Assessing a Belgian customer before selling on credit
Delivering on thirty-day terms means lending for six weeks. The accounts of every Belgian company are public: a quarter of an hour is enough to set a credit limit in line with what the customer can carry.
Updated 11 Nov 2026 · 7 min read · Published by Idonis (Vanbe SRL) · About
A new Belgian customer places a large order and asks for the usual terms: delivery now, payment thirty days
end of month. You become its banker for six weeks, up to the amount of the order. Banks look at the accounts
before lending. Nothing stops you doing the same: the accounts of every Belgian company are public, and can be
read free of charge from anywhere.
The same €50,000 outstanding does not weigh the same depending on the customer's equity.
Step by step: where to look, what to read
1
Who really is the customer?
Where: Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE)
The purchase order carries a name; the register tells you which company is behind it — through its
enterprise number, the Belgian counterpart of a Companies House, KvK or SIREN number —, its legal form (a BV/SRL,
the private limited company, is liable up to its assets; a non-profit ASBL/VZW has no share capital at all), its
start date and its legal status. Always invoice the entity registered, with its number: that is the one you will
pursue if needed, not the brand.
2
Read the accounts like a credit manager
Where: Central Balance Sheet Office, National Bank of Belgium
SizeTotal assets, equityA credit limit above 10 to 20% of the customer's equity is a bet, not a business relationship.
SolvencyEquity ÷ total assetsBelow 15-20%, the company lives mostly on its debts; at the first setback, suppliers are the ones who wait.
LiquidityCurrent assets ÷ debts due within one yearBelow 1, the company has to collect before it can pay — and you are one of those it pays last.
TrendProfit and equity over 3 yearsThree losses in a row = losses financed by suppliers' payment terms.
In the notes, two lines are worth the detour: overdue debts to the National Social Security Office and
the tax authorities, and guarantees given.
3
What late filing tells you
Where: filing date, Central Balance Sheet Office
Accounts more than six months late, from a customer placing large orders, are information in their own right.
It is not proof of difficulty; it is a good enough reason to ask for an advance or to split the delivery.
4
The Official Gazette: what has changed
Where: annexes of the Belgian Official Gazette
Change of manager, registered office, corporate purpose, dissolution, procedure: a customer whose management
changed last month is not necessarily the one whose accounts you read.
Setting a credit limit, then sticking to it
First orderLimit = a fraction of equityOr partial payment in advance.
Regular customerRaise it with the payment historyNever with the size of the order.
A signal changesReview before the next deliveryNot after the unpaid invoice.
Before opening the customer account
The invoice will name the registered entity, with its enterprise number.
Solvency and liquidity read in the latest accounts, trend over three years.
Credit limit capped at a fraction of equity.
No overdue social security or tax debt, accounts up to date.
General terms, retention of title, late payment interest signed.
The customer is on a list: a published signal = the credit limit is reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
What credit limit should I give a new customer?
A common benchmark: no more than 10 to 20% of the customer's equity for a first relationship, then raise the limit with the payment history.
Can a Belgian non-profit (ASBL/VZW) be supplied on credit?
Yes, but it has no share capital; look at its association funds, cash and subsidies rather than a classic solvency ratio.
What is a retention of title clause worth?
It lets you take back unpaid goods, including if the customer goes bankrupt, provided it is in writing and accepted before delivery. It does not replace checking the accounts: it adds to it.
With Idonis
A credit limit that fits, in one question
Ask: "what credit limit is consistent with the size of this company?" Idonis answers with the figures behind the answer — equity, cash, trend — and their financial year. Put the customer on a list: at the first published signal, you will know before the next delivery.
No sign-up. Every Belgian company, from official sources.
Sources of the publications cited: company register (CBE), filed annual accounts (NBB — Central Balance Sheet Office), Belgian Gazette. This guide is general information, not advice for a specific case. How the soundness score is computed