The Belgian enterprise number: CBE, VAT number and check digits

What an enterprise number looks like

The enterprise number has ten digits and is usually written in groups of four, three and three: 0xxx.xxx.xxx. On websites you also see it without dots, with spaces or with hyphens. The first digit is 0 or 1.

Since 19 September 2023, numbers starting with 1 have also been issued because the series starting with 0 is running out (according to a post by Forum for the Future). Existing businesses keep their number. Older documents and some websites still show a nine-digit number (BE xxx.xxx.xxx); put a 0 in front of it and you get the ten-digit enterprise number.

Enterprise number, VAT number and RPR/RPM

The VAT number of a VAT-registered business is “BE” followed by the enterprise number, for example BE 0xxx.xxx.xxx. There is one number for the CBE and for VAT. On websites and invoices it appears under many labels:

• in Dutch Ondernemingsnummer, Ondernemingsnr., KBO, BTW or btw-nummer;
• in French TVA, BCE or numéro d’entreprise, in German Unternehmensnummer, in English VAT;
• RPR or RPM followed by a court (for example “RPR Antwerpen, afdeling Mechelen”): the register of legal entities, with the enterprise number after it;
• sometimes just “BE” in front of the number.

On Belgian websites the number is usually in the footer, so it can be found on almost every page. A separate legal notice page does not always exist.

The check number: modulo 97

The last two digits of the enterprise number are a check number. Take the first eight digits as a number, divide by 97 and subtract the remainder from 97. The result must equal the last two digits. If the remainder is 0, the check number is 97.

A fictitious example: the number 0423.456.789, which is often used in examples.

1. The first eight digits are 04234567, as a number 4,234,567.
2. 4,234,567 divided by 97 is 43,655 with a remainder of 32 (97 × 43,655 = 4,234,535).
3. 97 − 32 = 65.
4. The number ends in 89, not 65. It is therefore not a valid enterprise number: a typo or, as here, an invented number.

We could not consult the official description by FPS Economy directly (not verified). The calculation above did, however, match all 44 real numbers we found on 43 Belgian websites on 4 November 2026. A valid check number only proves that the number is written correctly, not that the business exists or is active.

Establishment units: numbers starting with 2 to 8

Besides the enterprise number, the CBE has numbers for establishment units: every place where a business operates, such as a shop, a workshop or an office. These numbers also have ten digits but start with 2 to 8. They identify a site, not the business. When you build a list of enterprise numbers, it is best to filter them out.

Where to look up a business

• CBE Public Search is free and needs no registration. You look up a business, for example by its number, and see its name, address, legal form, NACE-BEL activities and functions, among other things. It is meant for looking up businesses one at a time, not for bulk downloads.
• CBE Open Data supplies the complete files of active businesses and establishments, updated daily. It is free, but only after registration. According to a third-party summary (not verified by us: the licence text is behind a captcha), personal data from it, including all data on businesses of natural persons, may not be used for direct marketing. We could not read the full licence text ourselves (not verified).

The enterprise number in the basedecontacts.be export

basedecontacts.be does not use the CBE as a source. The ondernemingsnummer column in our export is intended for the number as the business itself publishes it on its website. As of 4 November 2026 we do not yet link the numbers found on websites to the records, so the column is empty for now. If you need the number for invoicing or a credit check, it is best to check it yourself in CBE Public Search. More about the columns is on the export and sample file page, about our sources on sources and method.

Checklist for a list of enterprise numbers

1. Write all numbers with ten digits; pad old nine-digit numbers with a leading 0.
2. Remove dots, spaces, hyphens and the “BE” prefix before matching.
3. Check the check number (97 minus the remainder of the first eight digits divided by 97).
4. Remove numbers of establishment units (first digit 2 to 8).
5. Match on enterprise number, not on name: names often differ between website, invoice and register.

Frequently asked questions

Is the VAT number the same as the enterprise number?

For VAT-registered businesses, yes: the VAT number is “BE” followed by the ten digits of the enterprise number, for example BE 0xxx.xxx.xxx. A business that is not VAT-registered still has an enterprise number but does not use it as a VAT number.

Why do some enterprise numbers start with 1?

Because the series starting with 0 is running out. Since 19 September 2023, numbers starting with 1 have also been issued (according to a post by Forum for the Future). Existing businesses keep their number starting with 0.

Is a number starting with 2 to 8 an enterprise number too?

No. Ten-digit numbers starting with 2 to 8 identify establishment units: the places where a business operates, such as a shop or a branch. They identify a site, not the business itself.

Can I download all businesses with their details from the CBE?

CBE Public Search shows businesses one at a time. For bulk files there is CBE Open Data: free, but only after registration. According to a third-party summary (not verified by us: the licence text is behind a captcha), personal data from it, including all data on businesses of natural persons, may not be used for direct marketing. basedecontacts.be does not use the CBE as a source.

As of 4 November 2026. CBE Public Search and the registration page of CBE Open Data retrieved on the same day; the check number calculation tested on 44 numbers from Belgian websites. This article is general information, not legal advice.