The short answer
A B2B quote in Belgium that gets signed names both companies exactly as the KBO registers them, describes the scope so nobody can read it two ways, shows the price excluding VAT with the VAT and total next to it, and says how long it holds, how and when the customer pays, and which general terms apply. Part of that is the law: as a legal entity, your quote must carry your name, legal form, registered office, enterprise number and "RPR" with the court of your registered office (article 2:20 of the Code of Companies and Associations), plus at least one payment account (article III.25 of the Code of Economic Law). The customer's VAT number is only compulsory on the invoice, but take it now: since 1 January 2026, that invoice goes out as a structured e-invoice.
The legal rules below come from the codes and laws themselves on Justel and from the government e-invoicing portal, read on 1 October 2026. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
What must be on a quote, and what only the invoice needs
What applies to a quote are the general rules for documents a company sends out and the contract rules on offers. The VAT list of compulsory invoice details, in article 5 of Royal Decree no. 1, applies to the invoice, not to the quote.
Element | On the quote | On the invoice | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
Your name, legal form, registered office, enterprise number, "RPR" and court, email and website where you have them | Required for a legal entity | Required | Article 2:20 Code of Companies and Associations |
At least one payment account at a bank in the EEA | Required | Required | Article III.25 Code of Economic Law |
Your VAT number; customer's name, address and VAT number; date and sequential number | Good practice | Required | Article 5 Royal Decree no. 1 |
Price including VAT | Required only towards consumers | Taxable amount, rate and VAT per rate | Article VI.4 Code of Economic Law; Royal Decree no. 1 |
Validity period | Not compulsory, but sets how long you are bound | - | Article 5.19 Civil Code |
General terms | Must reach the customer before acceptance | Too late to introduce them | Article 5.23 Civil Code |
How to find a customer's number, and how it relates to the VAT number, is in the Belgian enterprise number explained.
When a quote binds you
Book 5 of the Civil Code, in force since 1 January 2023, sets out how a contract comes about:
A complete quote is an offer. An offer contains all essential and substantial elements of the intended contract and shows the will to be bound on acceptance (article 5.19). A rough price indication without scope is not yet an offer.
It holds for the period you state, or for a reasonable period if you state none (article 5.19). Write the date.
A changed acceptance is a new offer. Additions, limitations or other changes to essential elements count as a rejection and, where relevant, a new offer. Silence is not acceptance unless law, usage or the circumstances say otherwise (article 5.20).
The contract exists when the acceptance reaches you (article 5.21). After that, changes need both parties.
General terms and payment terms
General terms only become part of the contract if the customer knew them, or could effectively take note of them, and accepted them (article 5.23). On the back of the invoice is too late: attach them to the quote and refer to them above the signature line. If your quote and the customer's purchase order each refer to their own terms, both apply except the clauses that conflict.
Payment terms. Under the law of 2 August 2002 on late payment, a business customer pays within 30 calendar days if nothing was agreed, and an agreed term may not exceed 60 calendar days; a longer clause is treated as unwritten. Since 1 February 2022, any acceptance or verification period counts within that maximum. Put the term on the quote so it is accepted with the price.
A B2B quote template
The example is illustrative: a Ghent agency quoting a new website to a business customer.
Section | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
Header | "Quote", number, date, valid-until date | Q-2026-0142, 1 October 2026, valid until 31 October 2026 |
From | Legal name, legal form, registered office, enterprise number, RPR and court, VAT number, email, website, IBAN | Example Studio BV, RPR Ghent |
To | Customer's legal name as in the KBO, legal form, registered office, enterprise number, contact person | The legal entity that will receive the invoice, not the brand name |
Scope | The problem in their words, deliverables, quantities, exclusions, assumptions | 12 page templates, booking module, 2 revision rounds; copywriting not included |
Price | Lines excluding VAT, VAT rate and amount, total including VAT, options priced separately | 8,500 euros excl. VAT, VAT at 21% 1,785 euros, total 10,285 euros |
Timeline | Start, milestones, what you need from the customer | Launch 10 weeks after signature |
Payment | Instalments, when each is invoiced, payment term | 30% on signature, 70% on launch, 30 days from invoice |
Terms | Reference to your general terms, attached | "Our attached general terms apply to this quote." |
Acceptance | Name, role, date, signature, purchase order number | Signature block or e-signature link |
Presenting the price: good, better, best
Three options at most. A basic, a recommended and a complete version, for example 6,000, 8,500 and 12,000 euros excluding VAT, lets the customer choose between your offers rather than between you and a competitor.
Differ on scope, not discount. Each step up adds something the customer can name; mark the one you recommend.
Label VAT. Business buyers compare excluding VAT; show the VAT and total too, so finance does not have to calculate.
No "from" prices. A price that depends on later choices invites a dispute.
Following up
Plan the follow-up when you send it: a short check two to three working days later with a concrete question about the option or the scope, and a call before the validity date. Wording and timing are in how to write a B2B follow-up email. If the customer asks for changes, send a revised quote with a new number: under article 5.20 their changes are a new offer.
From signed quote to invoice
Deposits. If you ask for a payment on signature, decide whether you send an advance invoice or a pro forma. They are not the same document, as pro forma and advance invoices explains.
Structured e-invoices. Since 1 January 2026, all Belgian VAT-registered businesses must use structured electronic invoices between each other, according to the government e-invoicing portal; in practice they travel over the Peppol network, routed on the customer's enterprise number. Peppol in Belgium explained covers the obligation, penalties and costs.
Same data, end to end. A quote addressed to a trading name or an old address carries that error into the invoice. Get the customer's identity right at the quote stage. Bizzy helps there: it shows each Belgian company's legal name, legal form, enterprise number, VAT number, registered office and establishments from the KBO register. With the integrations for Teamleader Focus and Odoo, among other CRMs, you complete the company record your quotes are built from, choosing per field whether Bizzy fills only empty values or overwrites existing ones. You can start for free.
Tools that make quotes
Teamleader Focus makes quotes in your own logo, font and colours, notifies you when a customer views, reacts to or signs one online, and turns it into a project or invoice in two clicks. Every plan sends Peppol invoices; receiving them and the extended quote options start at GROW. Prices exclude VAT, billed quarterly or annually: see Teamleader's pricing page and Teamleader Focus pricing.
Odoo makes quotations in its Sales app. CRM alone is free on One App Free, but CRM plus Sales is two apps, which means Standard: 24.90 euros per user per month on annual billing or 31.10 euros monthly, excluding VAT, with a lower price in the first year. See Odoo's pricing page and what Odoo CRM costs.
Frequently asked questions
Is a quote legally binding in Belgium? Yes, once it contains all essential elements of the contract and shows the will to be bound. It stays irrevocable for the period it states, or a reasonable period if none, and the contract exists when the acceptance reaches you.
What must a Belgian quote state? For a legal entity: name, legal form, registered office, enterprise number, "RPR" with the court, email and website where it has them, and at least one payment account.
Do I need the customer's VAT number on a quote? Not by law; it is compulsory on the invoice. Take it at the quote stage anyway, since the invoice needs it and the enterprise number is also the e-invoicing address.
Can I change a quote after the customer has signed? Not on your own. The contract exists once the acceptance reaches you, so a change needs the customer's agreement.
Photo: the glass roof of the Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand in Spa, Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons