Belgium

Franchise regulation

The Belgian Economic Code covers franchising.

Pre-contractual disclosure requirements

At least 1 month before the franchise agreement is signed, the franchisor must provide a copy of the draft agreement as well as a pre-contractual information document covering: the main contractual provisions and background information on the franchisor, its network and the market to enable franchisees to make an assessment of the commercial partnership. This includes the history, status and prospects of the market where the activities are carried out, from a general and local point of view.

A simplified disclosure document suffices in certain specific circumstances (such as in the case of a renewal, when concluding a new franchise agreement between the same parties etc).

When the franchisee is primarily active in Belgium, the Belgian Economic Code provides that the requirements of pre-contractual disclosure are subject to Belgian law and to the jurisdiction of Belgian courts.

Registration

No franchise-specific registration requirements.

Other issues

None

Difficulty Rating/Comments

Contact Auriane Schockaert - Auriane.Schockaert@twobirds.com, Cedric Berckmans - Cedric.Berckmans@twobirds.com or Jean-Christophe Troussel - Jean.Christophe.Troussel@twobirds.com