Legislation of Belgium

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List of laws and regulations

Act name
Scope of law
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Tax treaties entered

Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
China
Congo (Republic of the)
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Côte d'Ivoire
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
France
Gabon
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Korea (Republic of)
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malaysia
Malta
Mauritius
Mexico
Moldova (Republic of)
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Pakistan
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
San Marino
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Viet Nam

Tax Exchange Information Agreement (TIEA)

Andorra
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Belize
Dominica
Gibraltar
Grenada
Liechtenstein
Montserrat
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

List of state regulatory authorities

Federal Public Service Finance
Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce
FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation
Business in Belgium

Corporate info

Legal system
civil law
Types of entity
ordinary limited partnership - SCS / GCV;
general partnership - SNC / VOF;
partnership limited by shares - SCA / CVA;
private limited liability company - SPRL / BVBA;
public limited company - SA / NV;
сooperative company - CV;
cooperative company with unlimited liability - SCRI / CVOA;
cooperative company with limited liability - SC / SCRL-CV / CVBA
Shelf companies permitted
Yes
Incorporation timescale for a new company
7 days
Company suffix
Private limited liability company (société privée à responsabilité limitée/besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid) - SPRL/BVBA
Sensitive words
Identical or similar with registered company’s names; registered trademarks; names of organizations and associations
Cyrillic alphabet permitted in company name
No
Local registered office
Yes
Local registered agent
No
Information to be kept at the registered office
Accounting books, minutes of board meetings and shareholders meetings
Seal required, type of seal
Not required
Redomiciliation (to, from) permitted
Permitted

Director and secretary

Minimum number of directors
1
Residency requirements for directors
No
Corporate directors permitted
Yes
Directors’ meetings/frequency/location
Yes / annually
Disclosure to local agent
Yes
Disclosure to public
Yes
Company secretary required
No
Residency requirements for a secretary
No
Qualified secretary required
No
Corporate secretary permitted
No

Shareholder and beneficiary

Minimum number of shareholders
1
Residency requirements for shareholders
No
Corporate shareholder permitted
Yes
Meetings/frequency/location
Yes / annually / registered office
Disclosure to local agent
Yes
Disclosure to public
No
Beneficiary info disclosure to
No

Shares and share capital

Minimum authorized share capital
Minimum issued share capital
18 550
Minimum paid share capital
6 200
Authorized capital payment deadlines
Issued capital payment deadlines
Before incorporation
Standard currency
EUR
Standard authorized share capital
18 550
Standard par value of shares
1
Shares with no par value permitted
No
Bearer shares permitted
No

Taxes

Personal tax
25-50%
Сorporate tax
25%
Corporate tax (in detail)
The standard income tax rate is 25%
Capital gains tax
25%
Capital gains tax. Details
Capital gains realized by a company on the disposal of its assets are subject to the normal corporate tax rate
VAT
21%
VAT. Details
The standard rate is 21%, but lower rates apply to certain categories of goods and services: 6% (live animals, meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, medicine, water supply, etc.) and 12% (restaurant servicing, phytopharmacology, some kinds of solid fuel, etc.)
Withholding tax
30% (dividend), 30% (interest), 30% (royalty)
Other taxes
Inheritance tax; Transfer Duty upon death; Tax on Long-term Savings; Circulation Tax; Betting and Gambling Tax; Tax on credit organizations
Exchange control
No
Government fee
No
Stamp duty
12,5%

Accounts

Requirement to prepare accounts
Yes
Requirement to file accounts
Yes
Publicly accessible accounts
Yes
Requirement to file Annual Return
No
Publicly accessible Annual Return
No
Audit required
No

General information shortly

Location
Western Europe
Total area
30.528 sq.km
Population
11.476.279 (2020)
Capital
Brussels
National currency
Euro
Conditional reduction of currency
EUR
Against USD
0.93 (2022)
Climate, average max and min t°
Temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy; avg. maximum temperature (July) +20°; avg. minimum temperature (January) -1°
Time difference from Moscow
- 1 hour
Dialing code
+32
State language
Dutch, French and German
Ethnic groups
Flemish 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11%
Literacy rate
99%
History
The medieval history of Belgium is traced back to its accession to the Kingdom of Burgundy. In the course of time the territory of the modern Belgium belonged to the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France and the Netherlands. Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 as a result of an uprising known as the Belgian Revolution. At the end of the 19th century Belgium came to be a colonial empire with the Congo annexed under the Belgian rule. Belgium was occupied by Germany during World War I and World War II. A feature of its history is the number of wars between other European powers, which took place on the territory of the modern Belgium, causing it to be nicknamed ‘The Cockpit of Europe’. Belgium was one of the member-signatories to the Treaty of Brussels, signed on 17 March 1948, which is considered the precursor to the NATO agreement. Belgium is also one of the founding members of the EU. Both these organisations are headquartered within its territory.
Credit rating
AA-
Government type
federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Executive branch
The Belgian Federal Cabinet (Government) appointed by the monarch with the Prime-Minister as its head
Legislative branch
Bicameral Federal Parliament consisting of the Senate (71 senators) and the Chamber of Representatives (150 deputies)
Judicial branch
The highest courts are the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court of Justice and five civil and criminal courts of appeal (in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Liege, and Mons).
Unemployment
5,6% (2022)
GDP per capita rank
23 (2020)
Corruption perceptions index rank
73 (2021)

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