What the KBO code tables are
The Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (KBO in Dutch, BCE in French) stores most facts about a company as short codes rather than text. The monthly KBO Open Data files and the KBO web services therefore contain columns such as JuridicalForm, Status and JuridicalSituation filled with values like 610, AC or 012. FPS Economy publishes the meaning of every code in a separate code list. This tool bundles that official list, so you can search it by code or by word in Dutch, French, German or English without opening a spreadsheet.
The tables included are legal forms (144 codes), entity status, legal situations, events, reasons for cessation, entity types, function types, legal functions (for example 10002 director), reasons a function ended, entrepreneurial skills, exemptions and links between entities.
Sample lookups
JuridicalForm 610 → BV / SRL private limited company (from 2019-05-01)
JuridicalForm 014 → NV / SA public limited company
JuridicalForm 015 → BVBA / SPRL (valid until 2019-04-30)
Status AC / ST → active / stopped
JuridicalSituation 000 → normal situation
JuridicalSituation 012 → voluntary dissolution - liquidation
JuridicalSituation 050 → opening of bankruptcy procedureValidity dates and the 2019 company law reform
Every code has a validity period. The Companies and Associations Code that took effect on 1 May 2019 introduced new legal forms: 610 BV/SRL, 612 CommV/SComm and 706 CV/SC replaced older forms such as 015 BVBA/SPRL and 012 Comm.V/SCS, which are valid until 30 April 2019. Old companies that did not yet convert can still carry a historical code, so the lookup shows current codes by default and keeps the old ones one click away (untick Current codes only).
Edge cases
- The same number can mean different things in different tables:
012is a legal form (ordinary limited partnership) and also a legal situation (voluntary dissolution). Always check which column the code comes from. - Codes are strings:
014keeps its leading zero. Spreadsheet imports that turn it into14break joins with the code list. - Activity codes are not in these tables; they use NACE-BEL. Decode them with the NACE-BEL 2025 lookup.
To get the name, VAT status and Peppol registration of a specific company, use the company lookup; the company identifiers guide explains enterprise numbers, VAT numbers and establishment units.
Frequently asked questions
What is KBO legal form code 610?
Code 610 is the Besloten Vennootschap (BV) in Dutch or Société à responsabilité limitée (SRL) in French, the private limited company introduced by the Companies and Associations Code from 1 May 2019.
What do the status codes AC and ST mean?
AC means active and ST means stopped. They appear in the Status column of the KBO Open Data enterprise file.
Why does a company still show BVBA code 015?
Code 015 was valid until 30 April 2019. Companies that existed before the reform keep the old code in historical data or until their conversion is registered in the KBO.
Where do these code tables come from?
From the official KBO code list published by FPS Economy for the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises, with descriptions in Dutch, French, German and English.
Can I use this with the KBO Open Data CSV files?
Yes. The codes match the columns in the Open Data files, such as JuridicalForm, Status and JuridicalSituation, so you can decode a value or check a mapping table before joining.