What is an electrical compliance certificate in Wallonia?

The electrical compliance certificate (CE) is the report of an approved body confirming a home’s electrical installation meets the RGIE. It must be given to the buyer at sale, is valid 25 years when the installation passes, and costs around 120 to 195 euros (RGIE/AREI, 2026).

Belgium’s federal wiring rulebook, the RGIE (also called AREI), governs every domestic electrical installation. The electrical compliance certificate (CE) is the written verdict issued after an inspection: it states whether the installation is safe and conforms, or whether faults must be corrected.

Only an inspection body approved by the SPF Economie may perform the check and sign the report (energiebewustontwerpen.be, 2026). The inspector tests earthing, the fuse and differential protection, the layout of circuits and the presence of a compliant single-line diagram. For a standard home the inspection costs roughly 120 to 195 euros including VAT (energiebewustontwerpen.be, 2026).

At sale the certificate is compulsory: the seller must hand the buyer the inspection report, whether favourable or not. A favourable report on an installation that is not modified stays valid for 25 years (RGIE/AREI, 2026).

The counter-intuitive good news for sellers: a red, non-compliant report does not block the sale. If the installation fails, the buyer can still purchase and then has 18 months from the deed to bring it into conformity and inform the SPF Economie and the network operator (Certinergie, 2021). So the certificate is really an information duty, not a pass-or-fail gate. It does, however, shift a repair cost onto the buyer, which they will factor into their offer, so a compliant installation strengthens your negotiating position.

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