The steps involved in opting for a business address can seem complex. In addition, many people wonder whether the choice of address is important. Or what are the legal obligations imposed? This article will try to translate and explain as best as possible what is implied and encompassed by the term ‘business address’. Then the methodology for domiciliation will be specified. Subsequently, the legal obligations attached to this process will be explained. Finally, the advantages of an outsourced domiciliation will be discussed.
How are you involved in the register of your business address?
Any company that wishes to be official on Belgian territory as such is obliged to have a physical address on Belgian soil. Domiciliating a company is therefore the equivalent of making a place official as the registered office of its company. This is the place where letters to the company are sent. All the official papers are supposed to be stored there. Here we mean the legal articles of association, accounting documents and other documents. As soon as a domiciliation is officialized, the business address chosen for the establishment of your company is approved and published in the Belgian Official Gazette. From that moment on, your company has a physical address where its registered office is legally present.
How to register a business address?
In order to ind a business address, or a unit of establishment, all you have to do is give us various information about your company, and its manager in some cases. Once this information has been shared, we will ask you to pay for the first three months of domiciliation. This will validate the first compulsory three-month period. Once the payment has been made, and the information received, we will send you an address and give you authorisation to make a direct debit. You will be able to inform your accountant and your legal department. They will then take the necessary steps to use this new address on all your official documents. A publication in the Belgian Official Gazette must be made to confirm this move, or company move.
What are the legal obligations attributed to having a business address?
In order to make your business registration official and legal, several points must be respected.
A company to be domiciled
In the first place, it is obviously essential to have a company, or at least to be in the process of setting up a company. If you do not have a real business, your domiciliation will not concern any entity recognised as such under Belgian law.
Registering with the ECB to have a business address
The second point, which is related to the first, concerns the registration of your business. In order to be domiciled, you must be registered and recognised as such with the Central Bank of Enterprises (BCE). The Central Bank of Enterprises lists all Belgian companies on Belgian soil. Foreign structures that have a place of business or unit of establishment in Belgium are also represented there. If your company is not listed with the ECB, it is not recognised as such by Belgian law. Its domiciliation will therefore not be legal.
This second point can be avoided, as long as you are in the creation phase of your business. It is essential to provide a place of residence when you set up your company (even if your activity only includes digital services). Therefore, if you are not listed on the ECB, you will still need an address. In such cases, it is always best to contact the domiciliation company if you wish to use an external service. The staff of WAO ׀ We Are Open Coworking is available to answer this kind of request.
The identification number of your business
Thirdly, you must have a VAT number (a company number if applicable). This is your company reference number. If you are in the process of setting up your company, it is quite possible that you do not yet have a number when you register your company. To overcome this need, contact our team by telephone or by email! We will be happy to guide you through this process. It will be possible for you to register your company without having a VAT number assigned.
Temporal obligation
Finally, it is necessary to have a business address for a minimum of three months. It is not appropriate to use a shorter period of time when implementing a business address.
Why should you have a business address through an outsourced service?
First of all, it is important to stress that domiciliation only concerns the domiciliation of a company. It is not possible to domicile one’s private home by an external service, as WAO ׀ We Are Open Coworking offers. This is because your home address is an address at which you live. It is the private address at which you are present most of the time. Moreover, when you move from your private home, a police officer or a neighbourhood officer will come to confirm your presence by visiting your place of residence. If you do not live at this address, your move will not be approved by your city hall.
If you decide to use an outsourced domiciliation service, such as the one offered by WAO ׀ We Are Open Coworking, the advantages are numerous.
The brand
The choice of a physical business address for your company allows you to determine a desired address. It is a choice that comes of your own free will. A good address is essential in the communication and image of your company. Every company needs an address that is equivalent to the image it wishes to convey.
The management
This makes it easier to manage your mail. With a business address contract with WAO Coworking, all the management is carried out by our team. No more sorting advertisements and physical recovery of letters. Our team takes care of it for you! We will regularly send you a digital version of your mail, without you having to travel. If necessary, you can come and collect your mail in our spaces.
The flexibility
Indeed, if you wish to physically collect your mail, it is possible to come and collect it in the offices of WAO Coworking. We are close to the Midi train station, making your journey easy! We can also send it back to you by post, if you wish. This flexibility of return is up to you. It is up to you to choose what is easiest for you and your organisation.
Le business Centre
The use of additional services, according to your needs and their relevance, in the same place is a quality of the business centre. Indeed, our workspaces allow the rental of meeting rooms, flexible offices or shared offices. Combine the two to optimise your working day! You will be able to enjoy your mail and workspace in the same place
Advices on having a business address
Advices in formalities are also applicable. Our team is always available for advice on legal and accounting formalities (to the extent of our competence, of course!). Being a WAO member also means sharing our knowledge with each other. This exchange and mutual help is essential for us.
Confidentiality
Many people do not want to disclose their personal address in their company’s articles of association. The reasons are protection and confidentiality. Outsourcing one’s domiciliation therefore makes it possible to bypass this measure, and thus to guarantee residential anonymity. By using a business address, you separate it from your private home address.
The WAO ׀ We Are Open Coworking team has tried to make the domiciliation process easier. This term is still unclear for many self-employed people and companies, whether they are in the creation phase or already mature. If any answers were still missing, please do not hesitate to let us know in the comments below! This will allow us to improve our article. If necessary, please do not hesitate to contact us directly so that you too can have your company located in our business centre.
