SOC 2 attestation in Belgium

SOC 2 attestation in Belgium at a glance

A SOC 2 report is a customer ask, not a Belgian legal requirement. It tends to arrive through two doors: US buyers who expect it in procurement, and European financial customers who, since DORA became applicable on 17 January 2025, must manage the risk of relying on ICT providers and therefore ask for independent assurance. Suppliers to entities covered by the NIS2 Law meet similar questions. The report itself is written by a licensed CPA firm after examining controls against the AICPA trust services criteria, as either a Type 1 or a Type 2 report; Sterling does not attest. From Enschede it scopes the criteria, builds the controls and evidence collection, and prepares teams for the examiner's questions, aligning the work with ISO/IEC 27001 if clients hold both.

Who needs SOC 2 in Belgium, and what happens without it

In Belgium the question rarely comes from a law. It comes from the buyer, the regulator or the partner that wants proof before it signs. These are the organisations that get asked.

• SaaS and cloud providers selling to Belgian financial institutionsDORA puts ICT third-party risk on the financial entity, so customers ask providers for independent assurance.
• Suppliers to NIS2-covered entitiesOrganisations not directly covered may still be asked to show security assurance because they serve covered entities.
• Belgian technology firms selling to US customersUS buyers often ask for a SOC 2 report in procurement.

SOC 2 requirements in Belgium

Strip away the vocabulary and SOC 2 asks a service organisation to report on six things about the controls behind its service.

In Belgium these six sit alongside the local laws and regulations listed under drivers below; one system can evidence both. The detail is on the global hub: SOC 2 explained →

How to get a SOC 2 report in Belgium

One team from the Enschede office carries the work from scoping to report. Clients in Belgium are served from Sterling's Enschede office, on-site where the work needs it and remotely otherwise.

1. Discovery call and scopeEntities, locations, regulators and target date, agreed before any proposal.
2. Gap assessment against SOC 2 and the Belgian requirements that apply to youControls you already run for your regulators and customers are reused, not rebuilt.
3. Your system built with your team in EffivityRisks, controls, evidence, incidents and reviews in one live system the auditor can see.
4. Internal audit, management review and corrective actionsYour internal auditors trained by Sterling; the evidence proven before any external review.
5. The independent examination and reportA licensed CPA firm performs the examination and issues the report. Sterling supports the examination.

The Sterling Promise: 100% on-time completion, 100% success, 8,100+ client engagements.Sterling does not certify. Certification decisions stay with independent bodies.

• SOC 2 gap analysis
• SOC 2 implementation plan

How long does SOC 2 attestation take in Belgium?

There is no standard duration: it depends on your scope and on how much of the system already runs. In Belgium these are the factors that set the timeline.

• Type 1 or Type 2 report and the observation window
• Selected trust services criteria
• Maturity of controls and evidence collection
• CPA firm availability

Sterling agrees a dated plan with you on the discovery call, once the scope is known.

• What drives the SOC 2 timeline
• Scope and timeline estimator

How much does SOC 2 attestation cost in Belgium?

The cost has two parts: the consulting work to build and prove the system, and the CPA firm’s fees, which are quoted separately. In Belgium these factors move both.

• Systems and criteria in scope
• Control remediation and tooling
• CPA firm fees quoted separately from consulting
• Number of subservice organisations

Sterling gives one customised, all-inclusive proposal after the discovery call, never before the scope is agreed.

• What makes up the cost of SOC 2

SOC 2 consultants and auditors in Belgium

Two different organisations are involved. A consultant helps you build the system and prove it works; a licensed CPA firm then audits or assesses it and decides. Keeping the two separate is what makes the result credible to buyers and regulators.

• Check that the body’s accreditation or approval covers SOC 2 and your sector, and that its certificates can be verified online.
• Ask the consultant how the local requirements in Belgium are mapped into the same system, so nothing runs twice.
• Ask for client references in your sector; Sterling’s client letters are available on request.
• Agree who owns the evidence and the tool after the engagement; with Sterling the system stays yours, in Effivity.

SOC 2 in Belgium: questions clients ask

More on SOC 2 for Belgian organisations

• SOC 2: the complete guide
• Watch: How to implement SOC 2
• Accounting and professional services: SOC 2 for the sector
• BPO and shared services: SOC 2 for the sector
• Fintech and payments: SOC 2 for the sector
• Healthcare IT and health BPO: SOC 2 for the sector
• HR, payroll and staffing: SOC 2 for the sector
• MSPs and data centres: SOC 2 for the sector
• SaaS and technology: SOC 2 for the sector
• SOC 2 attestation in Belgium and every other standard Sterling delivers there

Other standards Belgian businesses ask Sterling for

Organisations in Belgium often combine SOC 2 with one of these, under one management system where the scopes allow.

All 22 standards Sterling delivers in Belgium →