How does Professional Card (self-employed / freelancers) work in Belgium, and who qualifies?

If you want to run your own business or work as a freelancer in Belgium rather than be hired by an employer, the employee work permits don't apply — you need a Professional Card (carte professionnelle / beroepskaart). It covers freelancers, company directors and entrepreneurs.

Like work authorisation generally in Belgium, the Professional Card is regionalised: you apply to Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels-Capital depending on where your activity is based, and each region assesses your business plan and whether your activity meets its economic-interest and regulatory conditions. You'll submit a solid business plan to the competent regional authority, and for stays over 90 days you'll typically pair the card with a type-D long-stay visa. You'll also need a medical certificate confirming you have no specified illnesses and a recent criminal-record extract (less than six months old) from your country of origin or last residence.

Validity, exact conditions and fees are set regionally, so the details depend on where your activity will be based — always check the rules for your region on the official source. If you're weighing self-employment against an employee route, ACME offers a free initial consultation to help you choose.