Starting your own company

The City of Antwerp offers you customised advice on your business. Here you’ll find an overview of all the business support services that the city offers for starters.

Opening a hospitality business

If you’re looking to open a hotel, restaurant or catering business in Antwerp, then you’ll need to apply for some permits from the city. In addition to these formalities there are other obligations that you need to fulfill, such as meeting food safety requirements. The Business Desk gives you customised advice.

Pop-up shop

Each pop-up shop is unique. The conditions and requirements for starting this kind of temporary sales point are quite different from the general conditions for opening up a permanent shop. The Business Desk gives you customised advice for pop-up shops, ensuring that you are fully aware of the legal requirements for your specific situation.

Applying for an environmental permit

If you want to start a business that might entail a nuisance to people or the environment, you’ll need an environmental licence. The type of licence depends on the nature of the potential nuisance.

Environmental licence classes 1, 2 and 3

Do you want to start a business in Antwerp? Then you’ll need to find out whether you need an environmental licence. The conditions for the various types of licence are specified in VLAREM, the Flemish Environmental Licence Regulations.

Depending on the type of nuisance your business causes, you’ll need one of the following licences:

Class 1: activity causing most nuisance
Class 2: activity causing less nuisance
Class 3: activity causing least nuisance

Asking for a company ID number

To start your own business, you will need a company ID number. You can ask for this through any number of enterprise agencies in the city. Once you have signed up, you will get your number which:

Is a 10-digit number
Is the same as your VAT number but with a 0 at the beginning of it

Be sure to use this number in your emails, letters, invoices, receipts and other communications.

Contact us

For all your questions on how to start your new investment:

City of Antwerp
Postal address: Grote Markt 1 - 2000 Antwerpen

Tel: 03 22 11 333 (Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm)

info@antwerpen.be

Apr 28, 2023

Apply for financial support to kickstart your innovation

You want to realise an innovation in the digital, circular or health economy or in fashion and design. You have a tight strategic plan to develop this concept. But you lack the budget to realise your project.

Keep on reading. The city of Antwerp may financially support your innovation.

Antwerp again among top entrepreneurial cities in Europe according to Financial Times.

Six top ten spots in seven categories: the new rankings of fDi Intelligence establish Antwerp as an attractive location to invest in. For the first time, Antwerp is among the best ten cities in the ‘talent & lifestyle’ category. An additional asset to attract investors and entrepreneurs.

Call for projects: up to 100,000 euros in support for digital, circular or health innovation

Do you want to develop a revolutionary project that achieves digital or circular innovation or provides innovation in the health sector? Your project will boost the growth of your company. Your innovation will also be of added value to the City of Antwerp. But... you do not have enough budget to realise your project. Then be sure to read on. Chances are that your project proposal will be eligible for financial support from the City of Antwerp.