A diplomatic mission

  • 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?

    To submit a professional card application through a Belgian diplomatic mission, the applicant must be legally authorised to reside in the country where that diplomatic mission is located.

    How should you assist an applicant when submitting a professional card application?

    • Verify that the applicant holds a valid right of residence in the country where the Belgian diplomatic mission is located.

    • Complete the appropriate application form together with the applicant, preferably in electronic format.

    • If the applicant has already completed the form, check that it has been properly completed, dated and signed.

    • The form must also be dated and signed by a representative of the diplomatic mission. Certified electronic signatures are accepted.

    • 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.

    • Please also verify that the applicant has indicated the business counter where they intend to collect their professional card if the application is approved.

    • Provide a reasoned opinion on the applicant’s project. This opinion must be based on an individual interview with the applicant.

    • Verify that a criminal record extract issued within the last three months has been provided.

    • Collect the fee of €140 from the applicant and attach to the application file a bank statement or account extract confirming payment.

    • Send the professional card application to the Walloon Public Service (Service public de Wallonie), preferably by email to professionalcard.entreprises@spw.wallonie.be.

    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.

     

    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.

    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:

    Click on this link.

    Visa D procedure

    When we grant a professional card, we notify both you and the applicant by email.

    As the Belgian diplomatic mission, you are the only party to receive a copy of the professional card, which will enable you to complete the applicant’s D visa application.

    We retain the original professional card until you provide us with a copy of the D visa.

    Upon receipt of this copy, we forward the original professional card to the business counter chosen by the applicant.

    The applicant may then collect the card directly from that business counter.

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    Forms

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    Contact

    Directorate of Employment and Work Permits

      ROUSSEAU Isabelle 
      081/33.43.98
      DALLI-CARDILLO  Alexandre 
      081/33.43.15

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