Professional card - Exemptions

You require a professional card if you, as a foreign national, want to work as a self-employed professional in the Flemish Region. Certain categories of foreigners are exempt from this requirement.

Individuals exempt from the professional card are not issued a separate document. The exemption is based on a factual situation and can, if required, be proven with a relevant document, such as a specific residence permit.

In certain cases, those exempt must still submit a Limosa declaration(opens in new window) through the federal digital portal, particularly if the self-employed activity is carried out in one of the three high-risk sectors: meat processing, construction, or cleaning.

Refugees from Ukraine

Refugees from Ukraine with temporary protection status are exempted from the professional card to work as self-employed persons in Belgium.

Temporary protectionTemporary protection

Partner and family of a Belgian

You are exempt from the professional card requirement if both of the following conditions are met:
1. You have obtained the right of residence in Belgium on the basis of your marriage or legal cohabitation with a person of Belgian nationality;
2. You are the legal partner (spouse or legally cohabiting partner) of a person of Belgian nationality.

The following persons are also exempt if they have obtained the right of residence in Belgium under family reunification resulting from marriage or legal cohabitation with the Belgian partner, and if they live with a person of Belgian nationality:
- children and grandchildren of the person of Belgian nationality or of their legal partner, provided they are under 21 years of age or are dependants
- parents and grandparents of the person of Belgian nationality or of their legal partner, provided they are dependants
- spouses or legally cohabiting partners of resident children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents, as described above

This category of exemptions includes, for example, persons holding an electronic F or F+ card which shows that the right of residence has been granted on the basis of family ties arising from marriage or legal cohabitation with a Belgian partner.

More information about electronic residence cards (in Dutch)More information about electronic residence cards (in Dutch)

Citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland

You are exempt from the professional card if you hold the nationality of a (EU Member States plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland. In addition to yourself, the following persons are also exempt in this case, provided that they have obtained the right of residence in Belgium under the family reunification scheme resulting from marriage or a legal partnership, and that they live with you at a Belgian address.

If you are a national of an EEA country:

your legal partner (spouse or legally cohabiting partner) who is an EEA national, provided that the right of residence in Belgium was granted on the basis of marriage or legal cohabitation

• your children and grandchildren or those of your legal partner, provided they are under 21 years of age or are dependants, and that their right of residence derives from a family relationship arising from the marriage or legal cohabitation
• your parents and grandparents or those of your civil partner, provided that they are dependants and that their right of residence derives from marriage or civil partnership
• the legal partners of children living at home, grandchildren, parents and grandparents, as described above, provided that their right of residence is also based on marriage or a legal cohabitation.

If you are a Swiss national:

your legal partner (spouse or civil partner), provided that this person has been granted the right of residence in Belgium on the basis of the marriage or civil partnership
that partner’s child under the age of 21, provided that the child’s right of residence stems from family reunification in the context of that marriage or registered partnership

More information about electronic residence cards (in Dutch)More information about electronic residence cards (in Dutch)

Persons with a specific residence card and recognised refugees

Specific residence card

You are exempt from the professional card with a:

valid identity card for foreigners (electronic residence permit type C or K)
proof of registration in the foreigners register without restrictive residence conditions (type B)
proof of registration as a third-country national with long-term residency in Belgium (type D or L)
right to reside as beneficiary of the Withdrawal Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom (electronic residence permit type M or N).

Recognised refugees

You are also exempt from the professional card if you are recognised as a refugee in Belgium. Your residence card will then state the word ‘refugee’ or the abbreviation ‘XXB’ under ‘nationality’.
Stating ‘international protection’ or ‘protection internationale’ is not enough. You are not entitled to an exemption if ‘stateless person’, ‘XXA’, or ‘XXC’ is indicated.

More information about electronic residence cards (in Dutch)More information about electronic residence cards (in Dutch)

Resident with long-term status in another EU country

Third-country nationals with the status of long-term resident(opens in new window) in another EU country than Belgium are not exempt from the professional card solely on the basis of their long-term residence in that country.

Persons with the status of assisting spouse

You are exempt from the professional card if you have the status of assisting spouse (or legally cohabiting partner). You then assist your spouse (or legally cohabiting partner) or replace them in the self-employed professional activity. This applies exclusively to one-man businesses.

Self-employed service providers

If you, as a foreign national, reside legally in an EEA country (EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland and are there operating legally as self-employed, you may enter Belgium to perform services without a professional card.

You do need a professional card if you want to establish yourself as self-employed in the Flemish Region.

Unremunerated directors in a secondary occupation

You are exempt from the professional card if you take on an unpaid mandate as a director in a secondary occupation and if you meet the following criteria:

The unremunerated character of the mandate can be read from the articles of association or the appointment act.
You have a valid single permit for full-time activity in one of the following three categories: highly skilled, executive or European Blue Card.
The duties as an unpaid director are clearly distinguished from the duties as an employee.

Restricted performances for specific purposes

You are exempt if your activities in Belgium have one of the following purposes, the performance of which is restricted to a maximum of 90 days within a period of 180 days.

Business travellers

Journalists

Artists

Athletes

A seconded self-employed person who comes to Flanders with one of the following specific aims

Students, trainees and lawyers

You are exempt from the professional card if you reside legally in Belgium and you are in one of the following situations:

You are a student completing a mandatory internship in Belgium for your studies..
- You are exempt from the professional card for the duration of the traineeship, on condition that you are studying in Belgium, an EU Member State, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
You obtained a university degree in an EU Member State, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, and you are undertaking a compulsory internship in Belgium to complete the qualifications of that degree.
- You are exempt from the professional card for the duration of the internship.
  For example: a dental trainee completing a required internship to obtain an advanced degree, or a trainee architect carrying out a mandatory internship to gain recognition as an architect from the Order of Architects.
  Are you in Belgium, and has your non-EEA/Swiss diploma already been validated by NARIC-Flanders (National Academic Recognition Information Centre)? In that case, you may also be exempt from the professional card for the entire duration of the internship.
You are completing an internship in Belgium within the framework of development cooperation or an exchange programme.
- You are exempt from the professional card for the duration of the internship, provided that the internship is approved by the competent authority.
You are a lawyer enrolled on the Bar register or listed as a trainee.
- You are not exempt from the professional card if you are registered on the B-list of the Bar.

If you are residing in Belgium for a so-called search year(opens in new window) (‘zoekjaar’) after obtaining a Belgian diploma, you are not allowed to work as a self-employed person at the same time (you may work as an employee). If you still wish to do so:

you must apply for a professional card first. If granted, the professional card converts your residence status from ‘search year’ to self-employed person.
Alternatively, if you are exempt from the professional card, such as a trainee architect, you can directly request to change your residence status from ‘search year’ to self-employed person.