among doctors, lawyers and architects who have incorporated a company to practise.

The role of professional orders: check the deontological rules

For regulated professions, the decision to opt for domiciliation depends on what the professional order allows regarding addresses.

For lawyers, the deontological rules require a cabinet with a practice address distinct from the private home, corresponding to actual and regular occupation. A commercial domiciliation address used as the sole address does not satisfy this effective occupation requirement. It can, however, be used for the registered office of a law firm (SRL/BV), provided the professional also has a real consultation space.

For doctors, the INAMI distinguishes between the administrative contact address and the work address, i.e. the actual place where care is provided. The registered office of a medical company can be domiciled with a provider; the work address registered with the INAMI must correspond to the cabinet where consultations actually take place.

For architects, the province of the principal professional activity seat determines the competent provincial council for registration with the Order. A domiciliation address can serve as the administrative address, subject to verifying the rules of the relevant provincial council and ensuring the principal activity seat is clearly identifiable.

For notaries, the Law of 16 March 1803 (Ventôse law) requires a fixed étude (office) in the municipality assigned to them by Royal Decree. This precise geographical location requirement excludes any domiciliation with a commercial provider.

For unregulated professions (consultants, coaches, trainers), no deontological restriction applies: domiciliation of a professional company can be used without additional constraints.

Activating your domiciliation in four steps

1. 1

   Check your professional order's rules

   Before any steps

   Consult the deontological rules of your order (Bar, Medical Order, Order of Architects) to confirm that domiciliation is compatible with your obligations. For unregulated professions, this step is optional.

2. 2

   Choose and verify your provider

   A few days

   Confirm that the provider is registered with the FPS Economy (free public register). Ask for proof of registration and check the conditions: mail management, length of commitment, termination procedure.

3. 3

   Sign the domiciliation agreement and complete identification

   1 to 3 days

   The provider identifies you in accordance with the anti-money laundering law (copy of identity document, client questionnaire). For a company, the UBO register must be up to date.

4. 4

   Register the address with the CBE and update the articles of association

   1 to 2 weeks

   For a sole trader, update the establishment unit address via an approved enterprise desk. For a company, a statutory amendment and publication in the Belgian Official Gazette are required if the office changes municipality.

Domiciliation for liberal professions

A professional address for your liberal activity or professional company, with a provider registered with the FPS Economy.

Discover domiciliationSee our services

Benefits and points of vigilance

Domiciliation offers concrete advantages for a liberal professional, provided you are aware of its limits.

The mixed arrangement is common in liberal professions: domiciliation for the registered office or administrative address, and occasional rental of a coworking space or consultation room for appointments. This combination optimises costs while meeting the requirements of professional orders.

One precaution not to overlook: check that the domiciliation contract explicitly states the notice period and termination conditions. In the event of a dispute or provider closure, you will need to transfer your address quickly, which can interrupt the receipt of official post during the transition period.

Further reading

• Business domiciliation in Belgium: full guide, for an overview of the general legal framework.
• Office lease or domiciliation: which to choose?, for a detailed comparison of the two options.
• The register of providers registered with the FPS Economy to verify your provider's compliance.