Liberal profession: How to run an activity alongside your practice?

You're practicing in a firm and you want to launch your own company alongside it.

The decision is made. The articles of association are almost ready. And then one question brings everything to a halt: what address should you list as your registered office?

Your firm's address is not an option, your lease forbids domiciliation at your home address, and renting an office for an activity that is just starting makes no economic sense. This obstacle is more common than it seems, and it has a straightforward solution. Commercial domiciliation is the direct answer to this situation: a legally recognised address, a mail management service, without office rent.

Why doesn't the firm's address work?

The temptation is understandable: you already spend your days at the firm, the address exists, it is well-known. But using your main place of practice to register your own company's registered office raises several problems.

The first is contractual. If you are an employee or partner at the firm, your contract or practice agreement generally prohibits any competing or parallel activity without explicit consent. Using the firm's address for your personal company is a way of making that activity visible, and therefore exposing it.

The second is practical. The firm already receives its own mail, its own administrative notices, its own official documents. Mixing in your personal correspondence as the manager of another company creates a confusion that can cause problems in both directions for you and for the firm.

The third is relational. Even without a formal prohibition, raising the question with your employer or partners means revealing a project that one often prefers to keep discreet at the early stages.

Why doesn't your home address work either?

The next instinct is to use your personal address. This is legal in some cases, but in the vast majority of situations in Brussels, it is simply not possible.

Most residential leases in the Brussels Region explicitly prohibit any commercial use of the property. Registering your company at your personal address constitutes a change of use, which can expose you to lease termination.

Furthermore, your personal address then appears in the register of the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE), which is publicly accessible. It appears on your invoices, your official documents, your articles of association. For many professionals, this level of exposure is unwanted, both from a privacy standpoint and in terms of professional image.

Commercial domiciliation allows you to register a company at a separate address. In practice, this means your SRL or other legal structure has a legally recognised address for the CBE and the tax authorities, usable on all official documents: articles of association, invoices, administrative correspondence, bank accounts. Mail received at this address is handled by the provider, sorted, scanned and forwarded according to the agreed terms.

For an activity launching alongside another main occupation, this is exactly what you need: an address that exists, that is recognised, and that generates no unnecessary friction on a day-to-day basis. Yelomex offers this solution in Brussels 1000, for €60 per month, with no commitment period. The address is available immediately upon registration, so your incorporation process does not have to be delayed. You can find full details of the services and pricing directly on the website.

What does the 1000 Brussels postcode change in practice?

The postcode is not a minor detail. A 1000 Brussels address is recognised by banks, institutions, and administrations. It carries immediate credibility, which matters particularly when you are starting out and looking to reassure your first clients or partners.

For a professional already practicing in a firm, having a separate company address in central Brussels is also a clear way to mark the separation between the two activities. This is not trivial from a risk management and liability clarity perspective.

The Brussels Region sets precise conditions for carrying out commercial activities on its territory. For any questions about the legal framework applicable to your situation, Brussels.be brings together useful resources for entrepreneurs setting up in the capital.

If you are in this situation, commercial domiciliation is the most direct answer. It requires no high rent, no commitment, no physical presence. It gives you a legal address in Brussels 1000, operational immediately, compliant for all your administrative procedures.

To find out more or to register, visit www.yelomex.com.