Domiciliation: practical guides and steps

Domiciling your company means placing its registered office at an address supplied by a provider, without renting an office there. This option appeals to the self-employed, start-ups and foreign firms. These guides explain how it works, its limits and how to choose well.

How does domiciliation work?

The provider gives you an official address for the registered office. It then receives your mail and stores, scans or forwards it, depending on the package. Some business centres also offer call answering or meeting rooms by the hour. The option suits activities that take place at clients' premises or online. A good provider also alerts you quickly to important mail, such as a registered letter.

The address appears in the CBE, on your invoices and often in the articles. Your private address thus stays out of public registers. Our complete guide to business domiciliation details services and prices.

Why choose this option?

The benefits are mostly practical and financial. You avoid office rent and keep a clear line between private life and business. An address in a business district can also reassure some clients. Moreover, the provider's fees normally count as deductible business expenses.

Placing the office at your home remains possible. Your private address then becomes public in the CBE and on your invoices. A business address avoids that overlap.

• The advantages of a commercial address reviews these benefits.
• Choosing an address in Brussels compares the most sought-after districts.
• The comparison with coworking helps if you also need a desk.

Steps and points to watch

If an existing company moves its registered office to a provider, that counts as a transfer. The decision must then appear in the Belgian Official Gazette, and the CBE record follows. Remember to budget for the publication costs too. Our guide to moving the registered office to a provider describes these steps. A foreign company follows other rules, depending on whether it opens a branch or a subsidiary. For that case, read setting up as a foreign company.

The provider must also comply with anti-money laundering law. It will therefore ask for identity documents and details of your beneficial owners. This check protects your reputation as much as theirs.

• Check that the contract covers official and registered mail.
• Register an establishment unit with the CBE if you work elsewhere.
• Make sure your lease allows the activity, if you are weighing up your home instead.
• Read the termination terms before signing.

A sham office with no real link to the business quickly draws the authorities' attention. So choose a serious provider that genuinely handles your mail. Finally, compare several offers, since included services vary widely. Official information on the CBE and establishment units is available on the FPS Economy website.