Status & contributions
CBE
Crossroads Bank for Enterprises
By the Finances Indépendants editorial teamUpdated on 4 min readAlso known as: CBE, Enterprise number, Company number, Business one-stop shop, Establishment unit, BCE, KBO
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Contents
What is the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises?
It is the official register of Belgian businesses, kept by the FPS Economy. It holds each business's identification data: name, address, legal form, activities, places of business. A self-employed person working as a sole trader is recorded in it just like a company, liberal professions included.
The basic data are public. Anyone can look them up free of charge in CBE Public Search, to check a customer, a supplier or a subcontractor before working with them.
The enterprise number and establishment units
Registration assigns a unique ten-digit enterprise number. Older numbers start with 0; that series has run out, so every new registration receives a number starting with 1. Existing businesses keep theirs.
Each place where you actually carry out an activity, identifiable by an address, is an establishment unit with its own ten-digit number. A graphic designer working from home has one; a hairdresser who opens a second salon has two. Your activities are described there using NACE-BEL codes.
How and when to register
Registration takes place before the activity starts, at an approved business one-stop shop: you choose the office, and the fee is the same everywhere. The office also checks the access conditions specific to certain regulated professions, then records your activities and your address.
Registering with the CBE remains separate from joining a [social insurance fund](/fr/glossaire#caisse-assurances-sociales), which must also happen before you start. The office can also activate your VAT number for an extra fee; you can do it yourself online. Even under the [small business VAT exemption](/fr/glossaire#franchise-tva), the enterprise number remains your identifier.
- Registration with the CBE through a business one-stop shop.
- Membership of a social insurance fund.
- VAT activation, if the activity is subject to VAT.
Where the enterprise number must appear
On all your business documents: invoices, quotes, purchase orders. If you have a website or a business page on a social network, the enterprise number must appear there too, along with the VAT number in the form "VAT BE" followed by the number if the activity is subject to VAT.
The same number serves as your identifier on the [Peppol](/fr/glossaire#peppol) network, through which Belgian businesses now exchange their electronic invoices. A wrong or outdated number on an invoice makes it harder for the customer to process.
When does the CBE need updating?
Whenever your data change: a new activity, a new address, a new place of business, the end of the activity. Most changes go through a business one-stop shop and are charged for; some data can be corrected free of charge online in the My Enterprise application, depending on the legal form. Incorrect data can make you miss out on a grant or subsidy.
Since 1 January 2025, activities have been coded in NACE-BEL 2025. The old codes were converted automatically, but the conversion does not always reflect the actual activity: a quick look at your record in CBE Public Search is enough to check.
[Switching to a company](/fr/statut/passage-en-societe) is the change most often misunderstood. The SRL/BV (private limited company) is a new business: it receives its own number, different from that of the sole trader business. The closure of the sole trader business is recorded with the CBE, and invoices issued in the company's name carry the company's number.
Not to be confused with
The terms close to CBE and what sets them apart.
- CBE and the business one-stop shop
- The business one-stop shop is the approved intermediary that handles registration and changes. The CBE is the register itself, kept by the FPS Economy.
- CBE and the VAT number
- The VAT number is the enterprise number preceded by "BE". Every business has an enterprise number; only an activity subject to VAT uses the VAT number.
- CBE and membership of a social insurance fund
- Registering with the CBE identifies the business. Joining a fund opens the social status and triggers contributions. Both are mandatory, and neither replaces the other.
Further reading
- Social insurance fund
- Small business VAT exemption
- Peppol
- Switching to a company
- Adjustment (regularisation) of social security contributions
- Assisting spouse
- INASTI, Institut National d'Assurances Sociales pour Travailleurs Indépendants (National Institute for the Social Security of the Self-employed, NISSE)
- ONSS, Office National de Sécurité Sociale (National Social Security Office, NSSO)
- All glossary terms
CBE: frequently asked questions
Yes. The CBE records every natural person carrying out an economic activity in Belgium, as a main or a secondary occupation, liberal professions included. Registration is done at a business one-stop shop before you start, and joining a social insurance fund remains a separate step.
Almost. The VAT number is the enterprise number preceded by the country code "BE". You only use it if your activity is subject to VAT. The enterprise number exists for every business and must appear on your invoices, quotes and website, even under the small business VAT exemption.
Registration through a business one-stop shop is charged for, and the fee is the same whichever office you choose. Most later changes also go through an office and are charged for; some can be made free of charge online via My Enterprise. VAT activation by the office costs extra; you avoid that by activating it yourself online.
Through CBE Public Search, free and online. A search by name or number shows the business's name, address, legal form, activities and status. It is a useful reflex before a first large quote, or to check that a subcontractor is actually registered for the activity they offer.
Yes. The company is a new business and receives its own number. Invoices issued by the company carry its number, and the closure of the sole trader business is recorded with the CBE. This information is provided for guidance only and does not constitute personalised advice. Consult a licensed professional before making any decision.
A place with an address where you carry out at least one activity: your office, your workshop, your shop. Each unit has its own ten-digit number in the CBE. A self-employed person who opens a second place of business must have it registered as a new unit by a business one-stop shop.
Official source
- FPS Economy, Crossroads Bank for Enterprises. View (new tab)(Official source, accessed on 2026-10-19)