What does “Ontbinding or dissolution” mean for a company in Belgium?

dissolved, by operation of law or by court. The Prometiam API returns it as status "in_dissolution" (Dissolved – not yet deregistered) with local_status "in_dissolution". Dissolution has been resolved but the legal entity survives for its liquidation. This is not the same as a British or American dissolved company, which no longer exists. Treat it as in liquidation: no new business.

What does “Faillissement or faillite” mean for a company in Belgium?

bankruptcy opened. The Prometiam API returns it as status "in_liquidation_insolvent" (In insolvent liquidation) with local_status "bankrupt". Bankruptcy or judicial liquidation: the company is being wound up to pay its creditors. File your claim with the liquidator or trustee, do not ship on credit, and expect contracts to be ended or handled by the liquidator.

What does “Stopzetting or cessation” mean for a company in Belgium?

the entity is closed in the register (including closure of a liquidation or bankruptcy, and splits). The Prometiam API returns it as status "deregistered" (Deregistered (removed from the register)) with local_status "deregistered". Removed from the register: the legal person no longer exists (in the US: dissolved, revoked, withdrawn or no longer listed in that state). It cannot sign, be sued or be paid, so invoice a successor or the former owners and check whether it merged. Some registers can restore or reinstate an entity, so check before you treat it as final.

Company status in Belgium: what each register status means

Each status used in Belgium, in English, with the standard status the Prometiam API returns and what it means for doing business with the company.

Every register words its company states differently. This guide lists the status values used in Belgium, what each means in English, and the standard status the Prometiam API returns for it, so the same question (is this company still alive, in trouble or gone?) has the same answer across countries. The register’s own value stays available as local_status.

Coverage and limits for Belgium: company records only (no officers, no registry-compliance signal, no insolvency notices); enterprises of natural persons are never served.

Status values in Belgium

Register status	`local_status`	`status` in the API	Stage
Normale toestand or situation normale: normal state	`active`	`active`	`active`
Gerechtelijke reorganisatie, gerechtelijk akkoord or opschorting van betaling: judicial reorganisation or suspension of payments	`in_restructuring`	`in_restructuring`	`distress`
Faillissement or faillite: bankruptcy opened	`bankrupt`	`in_liquidation_insolvent`	`winding_up`
Vereffening or liquidation: voluntary winding-up	`in_liquidation`	`in_liquidation`	`winding_up`
Ontbinding or dissolution: dissolved, by operation of law or by court	`in_dissolution`	`in_dissolution`	`winding_up`
Stopzetting or cessation: the entity is closed in the register (including closure of a liquidation or bankruptcy, and splits)	`deregistered`	`deregistered`	`closed`
Fusie or fusion: merged into another entity	`merged`	`merged`	`closed`

What each status means for doing business

Active (active): The register shows no dissolution, insolvency or removal. That is the normal state, but not a guarantee of solvency or good standing: check filings and payment behaviour as your policy requires.
In restructuring (in_restructuring): A court-supervised rescue is open while the company keeps trading. Existing creditors are usually bound or held back by the plan, so agree payment terms in advance and check which creditors the plan covers.
In insolvent liquidation (in_liquidation_insolvent): Bankruptcy or judicial liquidation: the company is being wound up to pay its creditors. File your claim with the liquidator or trustee, do not ship on credit, and expect contracts to be ended or handled by the liquidator.
In liquidation (in_liquidation): The company is being wound up and no longer trades normally. Stop new credit, file any claim, and ask who the liquidator is.
Dissolved – not yet deregistered (in_dissolution): Dissolution has been resolved but the legal entity survives for its liquidation. This is not the same as a British or American dissolved company, which no longer exists. Treat it as in liquidation: no new business.
Deregistered (removed from the register) (deregistered): Removed from the register: the legal person no longer exists (in the US: dissolved, revoked, withdrawn or no longer listed in that state). It cannot sign, be sued or be paid, so invoice a successor or the former owners and check whether it merged. Some registers can restore or reinstate an entity, so check before you treat it as final.
Merged into another company (merged): Merged into another company, which takes over its rights and obligations. Find the successor and deal with it.

Reading statuses in Belgium

Belgian statuses come from the KBO “juridical situation”. Belgium is not an insolvency-notice market: its bankruptcy shows in the company status and in its register-change events.

Filter and monitor by status

# companies whose standard status is in_restructuring
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_live_..." \
  "https://api.prometiam.com/functions/v1/risk-api/companies/search?country=BE&name=<company name>&status=in_restructuring"

# or filter by the register's own value
#   &local_status=in_restructuring

status is the same list in every country; local_status is the register’s own value. Use one or the other, not both. Outside Spain a status filter must be combined with a name or an identifier.

More about Belgium

Belgium company data API guide, the free Enterprise number lookup, and legal forms in Belgium. All countries: company status meanings.

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Frequently asked questions

What does “Ontbinding or dissolution” mean for a company in Belgium?: dissolved, by operation of law or by court. The Prometiam API returns it as status "in_dissolution" (Dissolved – not yet deregistered) with local_status "in_dissolution". Dissolution has been resolved but the legal entity survives for its liquidation. This is not the same as a British or American dissolved company, which no longer exists. Treat it as in liquidation: no new business.
What does “Faillissement or faillite” mean for a company in Belgium?: bankruptcy opened. The Prometiam API returns it as status "in_liquidation_insolvent" (In insolvent liquidation) with local_status "bankrupt". Bankruptcy or judicial liquidation: the company is being wound up to pay its creditors. File your claim with the liquidator or trustee, do not ship on credit, and expect contracts to be ended or handled by the liquidator.
What does “Stopzetting or cessation” mean for a company in Belgium?: the entity is closed in the register (including closure of a liquidation or bankruptcy, and splits). The Prometiam API returns it as status "deregistered" (Deregistered (removed from the register)) with local_status "deregistered". Removed from the register: the legal person no longer exists (in the US: dissolved, revoked, withdrawn or no longer listed in that state). It cannot sign, be sued or be paid, so invoice a successor or the former owners and check whether it merged. Some registers can restore or reinstate an entity, so check before you treat it as final.