Business counter
A service desk for professional card applications (Wallonia)
As a business counter, you are required to receive foreign nationals who wish to carry out a self-employed activity in Wallonia and assist them in completing the professional card application form.
Who should apply for a professional card?
General rule:
The foreign nationals must apply for a professional card if:
- They would you like to work as a self-employed person in Wallonia as:
- A natural person (sole proprietorship)
- OR a representative of a company or association (paid or unpaid representative)
- OR an active partner of a company or association (paid or unpaid)
- OR any other status as self-employed workers, such as self-employed workers in the sharing economy, self-employed students and caregivers
- AND they are not a Belgian national
- AND they are not a national of one of the Member States of the European Economic Area (European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) or of Switzerland.
Exemptions
In some cases, even if the foreign nationals meet the above criteria, they may still be able to work as a self-employed person without a professional card. Click here for further information on the exemptions.
Attention
Please note:
It is the actual place where the activity is carried out (and not the registered office or establishment unit) that determines whether a Walloon professional card is required.Example: A foreign doctor who lives in Brussels and runs a private practice there, but who now wishes to work two days per week in a hospital located in Wallonia, must apply for a Walloon professional card. This applies even if the hospital is not considered an establishment unit by the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) and even if the doctor already holds a Brussels professional card linked to their private practice.
By contrast, a foreign electrician established in Brussels must apply for a Brussels professional card. If the card is granted, it will allow them to carry out work on sites located in Wallonia, as such assignments are occasional and unpredictable and do not establish a long-term link with a specific place of activity.
We no longer consider platform workers (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, etc.) to be self-employed workers. Consequently, any application relating to this type of activity is now systematically refused, regardless of the applicant’s residence status.
In which situations must an applicant submit their professional card application through a diplomatic mission?
Applicants who contact you must already be residing in Belgium and hold one of the following residence permits:
- An A, H, I, J, F, or F+ card
- An Annex 15 equivalent to the certificate of registration in the aliens' register (CIRE)
- A certificate of registration (orange card)
Please note, the certificate of registration is a temporary residence document issued to third-country nationals who have initiated the process of obtaining a residence permit. It does not constitute authorisation to reside or settle in Belgium. However, a professional card may only be issued to a person who has been granted permission to reside or settle in Belgium.
Consequently, a professional card may only be issued to the holder of a certificate of registration in the following two cases :
- If, at the time the application for a professional card is reviewed, the competent authorities have issued a positive decision regarding the procedure for which the certificate of registration was granted.
- If the applicant also holds a valid "Long-Term Resident – EU" card issued by another Member State.
- A P or S card, but only for family members of diplomatic and consular officials, provided they are covered by a reciprocal agreement concluded by Belgium that authorises them to engage in profit-making employment.
Please note that family members of employees or civil servants of an international organisation are not covered by these agreements and cannot apply for a professional card from within Belgium.
How should you assist an applicant when submitting a professional card application?
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Verify that the applicant holds a valid residence permit
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Verify that the applicant meets the professional qualification requirements, where applicable, if they intend to carry out a regulated self-employed activity. Complete and sign Annex 1 of the application form accordingly.
Please note: Applicants who wish to submit their application from abroad must nevertheless first submit their file to a business counter if the activity they intend to carry out is subject to professional qualification requirements.
The representative of the business counter must then complete and sign Annex 1, thereby certifying the applicant’s qualifications, and return it to the applicant electronically.
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Verify that the applicant has provided a criminal record extract issued within the last three months.
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Collect the €140 application fee from the applicant and attach to the application file a bank statement or account extract confirming payment.
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Complete the annex to the application form intended for the business counter.
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Where applicable, provide certificates confirming payment of social security contributions for the self-employed worker and/or the company.
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Send us the professional card application, preferably by email to professionalcard.entreprises@spw.wallonie.be.
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Please note: Emails larger than 10 MB cannot be delivered.
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If necessary, please contact us. We will provide you with a secure file-sharing link allowing you to submit application files that are too large to be sent by email.
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Important point regarding repeat applications
If an applicant has received a refusal decision, they must wait two years before submitting a new application, unless the new application contains new elements or relates to a different activity.
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Provide a reasoned opinion on the applicant’s project. This opinion must be based on an individual interview with the applicant.
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Verify that a criminal record extract issued within the last three months has been provided.
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Collect the fee of €140 from the applicant and attach to the application file a bank statement or account extract confirming payment.
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Send the professional card application to the Walloon Public Service (Service public de Wallonie), preferably by email to professionalcard.entreprises@spw.wallonie.be.
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Verify that the applicant holds a valid right of residence in the country where the Belgian diplomatic mission is located.
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Complete the appropriate application form together with the applicant, preferably in electronic format.
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If the applicant has already completed the form, check that it has been properly completed, dated and signed.
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The form must also be dated and signed by a representative of the diplomatic mission. Certified electronic signatures are accepted.
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If the form has been completed by hand (which should be avoided whenever possible), please ensure that the applicant’s contact details, in particular their postal address and email address, are clearly legible.
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Please also verify that the applicant has indicated the business counter where they intend to collect their professional card if the application is approved.
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Please note: Emails larger than 10 MB cannot be delivered.
If necessary, please contact us. We will provide you with a secure file-sharing link allowing you to submit application files that are too large to be sent by email.
You are required by law to forward the application to us within five days of meeting with the applicant.Important point regarding repeat applications
If an applicant has received a refusal decision, they must wait two years before submitting a new application, unless the new application contains new elements or relates to a different activity.
How do you issue a professional card?
- We will notify you, by both email and post, of the decision to grant, refuse or declare inadmissible the application.
- If the application is approved, we will send you the professional card by post.
- You must then issue the card to the applicant in person, in accordance with the procedures laid down by the applicable regulations (Royal Decree of 25 June 2007), which require you to:
- Verify the identity of the card holder;
- Collect the fee indicated on the card;
- Add the statement “fees paid” beneath the amount due;
- Date, sign and stamp the card.
What documents must be attached to the application?
The list of required documents depends, in particular, on the applicant's residency status.
If the applicant is:
- A student who wishes to work as a self-employed person while pursuing their studies
- A salaried worker who wishes to engage in additional work alongside their regular job
- A person holding a residence permit obtained on one of the following grounds: family reunification, medical reasons (Article 9 ter), or human trafficking (Article 110bis)
- A person whose stay in Belgium is temporarily covered by a certificate of registration.
Click on the following link to download the list of documents to include with the application.
In all other cases:
What should an applicant do if their professional card is lost?
If a foreign national loses their professional card and needs to have it replaced, the application must be accompanied by a declaration on honour stating that the card has been lost or destroyed.
The applicant must pay the €140 fee for submitting a replacement application.
- They would you like to work as a self-employed person in Wallonia as:
Forms
Please also refer to the tab ‘What documents do I need to prepare for my card application?
Contact
Directorate of Employment and Work Permits
ROUSSEAU Isabelle081/33.43.98DALLI-CARDILLO Alexandre081/33.43.15Related information
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