Professional card for self-employed workers who are not Belgian nationals
Route status
Active as of 2026-08-13[7]
Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.
| Territorial scope | Walloon Region (self-employed activity carried out in Wallonia); the card issued is then valid throughout Belgium as of 2026-08-13[5][7] The Walloon Public Service's Directorate of Employment and Work Permits decides applications for activity in the Walloon Region; the Flemish administration states the mutual-recognition rule in both directions, so a Walloon card is usable in the other regions and the German-speaking Community. |
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Residency route facts
Identity
| Official name (local) | Carte professionnelle as of 2026-08-13[3][7] French; the Walloon Region publishes in French and the federal Law of 19 February 1965 uses the same term. |
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| Official name (English) | Professional card for self-employed workers who are not Belgian nationals as of 2026-08-13[7] The Walloon Public Service's own English wording. |
| Legal basis | Loi du 19 février 1965 relative à l'exercice, par les étrangers, des activités professionnelles indépendantes; Arrêté royal du 2 août 1985 portant exécution de cette loi; Arrêté royal du 3 février 2003 (exemptions); residence limb: Loi du 15 décembre 1980, art. 9 as of 2026-08-13[3][4][6] |
Who can apply
| Nationals not served by this route | EU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-13[2][5][7] Nationals of the European Economic Area (EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) and of Switzerland do not need a professional card to work as self-employed persons in Belgium. efta is listed to carry Switzerland, which the bloc vocabulary has no separate value for; the three EFTA states that are also EEA parties are covered twice rather than left out. |
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| Criminal-record condition | Yes as of 2026-08-13[7] 'The application must be accompanied by an extract of the police record or equivalent document issued by the country in question.' |
Permit terms
| Initial duration | up to 5 years as of 2026-08-13[7] 'Professional cards are allocated for a maximum period of five years. A first card is usually issued on a probationary basis for two years.' The bounds form carries the published ceiling; the two-year first card is described as usual practice, not as a rule. |
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| Renewable | Yes as of 2026-08-13[7] Renewable at the end of the period provided the holder satisfies the regulatory, tax and social obligations and the criterion of usefulness that justified the original grant. The renewal application must be submitted at least three months before expiry — a month earlier than Brussels requires. |
| Work rights | self-employment only as of 2026-08-13[7] 'The card is issued for one or more specific activities, as stated on the authorisation. Any change or addition to this activity therefore requires a new authorisation to be issued in advance.' |
Permanent residence and citizenship
| Counts toward permanent residence | Yes as of 2026-06-24[1] Same basis as the other two regional routes: Aliens Act art. 15bis § 1 al. 2's exclusion list does not cover residence for a self-employed activity, and art. 15 requires only five years' regular and uninterrupted residence. |
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Requirements
| Minimum capital | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-13[7] Wallonia publishes no capital minimum. The page lists 'the applicant's financial capabilities', a market study, a financial plan and a financial analysis among the documents that may be attached, without stating a threshold. Recorded unknown rather than zero. |
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| Business plan required | Yes as of 2026-08-13[7] For the creation of a self-employed activity the documents list requires 'un business plan comprenant un plan financier sur 3 ans' meeting the requirements of the Region's own business-plan document, together with a completed 'intérêt économique demande' form. Applications to join an existing company instead file a detailed note on the project and the applicant's function, so the planning document required varies with the case. |
| Endorsement required | No as of 2026-08-13[7] No accelerator, incubator or committee vetting is a condition. The Walloon Economic Enquiry Council for Aliens (Conseil économique pour étrangers) intervenes only on appeal against a refusal, not in the first-instance assessment. |
| Innovation criterion | Recorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value as of 2026-08-13[7] |
| Own means requirement | Not established from a qualifying source as of 2026-08-13[7] |
Process
| Where to apply from | either as of 2026-08-13[7] An applicant living abroad files with the Belgian diplomatic or consular post in their country of residence; an applicant already lawfully in Belgium on a registration certificate model A or a certificate of registration in the register of foreign nationals files domestically. |
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| Fees |
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Physical presence
| none stated | to keep the permit as of 2026-08-13[7] No presence or absence rule is published for the card. 'The validity of the card is linked to the right of residence. If this right is withdrawn, the card can no longer be used and must be returned to the business counter.' |
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Family inclusion
| Family members may be included | Yes as of 2026-06-24[1] |
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| Eligible relations | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Family may apply at the same time | Not established from a qualifying source |
| Family members' work rights | Not established from a qualifying source |
Your next step
Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.
The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.
Profile benefits
- A 30-minute call with our consultant, who reads your profile first.
- An offer for legal support built around your case, covering the whole process.
Verification
| Sources cited | 7 |
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| of which official (tier 1) | 7 |
| Oldest as-of date | 2026-06-24 |
| Newest as-of date | 2026-08-13 |
| Reviewed on | 2026-08-17 |
| Schema version | 1.1 |
Sources
- [1] Loi du 15 décembre 1980 sur l'accès au territoire, le séjour, l'établissement et l'éloignement des étrangers — consolidated text (Justel), updated to 24 June 2026
Service public fédéral Justice (Moniteur belge / Justel) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-24 · Accessed 2026-08-13 - [2] Professional card for non-European nationals (Brussels-Capital Region) — conditions, procedure, fees, validity
Brussels Economy and Employment (Brussels Regional Public Service) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13 - [3] Loi du 19 février 1965 relative à l'exercice, par les étrangers, des activités professionnelles indépendantes — consolidated text (Wallex)
Service public de Wallonie (Wallex — Walloon consolidated-law service) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13 - [4] Arrêté royal du 2 août 1985 portant exécution de la loi du 19 février 1965 relative à l'exercice, par les étrangers, des activités professionnelles indépendantes — consolidated text (Wallex)
Service public de Wallonie (Wallex — Walloon consolidated-law service) · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13 - [5] Requirements for a professional card (Flemish Region)
Government of Flanders — Department of Work, Economy, Science, Innovation and Social Economy (WEWIS) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13 - [6] Professional card — legislation, forms and documents (list of governing instruments)
Government of Flanders — Department of Work, Economy, Science, Innovation and Social Economy (WEWIS) · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13 - [7] Professional cards for self-employed workers who are not Belgian nationals (Walloon Region)
Service public de Wallonie — Département de l'Emploi et de la Formation professionnelle · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13