Belgium
Relocating to Belgium.
After moving to Belgium for work, the first weeks are a chain of registrations. In order: commune / gemeente (the municipality, which registers residents), wijkagent / agent de quartier (the local police officer who checks the address), A card / H card (the electronic residence card for a single permit / an EU Blue Card), collect the residence card with the PIN letter, annex 19 / annex 8ter (the EU citizen's registration request and its provisional receipt). Each step unlocks the next, so the order matters. Settio builds this plan for every person you move, with deadlines and a portal in their language.
After arrival
The registrations, in order
- 1Register at the commune within the deadlinecommune / gemeente: the municipality, which registers residents
- 2The police residence check at homewijkagent / agent de quartier: the local police officer who checks the address
- 3Have the electronic residence card made at the communeA card / H card: the electronic residence card for a single permit / an EU Blue Card
- 4Collect the residence card with the PIN letter
- 5EU citizen's registration at the commune (annex 19)annex 19 / annex 8ter: the EU citizen's registration request and its provisional receipt
- 6Declare the address of a short stay at the commune
- 7Note the national numberrijksregisternummer / numéro de registre national: the national number
- 8Join a health insurance fund (mutualité / ziekenfonds)mutualité / ziekenfonds: health insurance fund
- 9Open a bank account
- 10Set up the digital keys: the eID with its PIN, or itsme
Authorities
Who does what in Belgium
Office des Étrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken (the Immigration Office)
Decides the residence part of the single permit; the region decides the work part
Official websiteSPF Finances / FOD Financiën (Federal Public Service Finance)
Income tax and the special regime for inbound taxpayers
Official websitethe region's economic-migration service (the regional employment authority)
Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital or the German-speaking Community decides the work authorisation by the main workplace
Official websiteOther countries
Official sources
- Immigration Office (dofi.ibz.be), the single permit: the employer based in Belgium applies through the one-stop counter to the region of the main place of work; 15 days to complete the file; the region and the Immigration Office decide within 4 months, else the authorisations are granted; the D visa (B34) at the post; registration at the commune within 8 working days of entry; the A card; renewal at the latest 2 months before the A card ends
- Working in Belgium, work authorisation (90 days or less): applied for by the employer based in Belgium or its representative, issued by the region where the employee works; for German-speaking Belgium the German-speaking Community; through the one-stop counter
- One-stop counter (Guichet unique / Single Permit): the federal online service for work authorisations and single permits
- Brussels Economy and Employment: from 4 May 2026 every work-authorisation application for non-EU nationals goes through the federal one-stop counter; PDF forms and e-mail are no longer accepted
- Brussels Economy and Employment, highly qualified staff: the work authorisation lasts the contract, at most three years, then renewable
- Brussels Economy and Employment, minimum pay for the single permit, from 1 January 2026 (gross a month): highly qualified €3,703.44, EU Blue Card €4,748.00, executive €6,647.20, ICT manager €5,460.20, ICT specialist €4,510.60, ICT trainee €2,611.40
- Brussels Economy and Employment, annexes to a single-permit application: an extract of the criminal record, legalised, from the country of origin or last residence and less than 6 months old (workers aged 18 or more), in French, Dutch, German or English or with a sworn translation; a medical certificate less than 6 months old; every page of the passport; the employment contract
- SPW Économie Emploi Recherche (emploi.wallonie.be), salary thresholds for work authorisations (page updated 8 October 2026, read 10 October 2026), 2025, from 1 January 2026 and from 1 January 2027 (gross a year): highly qualified €51,613 / €53,220 / €54,709, under 30 €41,290 / €42,576 / €43,767, executive €86,110 / €88,790 / €91,275, EU Blue Card €66,738 / €68,815 / €70,741, Blue Card for workers with under three years' experience (80 % of the Blue Card level) €53,390 / €55,052 / €56,593, ICT manager (cadre ICT) €66,738 / €68,815 / €70,741, ICT specialist (expert ICT) €53,390 / €55,053 / €56,594, ICT trainee (stagiaire ICT) €33,370 / €34,408 / €35,371
- Vlaanderen, employing a foreigner in Flanders, highly skilled: at least the average gross annual salary in Belgium, €48,912 in 2024; 80 % (€39,129.60) under 30 and for nurses and teachers; the single permit for three years at once; work of 90 days or less on a work authorisation
- Vlaanderen, employing a foreigner in Flanders, EU Blue Card: at least 130 % of the average gross annual salary (€63,586); a contract of indefinite duration or at least six months; three years' relevant experience in the last seven for IT managers and specialists; renewal at least 2 and at most 4 months before expiry
- Vlaanderen, employing a foreigner in Flanders, intra-corporate transferee (read 10 October 2026): the salary criterion is presumed met at €78,259 for a manager and €48,912 for a specialist or trainee (2025), a presumption that a lower sector average can rebut; the same page's contract step names €72,154 and €45,096
- Vlaanderen: employing a foreigner in Flanders (economic migration)
- SPW Économie Emploi Recherche: work permits and authorisations (emploi.wallonie.be)
- Brussels Economy and Employment: work authorisations (economie-emploi.brussels)
- Ostbelgien: the German-speaking Community's work permits (ostbelgienlive.be)
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What is the first thing to do after moving to Belgium?
Register at the commune within the deadline. It unlocks the steps after it.
How does Settio help with relocation in Belgium?
Settio builds the step-by-step plan for each person moving to Belgium, checks documents before filing, tracks deadlines and gives the person a portal in their own language.
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Informational only. This guide is not legal advice. Always verify requirements with official government sources before acting. Facts checked 3 October 2026. About this information