Belgium
Work permit in Belgium.
To work in Belgium without EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship you need a residence and work permit from Office des Étrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken (the Immigration Office). The main routes are Work authorisation (90 days or less), Long-stay visa (D visa, B34), Single permit: A card (temporary stay), EU Blue Card: H card. Single permit, highly skilled: the region's minimum gross salary: €3,703 a month since 1 January 2026. Permanent residence is possible after 5 years on most routes.
Permit types
The permits Belgium issues
- Work authorisation (90 days or less)
- Long-stay visa (D visa, B34)
- Single permit: A card (temporary stay)
- EU Blue Card: H card
- ICT permit (intra-corporate transfer)
- EU citizen's registration: EU card
- Unlimited stay: B card, or EU long-term residence
- Social-security certificate (A1 or under an agreement)
Salary levels
What the permit has to pay
Each figure with its legal basis and the official page it comes from.
Single permit, highly skilled: the region's minimum gross salary (BRU)
€3,703 a month · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceSingle permit, highly skilled: the region's minimum gross salary (VLG)
€48,912 a year · from 1 January 2024
Official sourceSingle permit, highly skilled: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€53,220 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceSingle permit, highly skilled under 30: the region's minimum gross salary (VLG)
€39,130 a year · from 1 January 2024
Official sourceSingle permit, highly skilled under 30: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€42,576 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceEU Blue Card: the region's minimum gross salary (BRU)
€4,748 a month · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceEU Blue Card: the region's minimum gross salary (VLG)
€63,586 a year · from 1 January 2024
Official sourceEU Blue Card: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€68,815 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceEU Blue Card with under three years' experience: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€55,052 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceSingle permit, executive: the region's minimum gross salary (BRU)
€6,647 a month · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceSingle permit, executive: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€88,790 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceICT manager: the region's minimum gross salary (BRU)
€5,460 a month · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceICT manager: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€68,815 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceICT specialist: the region's minimum gross salary (BRU)
€4,511 a month · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceICT specialist: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€55,053 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceICT trainee: the region's minimum gross salary (BRU)
€2,611 a month · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceICT trainee: the region's minimum gross salary (WAL)
€34,408 a year · from 1 January 2026
Official sourceStaying longer
Faster routes and settling
Permanent residence: after 5 years
- Five years of legal, uninterrupted residence for EU long-term residence
- Periods as an EU Blue Card holder in other member states count in part
EU long-term residence: after 5 years
- Stable and regular resources
- Sickness insurance
- Integration conditions where national law sets them
Citizenship: after 5 years
- Five years of legal residence with knowledge of one of the national languages, social integration and economic participation (art. 12bis of the Nationality Code)
- Ten years of legal residence with the language and participation in the community
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 minimum salary for a work permit in Belgium?
Single permit, highly skilled: the region's minimum gross salary: €3,703 a month (from 1 January 2026). Single permit, highly skilled: the region's minimum gross salary: €48,912 a year (from 1 January 2024). Single permit, highly skilled: the region's minimum gross salary: €53,220 a year (from 1 January 2026).
Who issues work permits in Belgium?
Office des Étrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken (the Immigration Office): Decides the residence part of the single permit; the region decides the work part.
When can someone get permanent residence in Belgium?
After 5 years on most routes. Five years of legal, uninterrupted residence for EU long-term residence. Periods as an EU Blue Card holder in other member states count in part.
When can someone get eu long-term residence in Belgium?
After 5 years on most routes. Stable and regular resources. Sickness insurance. Integration conditions where national law sets them.
How does Settio help with work permits 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.
More
- Relocating to Belgium: the first weeks
- Relocation and immigration across Europe
- AI immigration compliance
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