The central register of Belgian businesses
The CBE is run by the FPS Economy. It centralises the identification data of every business: name, legal form, registered office address, activities carried out, establishment units, and registered capacities such as being VAT-registered.
Part of that data is public and freely available online. That is what allows anyone to check the existence and status of a business before dealing with it.
The enterprise number
The ten-digit CBE number identifies the business to every Belgian administration. Prefixed with BE, it becomes the VAT number. It is also the key linking the business to its annual accounts filed with the National Bank, and the identifier under which it is reachable on the Peppol network since mandatory electronic invoicing took effect.
An establishment unit, by contrast, designates a concrete place of activity. A business operating three outlets has one enterprise number and three establishment unit numbers.
Registration
Registration with the CBE must go through an accredited business counter: you cannot register directly with the FPS Economy. The fee is set by the FPS Economy and indexed each year. It stands at 111,50 € per establishment unit in 2026 (verified on 29 August 2026).
That amount is an administrative fee, not a professional fee. Many accounting firms handle the formality as part of their incorporation support, which is worth checking in the engagement letter.
What people often confuse
The enterprise number and the VAT number are the same number, not two separate identifiers: the second is the first prefixed with BE. A business registered with the CBE is nonetheless not automatically VAT-registered. Activating that capacity is a separate step, to be taken before you start invoicing.
Another practical point that became critical in 2026: incorrect CBE data prevents electronic invoices from being delivered. Cleaning up the customer file is often the real work in moving to Peppol, well before the choice of tool.