When linking your account via Stripe (our payment provider), the first question asked is your organisation's entity type. This choice determines the documents you will be asked for, and it is where most blockages occur.
Identify your situation below before starting the link. A wrong entity type can block the verification and force you to restart the configuration from scratch.
Overview
| Your situation | Stripe account type | Documents to prepare | |---|---|---| | Company (SRL/BV, SA/NV, SC/CV...) | Company | Business IBAN, CBE/VAT number, articles of association, representative's ID | | Non-profit (ASBL/vzw) | Non-profit organisation | IBAN, CBE number, articles published in the Official Gazette, representative's ID | | Unincorporated association with a company number | Non-profit organisation | IBAN, CBE number, representative's ID | | Unincorporated association without a company number | ⚠️ Special case, see below | | | Self-employed (natural person) | Sole proprietorship | IBAN, CBE/VAT number, ID | | Individual (no registered activity) | Individual | IBAN + ID card | | Self-employed via an activity cooperative (Smart...) | ⚠️ Not compatible, see below | |
Company (SRL/BV, SA/NV, SC/CV…)
The simplest case. Select Company, fill in your CBE/VAT number and the IBAN of the business account. Stripe automatically checks your data against the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises. The ID of the legal representative (and of any beneficial owners at 25% or more) will be requested.
Never fill an optional field with "None", "/" or "N/A", especially the VAT number field. Stripe then considers a number was provided and rejects it repeatedly, which blocks the whole file. If you have no VAT number, leave the field empty.
Non-profit (ASBL/vzw)
Select Non-profit organisation. Stripe requests an official document proving the existence of your non-profit.
Accepted documents:
The publication of your articles of association in the annexes of the Belgian Official Gazette (downloadable free of charge from ejustice.just.fgov.be)
A recent CBE extract mentioning your non-profit
A simple PDF of your internally signed articles is often rejected by Stripe, as it is not a verifiable official document. Always use the version published in the Official Gazette.
Unincorporated association: the tricky case
An unincorporated association (association de fait / feitelijke vereniging) has no legal personality. As a result, it often has no official document to submit, while Stripe requires one for verification. It is the leading cause of complete blockage we encounter.
Recommended option: the sole proprietorship
The solution we recommend: one representative of the association registers as a sole proprietorship (natural person) with a business one-stop shop, then links the account in their own name with that company number.
Registration via an accredited business one-stop shop (allow around €90 in CBE registration fees)
The Stripe verification becomes simple: CBE number + ID card
Revenue is paid to the account associated with this activity
Discuss it with your accountant or a business one-stop shop regarding tax implications: the ticketing revenue will be received in the name of this sole proprietorship.
Alternative: the "association without legal personality" option
Stripe offers an "Association without legal personality" option (NL: vereniging zonder rechtspersoonlijkheid), but it is not very visible in the flow and its configuration differs depending on whether your association has a company number:
With a company number: select this option and fill in the number, the verification proceeds normally.
Without a company number: the verification then relies entirely on the person linking the account (ID card + IBAN). In practice, this path fails regularly, hence our recommendation of the sole proprietorship above.
Individual
Organising an event in your own name, without a structure? Select Individual. Your ID card and your IBAN are enough.
Revenue is then received in your own name. Depending on the amounts and the frequency of your events, this may have tax implications. Check with your accountant.
Self-employed via an activity cooperative (Smart, etc.)
If you work through an activity cooperative such as Smart, you do not have your own company number: the standard Stripe link is not compatible with this structure. Contact our support, we will set up a suitable payout solution with you.
Foreign structure (France, Switzerland…)
Linking also works with a structure established outside Belgium: select the country of your structure on the first screen, then follow the equivalent flow (SIREN/SIRET in France, UID in Switzerland…).
The country can no longer be changed after validation. Check it carefully before continuing. A wrong country requires a full account reset via our support.
Changing status along the way?
Your organisation is moving from unincorporated association to non-profit, or from individual to self-employed? The entity type of an existing Stripe account cannot be freely changed. Contact our support: we reset your link so you can restart it with the right status, without losing your balance.
Submit the publication in the Belgian Official Gazette rather than an internal PDF. If the blockage persists, contact our support with a screenshot of the Stripe request.
No, a bank account does not replace an official registration document. See the two options described above (sole proprietorship or association without legal personality).
Yes, if you link the account as an individual or sole proprietorship. For a company or a non-profit, the IBAN must match the organisation.