Fiscal mandate for double taxation treaties


The double taxation treaties (DTT) agreed between Belgium and a number of other countries mean a reduction in the amount of foreign withholding tax you have to pay on dividends and interest derived from certain foreign investment products. KBC Bank offers a DTT service for residents of Belgium for this purpose.

What do you need?

1. A KBC Custody Account

in which the securities are held.

2. A signed DTT certificate

This authorises KBC Bank to take all steps necessary on your behalf to apply the reduced withholding tax, either at the time dividend or interest is paid or by claiming back the overpaid tax retrospectively. 

3. A tax residence certificate

 A number of countries require submission of an annual tax residence certificate in order to qualify for the reduced withholding tax. Until 1 January 2025, KBC Bank could use the DTT certificate to apply for tax residence certificates from the Belgian Federal Public Service for Finance (FPS Finance) on your behalf.

The government has changed the procedure with effect from 1 January 2025. You now have to grant a one-time mandate (permission) to KBC Bank now so that we can continue to request the tax residence certificate for you from FPS Finance. You can do this on the FPS Finance Internet portal, CSAM - Management of mandates. The mandate may only be used for this purpose. 

The most common countries for which a tax residence certificate is required:

  • For private individuals:
    • Germany
    • France
    • Italy
    • Switzerland
  • For companies:
    • All countries for private individuals
    • Ireland
    • Spain

Frequently asked questions

KBC Bank will then not be able to provide the DTT service. You will therefore no longer qualify for reduced withholding tax or exemption from foreign taxes on certain investment products.

DTT certificate

 KBC Bank offers a DTT tax service. To avail yourself of this service, you must first sign an agreement: the DTT certificate.

The full name of the agreement is: ‘Declaration/authorisation for application by KBC Bank of the reduction of double taxation on income derived from foreign securities’. By signing this agreement, you are requesting KBC Bank to apply the double taxation treaty tax rates on your behalf for the countries for which KBC Bank offers this service.

By signing a DTT certificate, you are thus authorising KBC Bank to take all steps necessary on your behalf to apply the reduced withholding tax, either at the time that your dividend or interest is paid or by claiming back the overpaid tax retrospectively.

Fiscal mandate

 A number of countries require submission of an annual tax residence certificate in order to qualify for application of the double taxation treaty.

From 1 January 2025, KBC Bank can only request the tax residency certificate from FPS Finance if you have authorised KBC Bank to do so.

You have signed a DTT certificate with KBC Bank. You now have two options for giving a fiscal mandate.

Option 1: KBC Bank prepares your mandate

A few days after signing the DTT certificate with KBC Bank, the fiscal mandate will ready in CSAM for your acceptance.

  1. Go to CSAM.be - ‘Management of mandates’ and select 'Manage my fiscal mandates'.
  2. Log in using the itsme® app or your eID card reader (for yourself or on behalf of a company).
  3. Go to ‘Mandates I need to sign’.
  4. Select ‘You have 1 mandate awaiting signature’.
  5. Select ‘View’ at the bottom right of the page.
  6. Select ‘Sign’.
  7. Check the box ‘I have read and agree to the terms and conditions’.
  8. Select ‘Sign’. You will then receive confirmation that your mandate is in order.

Option 2: You register the mandate yourself

  1. Go to CSAM.be - ‘Management of mandates’ and select 'Manage my fiscal mandates'.
  2. Log in using the itsme® app or your eID card reader (for yourself or on behalf of a company).
  3. In the bar at the top, select ‘Create’.
  4. Leave the parameters of the mandate blank.
  5. Select ‘Tax residence’ as the mandate type.
  6. Under Role selection, check ‘Mandator’ [’proxy giver’] next to your name.
  7. Under ‘Mandatee’ [’proxy holder’], select 'Look up' and enter BE 0462.920.226 or KBC Bank under ‘Company number’.
  8. After ‘KBC Bank’ appears, select ‘Validate’.
  9. Select ‘Next’
  10. Check the box next to ‘I have read and agreed to the terms and conditions’.
  11. If you wish, you can enter your e-mail address. You can leave the e-mail address for the other party (KBC Bank) blank.

KBC Bank recommends that you do not enter a due date, so as to avoid any interruption of the DTT service.

If you do enter a due date, once that date has passed, KBC Bank can no longer request a tax residence certificate for you, and KBC Bank’s DTT service will cease automatically for certain countries. You will receive no notification that the due date is approaching, nor any notification of the termination of the DTT service. 

You will then start paying the full amount of foreign withholding tax on income derived from the relevant investment products.

Provided you don’t enter a due date, the fiscal mandate will remain valid indefinitely. You can however stop the mandate at any time by going to: CSAM.be - Management of mandates.

Important note: if you stop the fiscal mandate you have given to KBC Bank, your DTT service from KBC Bank will cease and you will pay the full amount of foreign withholding tax on dividends and interest derived from the relevant foreign investment products.

Yes, you can.

  1. Go to CSAM.be - ‘Management of mandates’ and select 'Manage my fiscal mandates'.
  2. Log in using the itsme® app or your eID card reader (for yourself or on behalf of a company).
  3. In the bar at the top, select ‘Create’.
  4. Leave the parameters of the mandate blank.
  5. Select ‘Tax residence’ as the mandate type.
  6. Under Role selection, check ‘Mandator’ [’proxy giver’] next to your name.
  7. Under ‘Mandatee’ [’proxy holder’], select 'Look up' and enter BE 0462.920.226 or KBC Bank under ‘Company number’.
  8. After ‘KBC Bank’ appears, select ‘Validate’.
  9. Select ‘Next’
  10. Check the box next to ‘I have read and agreed to the terms and conditions’.
  11. If you wish, you can enter your e-mail address. You can leave the e-mail address for the other party (KBC Bank) blank.

KBC Bank can only use this fiscal mandate to request a tax residence certificate in your name or in the name of your company.

Yes, you can do so at any time. CSAM.be - Management of mandates.

Important note: if you stop, cancel or refuse the fiscal mandate you have given to KBC Bank, your DTT service from KBC Bank will cease and you will pay the full amount of foreign withholding tax on dividends and interest derived from the relevant foreign investment products.

Yes, you can.

  1. Go to CSAM.be - ‘Management of mandates’ and select 'Manage my fiscal mandates'.
  2. Log in using the itsme® app or your eID card reader (for yourself or on behalf of a company).
  3. In the bar at the top, select ‘Create’.
  4. Leave the parameters of the mandate blank.
  5. Select ‘Tax residence’ as the mandate type.
  6. Under Role selection, check ‘Mandator’ [’proxy giver’] next to your name.
  7. Under ‘Mandatee’ [’proxy holder’], select 'Look up' and enter BE 0462.920.226 or KBC Bank under ‘Company number’.
  8. After ‘KBC Bank’ appears, select ‘Validate’.
  9. Select ‘Next’
  10. Check the box next to ‘I have read and agreed to the terms and conditions’.
  11. If you wish, you can enter your e-mail address. You can leave the e-mail address for the other party (KBC Bank) blank.

No, KBC Bank does not offer this service.

Stopped in this case means that KBC Bank prepared the mandate but the application was stopped or not accepted.

You will receive a copy of the tax residence certificates in your government e-box. You don't have to provide these documents to KBC Bank.

KBC Bank has also received these documents and is taking all the necessary steps. You therefore do not need to provide these documents to KBC Bank.

No, you don't have to sign a mandate now.

The mandate is only needed to obtain the DTT service (reduced foreign withholding tax) on foreign securities held in a KBC Custody Account.

If you would like to open a custody account at KBC Bank again at a later date and make use of the DTT service, you should sign the DTT certificate and also accept the mandate so that KBC Bank can request your tax residence certificate annually.

You don’t need to sign a fiscal mandate now, but if you do sign a mandate, you will be covered for the future. You then won’t need to do anything if you purchase foreign shares, investment funds or bonds again in the future. This is useful, because when buying those investments you won’t receive a reminder and will have to take action yourself to request the mandate.

Yes, you have to give a separate fiscal mandate to every bank from which you receive a DTT service in order that it can request a tax residence certificate for you directly from the government.

Yes; if you are the owner or authorised employee of a company, you must give a fiscal mandate to KBC Bank on behalf of the company. This allows KBC Bank to request a tax residence certificate for your company.  

Nothing. If necessary, KBC Bank will request a tax residence certificate for your company from the FPS Finance twice a year.