Meeting legal obligations

What skills are needed to access the profession? You will find that no special authorisations are required. However, you will need to have a background in management to be able to successfully run your business.

No special authorisation is required to become a chocolatier and prior training isn’t required.

So, what conditions have to be met?

As an entrepreneur, you are required to prove that you have management skills. They are defined in the Royal Decree of 1998.

The skills include an entrepreneurial spirit, basic knowledge of the law, of accounting, of taxes and of retail management.

There are three ways to prove that you have the right background:

• You hold a diploma or qualification as provided for by the Royal Decree of 1998 (Article 7).
• You have acquired sufficient professional experience over the past 15 years.
• You have successfully passed a management examination administered by the Jury Central.

You can contact a certified business advice centre to assess your skills. The centre is responsible for receiving your request to register your company with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (BCE) and for ensuring that you meet all of the conditions.