Can EU Companies and Subsidiaries Get Belgian Grants?

If your company is headquartered in another EU member state but has a registered Belgian entity — whether a subsidiary (filiale), branch (succursale), or independent Belgian company owned by foreign shareholders — you can access Belgian grants on the same terms as any domestically owned business. Belgian grant programs do not discriminate based on the nationality of the shareholders or the location of the parent company.

What matters is not where the ownership sits, but where the economic activity takes place. Belgian grants are designed to support economic activity, employment, and investment in Belgium. As long as your Belgian entity is properly registered, employs people in Belgium, and conducts genuine business operations on Belgian territory, the full range of regional and federal grant programs is available to you.

This principle applies across all three regions — Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels — and covers the entire spectrum of grant programs from small training subsidies to large R&D grants. This guide explains the specific requirements, which grants are most relevant, and practical steps for foreign-owned Belgian SMEs. For personalised recommendations, use Lucas, BelGrant's AI assistant.

The foundational requirement for accessing Belgian grants is a valid registration with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (Kruispuntbank van Ondernemingen / Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises), which assigns your entity a KBO/BCE number. This registration confirms that your company exists as a legal entity under Belgian law or is recognised as a foreign branch operating in Belgium.

For EU companies, the most common structures are a Belgian subsidiary (a separate Belgian legal entity owned by the foreign parent, registered as a BV/SRL, NV/SA, or other Belgian company form) or a Belgian branch (a registered branch office of the foreign entity, with its own KBO/BCE number). Both structures qualify for Belgian grants, though the subsidiary structure is generally simpler for grant applications because it has its own Belgian balance sheet and financial statements.

Important nuances: the Belgian entity must have its own active NACE codes relevant to the grant being applied for. The registered office address determines the region (Flanders, Wallonia, or Brussels) and therefore which regional grant programs apply. A company registered in Ghent applies for Flemish grants; a company registered in Liege applies for Walloon grants. See our SME grants overview for region-specific programs.

Beyond registration, most Belgian grant programs require that the applicant has genuine economic substance in Belgium. This means actual employees working in Belgium (registered with Belgian social security via ONSS/RSZ), real business operations conducted from Belgian premises, and investment or training activities that take place in or benefit the Belgian operations.

The employee requirement is particularly important for hiring subsidies (Activa.brussels, Forem Impulsion, VDAB measures) and training subsidies (KMO-portefeuille, Cheques-Entreprises). These programs require that the hired or trained employees are employed by the Belgian entity and work primarily in Belgium. Remote workers employed by the foreign parent and occasionally visiting the Belgian office do not qualify.

For investment grants, the investment must be made by the Belgian entity and deployed in Belgium. A French parent company buying equipment that is installed in its Belgian subsidiary's factory qualifies — but only if the Belgian subsidiary is the applicant and the investment appears on its balance sheet. The grant agencies verify substance through employment records, financial statements, and site visits.

The complete range of Belgian grants is available to qualifying foreign-owned entities. The most commonly used programs include the VLAIO KMO-portefeuille (Flanders) for training and advisory services at 20 to 30 percent reimbursement, the Cheques-Entreprises (Wallonia) for training, digitalisation, and strategic consulting, Hub.Brussels expansion premiums for Brussels-based investments, and hiring subsidies across all three regions.

For larger investments, the VLAIO KMO-groeisubsidie provides up to 50,000 euros for strategic growth projects. Regional investment premiums in Wallonia and Brussels can cover 5 to 15 percent of major capital investments. R&D grants from VLAIO, Innoviris, and SPW Recherche are available for innovation projects conducted in Belgium.

Export grants are particularly relevant for EU companies using their Belgian entity as a base for wider European or international expansion. FIT (Flanders), AWEX (Wallonia), and Hub.Brussels provide export support including market research, trade fair participation, and prospection subsidies. These programs help foreign-owned Belgian entities expand into markets beyond Belgium, making the Belgian subsidiary a genuine growth platform rather than just a local presence. Check all available grants on BelGrant's grant finder.

If you are an EU company considering Belgian grants for the first time, here is the practical approach. First, ensure your Belgian entity has a valid KBO/BCE registration with appropriate NACE codes. Second, verify that you meet the SME definition: fewer than 250 employees, annual turnover under 50 million euros, or balance sheet total under 43 million euros. Important: for group companies, the employee count and financial thresholds are calculated at the group level, including the parent company and all linked enterprises.

The group-level SME calculation is the most common pitfall for foreign-owned companies. If your Belgian subsidiary has 20 employees but the parent company has 300, you do not qualify as an SME under Belgian grant rules. The linked enterprise rules aggregate all companies where a single entity holds more than 50 percent of voting rights. This effectively excludes subsidiaries of large multinationals from most SME grant programs, though some programs (like federal R&D tax incentives) apply regardless of company size.

For companies that do qualify, the application process is identical to domestically owned businesses. The grant agency evaluates the project, not the nationality of the shareholders. Applications are typically in the language of the region (Dutch for VLAIO, French for SPW, French or Dutch for Brussels programs). Having a local Belgian contact person who manages the grant process is strongly recommended. Let Lucas guide you through the options specific to your situation.

Can a Belgian branch of a foreign company apply? Yes, as long as the branch has its own KBO/BCE number and meets the program requirements. However, demonstrating separate financial substance can be more complex for a branch than a subsidiary. Do I need Belgian nationality to apply? No. Belgian grants do not require Belgian nationality for shareholders, directors, or employees. The only requirement is that the applying entity is registered in Belgium.

Can I use grants for activities that benefit the parent company? The grant must fund activities that take place in Belgium and benefit the Belgian entity. Training Belgian employees is fine even if the skills also benefit group-wide projects. However, using a Belgian grant to fund work performed entirely abroad by the parent company would not be eligible.

Do Belgian grants affect state aid limits? Yes. Belgian grants count toward EU state aid ceilings. If your group already receives significant state aid in other member states, verify that additional Belgian grants do not breach the de minimis threshold (currently 300,000 euros over three years for most programs) or sector-specific aid limits. Your group's state aid position should be assessed across all EU entities before applying.