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If one wants to start a self-employed activity in Belgium as a foreign national, one must hold a professional card. The professional card is the document authorizing you to exercise a self-employed activity. The competence for work in Belgium is not a Federal responsibility but rather a Regional.
The applicant is invited to have a look at the relevant website of the region where he can find the conditions, application form and the list of documents that will have to be submitted.
- If, after having carefully read the conditions, the applicant establishes that he/she qualifies for a professional card, the applicant must submit a scanned version of the complete application consisting of the duly filled in and signed application form and all the relevant supporting documents required to apply for a professional card to london.visa@diplobel.fed.be
- Our ICT security systems prevent us from downloading files from the cloud or sites like We Transfer etc. Only send us all relevant documents as PDF attachments to an e-mail and avoid scanning in color and high res (limit the attachments size to +/- 5 MB)
- Do note that you will need an ACRO police certificate LEGALISED. Obtaining such document could take some time, hence it is in the applicant’s own interest to act swiftly
- Upon receipt of the complete scanned application, the Embassy will proceed with an initial verification of the pre-application of your professional card. The applicant might be contacted by the Trade Delegate of the competent Region in London for an interview about his/her application. It is the role of the Trade Delegate in London, if applicable, to provide a first economic advice on the professional card application.
- If this verification is succesful the applicant will receive an email from the Embassy instructing him/her to send the complete ORIGINAL application FORM + the original ACRO certificate to the Embassy. All other required/relevant documents can be provided as copies only. DO NOT SEND YOUR ORIGINAL PASSPORT TO THE EMBASSY. Only a copy of the ID page. For security reasons and to avoid loss of original documents it is strongly advised to do so by registered mail only to:
Embassy of Belgium
17, Grosvenor Crescent
London SW1X 7EE
Attention of Visa Section - The application should contain proof of transfer of the professional card application fee to the Embassy bank account, amount SEE HERE (PDF, 179.77 KB) (important: the exact amount in GBP has to be deposited in our account, the Embassy will not accept any charges or foreign exchange losses), transfer details see below:
Embassy of Belgium
BNP Paribas
Account No: 10794033
Sort Code: 406384
Important
When making the payment to the Embassy account, you must quote as reference the applicant’s NAME, date of birth and motivation for transfer (PC) in the following format: NAMEDDMMYYPC
Example: SMITH280281PC
Failing to use this format can delay your application.
The Embassy submits the complete application for approval to the competent region in Belgium who will make the final decision to refuse or grant the professional card. Once you receive confirmation that the professional card is granted you will have to apply for a visa. Information about how to proceed can be found on the website of our External Service Provider TLS HERE.
