In order to get a stand at a market, fair or in public space, an application must be submitted to the Markets Unit or the Commercial Events Unit of the City, either directly at their counter or through a registered letter.

Every application shall be accompanied by the application form and the documents that are listed in this form.

Prior administrative declaration for registration on the markets of the City of Brussels

To operate as a street trader, you must have a licence to carry out your activity; this can be obtained from the business counter of your choice.

If the application is admissible and complete, the unit responsible for markets will inform the applicant within 30 days by registered letter to the address provided in the application.

This notification can be considered a declaration of entry into the register of subscription applicants. This registration should not be considered as allocation of a pitch.

If no immediate allocation decision can be made because there are no vacant pitches, the letter will mention the application's position in the register, the products for which the application was submitted and the expiry date of the entry in the application register.

A pitch cannot be allocated for a subscription until the Board has made a favourable decision.

The applicant will be notified of the allocation of a pitch by registered letter to the address stated on the application.

The allocation of a pitch will be subject to the signature of a written agreement by the applicant.

The applicant will have 30 calendar days to sign this agreement from their receipt of the document; receipt is considered to be on the day of dispatch if sent by email and the next day if sent by post.

For a pitch allocated by subscription, the amount due must be paid to the City monthly in advance by bank transfer, at the latest on the 25th of the month prior to the occupation of the pitch.

The Recipient will send the debtor an annual payment request in the form of a payment plan for the year.

For a pitch allocated on a day-to-day basis, the amount due must be paid to the City official immediately, either in cash or by electronic payment, against a numbered receipt dated by the official.

A pitch on a public market may only be transferred under the conditions set out in Article 35 of the Royal Decree of 24 September 2006:

1° when the holder(s) dies/die or ceases/cease their street trading activities as a natural person or when the legal person ceases their street trading activities;

2° and provided that the transferee(s) holds/hold the street trader’s licence and continues/continue the specialisation of the transferor on each pitch transferred, unless the City authorises a change of specialisation.

A transferee is/are therefore authorised to occupy the pitch only when the City of Brussels has confirmed that:

1° the transferor has wound down their street trading activities at the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises or their beneficiaries have performed this formality;

2° the transferee holds a street trader's licence to carry out the specialisation(s) of the transferor or that/those authorised by the City of Brussels;

3° the business of the transferee does not exceed the maximum number of pitches per subscription as established by the Regulations.

The Board may change the specialisation of a pitch during a transfer (see Regulations).

A pitch-holder may only occupy the pitch for which they received a licence when the pitch was allocated.

On the basis of a reasoned request, the Board may authorise a change of pitch if the requested pitch is available.

A pitch-holder may only sell the products for which they received a licence when the pitch was allocated.

On the basis of a reasoned request, the Board may authorise a pitch-holder to sell other products if the maximum number of pitches specialising in this/these new product(s), as specified by the Board, has not yet been reached on the market in question.  

A pitch on a public market may be occupied only by the persons stipulated in Articles 25 and 26 of the Royal Decree of 24 September 2006, i.e.:

the person (family, friend, partner, spouse, etc.) must hold their own "assistant licence" for the street trading activities.

All pitch-holders must have a visible sign to identify themselves to the public and to City of Brussels officials.

If the sign is lost, the pitch-holder must immediately notify the unit responsible for City of Brussels markets and request a new sign.

1. A subscriber cannot be absent from their pitch for more than one month without notifying the unit responsible for City of Brussels markets in advance and in writing.

 The City official may allocate the pitch to a temporary trader for the period of the holder's absence.

2. The payments remain due even in the event of an absence notified to the unit responsible for City of Brussels markets, unless the pitch-holder has suspended their subscription:

A pitch-holder on a public market may request the suspension of their subscription if they are unable to carry out their activity for a predictable period of at least one month,

- either due to illness or accident, as conformed by a medical certificate,

- or due to a duly proven force majeure.

3. A pitch-holder is also required to occupy their pitch on at least 80% of market days throughout the calendar year; this calculation excludes periods covered by the suspensions mentioned above.