Buying your first home in Belgium
In Belgium the purchase is legally concluded at the compromis de vente, the sales agreement signed before the notary is involved, not at the deed. That signature binds you. The financing therefore has to be protected by a suspensive condition written into the compromis, and the authentic deed follows within a legally framed period.
The single most important sentence in a Belgian first purchase is the suspensive condition on obtaining credit in the compromis. Write it with a stated amount, a maximum rate and a realistic deadline. Without it, a refused loan does not release you from a binding sale. Everything else in the process can be corrected later; this cannot.
| Provider | Plan | Rate | Key points | View plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 KBC |
Crédit logement KBC | 3.54% |
| View plan |
 CBC Banque KBC |
Crédit logement CBC | 3.55% |
| View plan |
 Keytrade Bank |
Crédit hypothécaire Keytrade | 3.62% |
| View plan |
 Argenta |
Crédit logement Argenta | 3.85% |
| View plan |
 Belfius |
Crédit habitation Belfius | 4.00% |
| View plan |
Prices and features surveyed on August 31, 2026. They may have changed since. Always check the offer on the provider’s website before signing up.
The compromis commits you before the notary does
The compromis de vente — compromis in French, verkoopovereenkomst in Dutch — is the sales agreement. In Belgian law it already constitutes the sale between the parties. Buyers arriving from countries where nothing is binding until completion routinely underestimate this.
The protection is the suspensive condition. It states that the sale only takes effect if you obtain a loan of a given amount, at no more than a given rate, by a given date. Drafted vaguely, it protects nothing; drafted precisely, it releases you cleanly if the loan is refused.
A deposit is generally paid at the compromis, usually held on the notary's escrow account rather than handed to the seller. Ask where the money is going before you transfer it.
The authentic deed is then passed before a notary within a period framed by the tax rules on registration, typically a matter of months. That is when the keys, the money and the registration duties all move.
What your own funds must cover, and what the seller must give you
Beyond the deposit, your own funds have to cover registration duties, the notary's fees and the cost of registering the mortgage. Registration duties are a regional tax and differ between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, and each region operates a reduced regime for the buyer's own and only home, subject to its own conditions.
Because the regimes are regional and revised periodically, the only reliable figure is the one a notary calculates for your specific purchase, in the region concerned. Ask for it before you make an offer.
The seller owes you documents, and their absence is a negotiating point. The energy performance certificate — PEB in Wallonia and Brussels, EPC in Flanders — must be available at the time of sale. An electrical installation inspection report is required for residential sales, and a non-compliant installation transfers an obligation to you.
A soil certificate is required in each region under its own soil legislation, and urban planning information must be obtained by the notary. These are checks, not formalities: they occasionally reveal an unauthorised extension that the compromis has already made your problem.
Frequently asked questions
Is the compromis de vente binding in Belgium?
Yes. Under Belgian law the sale is concluded between the parties when the compromis is signed; the notarial deed then makes it enforceable against third parties and triggers the registration duties. Walking away after signing exposes you to damages unless a suspensive condition applies.
How long is there between the compromis and the deed?
Typically a matter of months, framed by the deadline for registering the sale. The interval is used to obtain the loan, to run the urban planning and soil checks, and to prepare the deed. Your suspensive condition for the credit should expire well inside that window.
Do first-time buyers pay less registration duty?
Each region operates a reduced regime for the purchase of a buyer's own and only home, with its own conditions on occupation, timing and sometimes the value of the property. The rates and conditions differ between Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels and change periodically, so have a notary confirm what applies to your purchase.
What documents must the seller provide?
An energy performance certificate, an inspection report for the electrical installation, a soil certificate under the applicable regional legislation, and the urban planning information gathered by the notary. Missing or unfavourable documents are a legitimate basis for renegotiating the price before you sign the compromis.