Obligated professions & customer verification
The nine categories of entities covered by article 5 of the Belgian AML law and the concrete use cases for onboarding, enhanced due diligence, periodic review and transaction screening.
Who is subject to AML/KYC obligations?
The obligated entities listed in article 5 of the law of 18 September 2017 must implement a vigilance and verification system for their clients.
Banks & financial institutions
Credit institutions, investment firms, payment service providers, bureaux de change.
Insurers & intermediaries
Life insurance companies, brokers, insurance and reinsurance intermediaries.
Notaries
Mandatory verification of parties in authentic deeds, real estate sales and company formations.
Lawyers
When taking part in certain financial or real estate transactions on behalf of a client.
Accountants & tax advisors
ITAA members, statutory auditors, certified tax consultants.
Real estate agents
For any sale, letting or property management operation above legal thresholds.
Trust & company service providers
Fiduciaries, trust and company managers, services to legal entities.
Domiciliation centres
Companies and centres providing a registered office: an obligated profession that must identify and verify each domiciled company.
Crypto-asset service providers
Exchanges and wallets registered with the FSMA pursuant to AMLD5.
Real-world use cases
Obligated entities use Company Belgium at every stage of the client relationship.
- 1
Customer onboarding (CDD)
From first contact, enter the BCE or VAT number to pre-fill the client record, validate the legal entity's existence and retrieve its official legal form.
- 2
Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD)
Cross-check NACE codes, registered office and incorporation date against your risk matrix to flag sensitive activities (gambling, crypto, import-export).
- 3
Periodic review of existing clients
Automate your annual KYC: a single API call is enough to check whether the company is still active, has moved, changed directors or been struck off.
- 4
Transaction screening
Before processing an atypical payment or transfer, instantly verify the beneficiary's identity and keep the check in your logs.
Continue exploring
The other AML/KYC topic briefs to deepen your compliance programme.
Legal framework & risks
The law of 18 September 2017, European AMLD directives, supervisory authorities and penalties for non-compliance.
Read the briefDomiciliation centres
Industry focus: specific obligations for companies and domiciliation centres listed in article 5 of the AML law.
Read the briefGlossary & FAQ
Key definitions (AML, KYC, CDD, EDD, UBO, PEP, FATF) and answers to the questions we hear most often.
Read the brief