Are you a Belgian Citizen who’s looking to start dropshipping? Starting this business-model is easier and requires less action than you might think!
In order to start dropshipping in Belgium, you’re going to need to become a registered company. This can easily be done by starting a sole proprietorship. In dutch this would be an “eenmanszaak” and in french it would be called “Enterprise Individuelle”.
Starting a Sole Proprietorship
So we’ve established that you need to have a sole proprietorship in order to start dropshipping in Belgium, now you’re wondering how you can get that, right?
It’s easy! In Belgium, you can register your Sole Proprietorship online. You don’t have to go anywhere, you just have to fill in some quick forms. And you have to pay, of course.
If you want to do it online, you can do so by using Xerius.
You’ll pay 89,50 euros for the online registration form (this is unavoidable in Belgium, though there are some cities such as Bruges and Ghent that pay this back).
After that registration, you’ll need to get a tax-number. This wil cost you an additional 66,50 euros and Xerius will also take care of that for you.
That’s it! After filling in the forms, you just have to wait for them to assign you a tax number and you’re ready to start dropshipping in Belgium.
But wait, there’s more.
Social Contributions
Since you’re now a registered business (sole proprietorship) you now have to pay quarterly social contributions. These consist of 20,5% of your net yearly income. You’ll pay this every quarter so 4 times a year.
As a new registered sole proprietor, they obviously won’t know what your yearly net income consists of, so instead you’ll have to pay a minimum fee of 739,05 euro per quarter.
New registered businesses can ask for a starters discount for the first year of 381,66 euro per quarter.
If you plan to start dropshipping while you are still working a regular job, you will only have to pay 81,76 euros per quarter.
Speak with a bookkeeper/accountant before starting
Last but not least, I want to strongly recommend that you speak to a bookkeeper if you’re serious about starting to dropship in Belgium.
You can contact one in your area, the first meeting with them is always free so you do not have to worry about paying for anything.
The accountant will explain all the different e-commerce taxes to you and how they apply to dropshipping. This way you will be 100% sure you’re doing everything by the book.
Do not rely solely on information you find online. Taxes are complicated and are different from country to country. Dropshipping taxes are dependent on the whereabouts of you and your suppliers, therefore every case is unique.
Summary
That’s it. That’s all you need to know to start dropshipping in Belgium.
To sum up:
- You need to register your business as a sole proprietorship. This can be done online or through an accountant. The full registration costs 156 euros.
- On top of that you need to pay quarterly social contributions as a social proprietorship. This will amount to 81,76 euros per quarter if you plan on doing it on the side (alongside a regular job) or a minimum of 739,05 euros per quarter if you plan on doing it full-time.
Easy! Please remember: you should always speak to an accountant to figure out the true costs of everything. The first meeting is free and they will help you far more than any internet article ever could.