He graduated in law and notariat at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in law at the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (Catholic University of Louvain). He obtained a Master of Laws at Yale University (United States of America).
Until 2005 he was dean of the law school of the Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven (Catholic University of Louvain). Frans Vanistendael is a brother of the writer Geert van Istendael. During his career he was a visiting professor at Kansai University (Osaka), Monash University (Melbourne) and the University of Sydney (Sydney). From 1986 until 1987 he was Royal Commissioner for Tax Reform and from 1980 until 1982 he was cabinet advisor to the Minister of Finance.
From 1989 until 1997, he was Director of the Centre for Advanced Legal Studies and from 1995 until 1997, he was the first and founding president of the European Law Faculties Association In addition to his role in Belgian tax law, he is an expert for the European Commission on the harmonisation of tax law in Europe and a consultant with the International Monetary Fund (International Monetary Fund) and the Organisation for Economic Company-operation and Development (Organization of European Cooperation and Development).
He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank. He is a member of the Brussels Barometer From 1980 until 2000, he was a member of the Belgian High Council of Finance.
