Coming to work in Belgium

You want to come to Belgium to work as an employee under a single permit (stay of more than three months) or a work permit (stay of less than three months). You must first find an employment contract. Your future employer must then apply for a single permit/work permit/EU Blue Card to the Region in which you will be working. We can prepare the whole file for your future employer.

When applying for a work permit/single permit/ EU Blue Card, you will need to demonstrate that :

• You are a skilled worker in an occupation recognised as being in short supply by the Region in which you wish to work; or
• Your employer cannot find anyone on the Belgian labour market to do the job for which he/she is hiring you; or
• You are a highly qualified worker (you must demonstrate that you will receive a minimum salary set by the Belgian authorities and that you have a recognised higher education diploma); or
• You are employed as an au pair in a family with at least one child under 13 years old, you are between 18 and 26 years old and, you studied until you were at least 17 years old;
• You are in one of the categories for which there are specific rules (applicant for an EU Blue Card, post-doctoral researcher, a researcher under a hosting agreement, journalist, performing artist, frontier worker, trainee etc.).

You will also have to prove that you have insurance covering you in Belgium, a clean criminal record and a standard medical certificate stating that you do not suffer from any disease listed by the authorities as constituting a danger to public health.

In the case of a single permit application (stay of more than three months), the Region will process the application of your future employer. Once the Region has decided, it will forward your file to the Foreigners’ Office. They will decide on the ‘right of residence’ part of the file.

If these two authorities agree, you will obtain:

• A “D visa” issued by the Belgian Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin or residence, allowing you to collect your single permit in Belgium (if you are abroad); or
• the single permit from your municipality of residence (if you are in Belgium).

In the case of an application for a work permit or an EU Blue Card, the Region will process the application of your future employer. However, you must also submit:

• A visa application to the Belgian Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin/country of residence, if you are abroad; or
• An application for a residence permit from your municipality of residence if you are in Belgium.

The application will be forwarded to the Foreigners’ Office. If the Region and the Foreigners’ Office decide positively, you will receive your visa and work permit.

You do not need a work permit to travel and work under this type of agreement.

However, you must demonstrate that:

• You are from a country with which Belgium has signed this type of agreement;
• The main purpose of your stay is to travel and, the work is only incidental;
• You have at least € 2,500 at your disposal;
• You have work accident, health care, hospitalisation and repatriation insurance;
• You have a clean criminal record and a standard medical certificate attesting that you do not suffer from any disease listed by the authorities as constituting a danger to public health.

You must apply for a professional card (work permit for self-employed persons).

If you do not yet have a residence permit in Belgium, you must apply to the Belgian Embassy or Consulate, in your country of origin or residence. In this case, you must also apply for a long-stay visa at the same time as the application for a professional card. If you are already in Belgium and have a right of residence, you can apply for a professional card to an approved Belgian company counter.

The Belgian Embassy, Consulate or the approved Belgian company counter will then transfer your application to the Region in which you wish to start your project.

You will have to demonstrate that:

• You respect the general regulatory obligations and those specific to your profession;
• Your project has an economic interest for the Region where you are going to set it up;
• You have insurance covering you in Belgium, a clean criminal record and a standard medical certificate attesting that you do not suffer from any disease listed by the authorities as constituting a danger to public health.

The Region will then decide on your application for a work permit as a self-employed person. If you do not yet have a right of residence, the Foreigners’ Office will also decide on your application for a long-stay visa.

Please note that all official documents must be certified. Furthermore, if they aren’t in one of the official languages of Belgium, they must be translated into French or Dutch by a sworn translator recognised by the Belgian authorities. We regularly work with sworn translators who work in different languages. We can therefore assist you with this type of procedure.