What must a website in Belgium legally show?
Every Belgian business with a website must show certain details, even if it sells nothing online. If you have a contact form, use cookies or sell online, more rules apply. Below you can read, situation by situation, what is mandatory, which legal article it is based on and what it looks like in practice.
Checked against the consolidated texts of the Belgian Code of Economic Law (WER), the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations (WVV), the GDPR and the guidance of the Belgian Data Protection Authority.
This article is general information, not legal advice. If you practise a regulated profession or run a complex web shop, have a lawyer check your website as well.
Short answer
- Every business website: name, geographic address, email address, enterprise number and, if you are subject to VAT, your VAT number, permanently and easy to find (art. XII.6 WER).
- Company or non-profit association (vzw/asbl): also the legal form, the exact address of the registered office, RPR with the enterprise court of the registered office, and the email address and website (art. 2:20 WVV).
- If your website processes personal data, for example through a contact form: a privacy notice (art. 13 GDPR).
- Cookies that are not strictly necessary, including analytics cookies: ask for consent first, with a 'Reject all' button as clear as 'Accept all' (art. 10/2 of the Act of 30 July 2018).
- Prices for consumers: always the total price, including VAT and mandatory costs, in euro (art. VI.3 to VI.5 WER).
- Web shop or online subscription: pre-contractual information, an order button 'order with obligation to pay', a 14-day right of withdrawal and, new in 2026, a withdrawal function 'withdraw from contract here' (art. VI.45, VI.46, VI.47 and VI.61/2 WER).
- Web shop for consumers: accessible to people with disabilities since 28 June 2025; micro-enterprises have until 28 June 2030 (Book VIII, title 5 WER).
- A link to the European ODR platform is no longer needed: the platform was shut down on 20 July 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2024/3228).
Which details must every Belgian business website show?
A business with a website is, legally speaking, an 'information society service provider'. That also applies to a simple website without a web shop, to sole traders and to liberal professions. Article XII.6 of the Code of Economic Law (WER) requires you to make at least the following details easily, directly and permanently accessible:
- Your name or trade name.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 1° WER
- The geographic address where your business is established: a real address, not a PO box.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 2° WER
- Contact details that allow quick and direct contact, including your email address.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 3° WER
- Your enterprise number from the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO/BCE).Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 4° WER
- Your VAT number if your activity is subject to VAT. The FPS Economy writes it as BE followed by your enterprise number, for example VAT BE 0123.456.789.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 7° WER
- If your activity requires a licence, such as an estate agent: the details of the competent supervisory authority.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 5° WER
- If you practise a regulated profession, such as architect, accountant or lawyer: your professional body, your professional title and the country where it was granted, and a reference to the professional rules and where to consult them.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 6° WER
- If you have signed up to a code of conduct: which code and where it can be consulted online.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §1, 8° WER
'Permanently accessible' means in practice: in the footer of every page, or on a 'Legal information' page linked from the footer of every page. According to the FPS Economy, these rules also apply to your business's social media pages.
In addition, article III.74 WER requires every business to make available, among other things, its legal form, its registered office, the main characteristics of its activity and, if it uses them, its general terms and conditions. You may do this through your website (art. III.75 WER).
If you conclude contracts with consumers through your website, as in a web shop, your telephone number must also be shown (art. VI.45, §1, 3° WER).
What else must the website of a company or non-profit association show?
If your business is a legal entity, such as a BV/SRL, NV/SA, CV/SC or vzw/asbl, article 2:20 of the Belgian Code of Companies and Associations (WVV) also applies. That article explicitly mentions websites. The website of a legal entity must show:
- The name of the legal entity.Legal basis: art. 2:20, 1° WVV
- The legal form, in full or abbreviated, for example 'besloten vennootschap' or 'BV'.Legal basis: art. 2:20, 2° WVV
- The exact location of the registered office: the full address, not just the municipality.Legal basis: art. 2:20, 3° WVV
- The enterprise number.Legal basis: art. 2:20, 4° WVV
- The words 'register of legal entities' ('rechtspersonenregister' or 'RPR' in Dutch, 'registre des personnes morales' or 'RPM' in French), followed by the enterprise court of the registered office, for example 'RPR Gent, afdeling Gent'.Legal basis: art. 2:20, 5° WVV
- If the legal entity has them: its email address and website.Legal basis: art. 2:20, 6° WVV
- Where applicable: the fact that the legal entity is in liquidation.Legal basis: art. 2:20, 7° WVV
If these details are missing, anyone who works on the website on behalf of the legal entity may, depending on the circumstances, be held liable for the commitments the legal entity enters into through it (art. 2:22 WVV). The same details also belong on your invoices, letters and emails.
A sole trader is not a legal entity. The RPR mention and article 2:20 WVV therefore do not apply to a sole trader, but the details from article XII.6 WER do.
How must prices be shown on your website?
If you offer goods or services to consumers, you state the price in writing and unambiguously. The price shown is the total price the consumer pays, so including VAT, all other taxes and the cost of any services the customer must pay for in addition. Prices for consumers are shown at least in euro.
- Total price including VAT and mandatory costs, at least in euro.Legal basis: art. VI.3 to VI.5 WER
- If your website refers to prices, state clearly whether taxes and delivery costs are included.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §2 WER
- If you only address businesses, you may show prices excluding VAT, as long as you say so clearly, for example 'excl. 21% VAT'.Legal basis: art. XII.6, §2 WER
- If you announce a price reduction, also show the previous price: the lowest price you applied in the 30 days before the reduction.Legal basis: art. VI.18 WER
- If you show customer reviews, state whether and how you check that they come from customers who actually used or bought the product. Posting fake reviews, or having them posted, is always prohibited.Legal basis: art. VI.99, §7 and VI.100, 25° and 26° WER
Do you need a privacy notice on your website?
Yes, as soon as your website processes personal data, which is almost always the case: a contact form, a newsletter, a customer account, an order or analytics that process IP addresses. Article 13 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets out what you must tell people when you collect their data:
- Who you are and how to contact you, and the contact details of your data protection officer if you have one.Legal basis: art. 13(1)(a) and (b) GDPR
- What you use the data for and on which legal basis, such as consent, a contract, a legal obligation or a legitimate interest.Legal basis: art. 13(1)(c) and (d) GDPR
- Who you share the data with, such as your hosting company, email provider or accountant, and whether data leaves the EU.Legal basis: art. 13(1)(e) and (f) GDPR
- How long you keep the data, or how you determine that period.Legal basis: art. 13(2)(a) GDPR
- Which rights people have: access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability and withdrawing their consent.Legal basis: art. 13(2)(b) and (c) GDPR
- That people can lodge a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority (GBA/APD).Legal basis: art. 13(2)(d) GDPR
Link to your privacy notice in the footer and next to every form. In Belgium, the Data Protection Authority supervises compliance. The GDPR provides for administrative fines of up to 20 million euro or 4% of worldwide annual turnover (art. 83 GDPR).
Which rules apply to cookies on a Belgian website?
To place or read cookies and similar techniques, such as local storage or tracking pixels, you need prior consent, unless they are strictly necessary. That rule is in article 10/2 of the Belgian Act of 30 July 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data. According to the cookie checklist of the Belgian Data Protection Authority, this means:
- Strictly necessary cookies need no consent. Think of the shopping basket, the language choice, a login session, security or remembering the cookie choice itself.Legal basis: art. 10/2 Act of 30 July 2018
- Analytics or statistics cookies do need consent in Belgium, even if they are your own (first-party) cookies.Legal basis: GBA/APD cookie checklist
- Next to 'Accept all', the same layer shows an equally clear 'Reject all' button.Legal basis: GBA/APD cookie checklist
- No pre-ticked boxes. Continuing to browse, browser settings or accepting terms of use do not count as consent.Legal basis: art. 4(11) and 7 GDPR
- No cookie wall: people who refuse must still be able to use your website.Legal basis: GBA/APD cookie checklist
- Withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it, for example with a 'Cookie settings' link in the footer of every page.Legal basis: art. 7(3) GDPR
- Explain per category which cookies you use, what for, how long they last and which third parties place them. According to the GBA/APD, a cookie that stores the cookie choice should in principle be kept for at most 6 months.Legal basis: GBA/APD cookie checklist
If you only use strictly necessary cookies and count visitors without storing or reading anything on the visitor's device, you do not need cookie consent for that count. If you process personal data while doing so, the GDPR still applies. Note: according to the European data protection supervisors (EDPB, Guidelines 2/2023), reading information through a script in the browser, such as screen size or fingerprinting, also falls under the cookie rule. A typical analytics script in the browser therefore usually does need consent.
What else applies to a web shop or online contracts with consumers?
If you conclude contracts with consumers through your website, such as a web shop, online bookings or subscriptions, the rules on distance contracts in Book VI WER and the rules on electronic orders in Book XII WER apply. The main obligations:
- Before the order you provide, among other things: the main characteristics, your identity and enterprise number, your address, telephone number and email address, the total price with all costs, payment and delivery arrangements, the delivery period, the right of withdrawal, the two-year legal guarantee and, for a subscription, its duration and how to cancel it.Legal basis: art. VI.45 WER
- At the latest at the start of the ordering process you show whether there are delivery restrictions and which means of payment you accept.Legal basis: art. VI.46, §3 WER
- The order button is labelled only with the words 'order with obligation to pay' (in Dutch 'bestelling met betalingsverplichting') or an equally unambiguous wording that makes clear the customer must pay. Without such a button, the consumer is not bound.Legal basis: art. VI.46, §2 WER
- You explain the steps to conclude the contract, how the customer can correct input errors, in which languages the contract can be concluded and whether you archive the contract. The customer must be able to save your terms and conditions.Legal basis: art. XII.7 and XII.8 WER
- After the order you confirm receipt electronically as soon as possible, with a summary.Legal basis: art. XII.9 WER
- The consumer has 14 days to withdraw from the contract without giving a reason. You provide the model withdrawal form from annex 2 to Book VI. If you forget the information about the right of withdrawal, the period is extended by up to 12 months.Legal basis: art. VI.47 and VI.48 WER
- For delivery in Belgium you offer at least two delivery methods, unless your business is less than three years old, you only offer collection or there is an objective reason.Legal basis: art. VI.45/2 WER
- You confirm the contract on a durable medium, such as an email with a PDF, at the latest on delivery or before the service starts.Legal basis: art. VI.46, §7 WER
New in 2026: the withdrawal function
If you conclude distance contracts with consumers through a website or app, the consumer must also be able to withdraw online with a withdrawal function. This follows from European Directive (EU) 2023/2673, which had to be applied from 19 June 2026. Belgium included the rule in article VI.61/2 WER, applicable since 14 August 2026. In practice:
- A clearly visible, easily accessible function labelled 'withdraw from contract here' (in Dutch 'hier de overeenkomst herroepen') or an equally unambiguous wording, available throughout the withdrawal period.Legal basis: art. VI.61/2, §1 WER
- An online statement in which the customer can enter or confirm their name, the details of the contract and the email address for the confirmation.Legal basis: art. VI.61/2, §2 WER
- A confirmation button labelled only 'confirm withdrawal' (in Dutch 'herroeping bevestigen') or an equally unambiguous wording.Legal basis: art. VI.61/2, §3 WER
- Immediately afterwards, an acknowledgement of receipt on a durable medium, such as an email, with the content of the withdrawal and the date and time it was submitted.Legal basis: art. VI.61/2, §4 WER
Do you still need to link to the ODR platform, and what about complaints?
No. The European Online Dispute Resolution platform (ODR platform) has been shut down. Regulation (EU) No 524/2013, which required the link, was repealed with effect from 20 July 2025 by Regulation (EU) 2024/3228. You can therefore remove the ODR link from your website and your terms and conditions. What remains:
- If you have a complaints department, give its telephone number and email address.Legal basis: art. XVI.2 WER
- If you are required by law, a code of conduct, your professional body or your own terms to use out-of-court dispute resolution, for example an ombudsman service, say so with the contact details and website of that body, where applicable also on your website and in your terms and conditions.Legal basis: art. XVI.4 WER
- Consumers can always turn to the Belgian Consumer Mediation Service (Consumentenombudsdienst / Service de médiation pour le consommateur), which handles a complaint itself or forwards it to the competent body.Legal basis: art. XVI.6 WER
Must your website be accessible to people with disabilities?
For e-commerce services to consumers, yes. Since 28 June 2025, accessibility requirements apply in Belgium to web shops and other websites and apps through which consumers conclude a contract online. This is set out in Book VIII, title 5 WER, the Belgian transposition of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882). An informational website without online sales or bookings is in principle not covered.
- Your website is perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. In practice, the European standard EN 301 549 is used, which refers to WCAG 2.1 level AA: sufficient colour contrast, alternative text for images, everything usable with the keyboard and clear form labels.Legal basis: art. VIII.59 and annex 1 to Book VIII WER
- You make information available on how your service meets the accessibility requirements, often as an accessibility statement, and keep it for as long as the service exists.Legal basis: art. VIII.60 and annex 2 to Book VIII WER
- Micro-enterprises, with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of at most 2 million euro, have until 28 June 2030 in Belgium.Legal basis: Belgian transitional rule; see also art. XV.18/5, §3 WER
- Anyone can lodge a free accessibility complaint with the FPS Economy. An infringement is punished with a level 2 sanction, level 3 in case of bad faith.Legal basis: art. XV.18/5 and XV.101/1 WER
Which rules apply to advertising, newsletters and AI chatbots?
- Advertising is recognisable as advertising and the advertiser is identifiable. Promotions, competitions and games are clearly recognisable, with conditions that are clear and easy to meet.Legal basis: art. XII.12 WER
- Advertising by email is only allowed with prior, free, specific and informed consent. Every email contains a simple way to unsubscribe, and you must be able to prove that the recipient consented. Limited exceptions for existing customers are set out in the Royal Decree of 4 April 2003.Legal basis: art. XII.13 WER
- Do you use an AI chatbot? Since 2 August 2026 people must be informed that they are interacting with an AI system, unless that is already obvious. That obligation lies with the provider of the system; if you have a chatbot built or choose one, check that it says so clearly.Legal basis: art. 50(1) AI Act (EU) 2024/1689
What do you risk if these details are missing?
The Economic Inspectorate of the FPS Economy enforces the rules of the Code of Economic Law. Often this starts with a warning and a deadline to put things right (art. XV.31 WER). If that does not happen, sanctions follow:
- Missing details on your website, incorrect electronic ordering or unclear advertising: a level 2 sanction, a criminal fine of 26 to 10,000 euro or up to 4% of annual turnover. In case of bad faith level 4: up to 50,000 euro or 6% of annual turnover.Legal basis: art. XV.70, XV.119 and XV.121 WER
- Advertising emails without consent: a level 3 sanction, up to 25,000 euro or 6% of annual turnover.Legal basis: art. XV.120 WER
- Rules on prices and distance contracts: a level 2 sanction, level 3 in case of bad faith.Legal basis: art. XV.83 and XV.84 WER
- No correct order button: the consumer is not bound. No information about the right of withdrawal: the withdrawal period runs 12 months longer.Legal basis: art. VI.46, §2 and VI.48 WER
- Missing details of a company or non-profit association: whoever worked on the website may be held liable.Legal basis: art. 2:22 WVV
- Privacy and cookies: administrative fines from the GBA/APD of up to 20 million euro or 4% of worldwide annual turnover.Legal basis: art. 83 GDPR
Checklist: what must be on your website?
| Requirement | Who it applies to | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Name, geographic address, email address, enterprise number | Every business with a website | art. XII.6 WER |
| VAT number (VAT BE ...) | Anyone whose activity is subject to VAT | art. XII.6, §1, 7° WER |
| Legal form, registered office, RPR with enterprise court | Companies and non-profit associations | art. 2:20 WVV |
| Professional body, title, professional rules | Regulated professions | art. XII.6, §1, 6° WER |
| Privacy notice | Anyone who processes personal data | art. 13 GDPR |
| Cookie banner with 'Reject all' | Anyone using cookies that are not strictly necessary | art. 10/2 Act of 30 July 2018 |
| Prices including VAT, in euro | Anyone showing prices to consumers | art. VI.3 to VI.5 WER |
| Telephone number | Anyone concluding online contracts with consumers | art. VI.45, §1, 3° WER |
| Order button 'order with obligation to pay' | Web shops and online subscriptions | art. VI.46, §2 WER |
| Right of withdrawal and model form | Distance selling to consumers | art. VI.45 and VI.47 WER |
| Withdrawal function 'withdraw from contract here' | Online contracts with consumers | art. VI.61/2 WER |
| Accessibility and accessibility information | E-commerce for consumers; micro-enterprises from 28 June 2030 | Book VIII, title 5 WER |
| Consent and unsubscribe link for email advertising | Anyone sending advertising by email | art. XII.13 WER |
| Link to the ODR platform | No longer needed since 20 July 2025 | Regulation (EU) 2024/3228 |
Frequently asked questions
Does a sole trader have to show an enterprise number on the website?
Yes. Article XII.6 of the Belgian Code of Economic Law applies to every business with a website, including sole traders and liberal professions: name, address, email address and enterprise number, and the VAT number if you are subject to VAT. The RPR mention and the legal form from article 2:20 WVV only apply to legal entities, such as a BV or vzw.
Must my telephone number be on my website?
For an ordinary business website the law requires contact details for quick and direct contact, including an email address (art. XII.6 WER). If you conclude contracts with consumers through your website, for example in a web shop, a telephone number is also mandatory (art. VI.45, §1, 3° WER).
Where is the best place for the mandatory details?
In the footer of every page, or on a 'Legal information' page linked from the footer of every page. The law requires the details to be easily, directly and permanently accessible (art. XII.6 WER).
Do I need a cookie banner if I only use Google Analytics?
Yes. According to the Belgian Data Protection Authority, analytics cookies need prior consent in Belgium, even if they are your own (first-party) cookies. The banner has a 'Reject all' button as clear as 'Accept all', and people who refuse can still use the website.
Do I still need to show a link to the ODR platform?
No. The European ODR platform has been shut down and Regulation (EU) No 524/2013 was repealed with effect from 20 July 2025 (Regulation (EU) 2024/3228). You can remove the link from your website and your terms and conditions.
What is the withdrawal button and who needs it?
Every business that concludes distance contracts with consumers through a website or app must offer a withdrawal function labelled 'withdraw from contract here' or something equally unambiguous, followed by a 'confirm withdrawal' button and an acknowledgement of receipt by email. In Belgium this is article VI.61/2 of the Code of Economic Law, applicable since 14 August 2026.
Does the accessibility law apply to my website?
Only if you offer e-commerce services to consumers through your website or app, such as a web shop or online bookings (Book VIII, title 5 WER, since 28 June 2025). An informational website is in principle not covered. Micro-enterprises, with fewer than 10 employees and at most 2 million euro annual turnover or balance sheet total, have until 28 June 2030.
Must my website be in both Dutch and French?
No general law requires a private business to offer its website in a particular language or in several national languages. Information for consumers must, however, be in clear and comprehensible language (art. VI.46, §1 WER), and for online orders you state in which languages the contract can be concluded (art. XII.7 WER).
Do these rules also apply to my business's Facebook or Instagram page?
Yes. According to the FPS Economy, your business's social media pages must also show the mandatory details, such as your name, address, contact details and enterprise number.
Not sure whether your website is compliant?
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