The requirement to obtain a work permit for Belgium depends on the applicant’s nationality. EU/EEA, as well as Swiss nationals, can work in the country without this document, while non-EU nationals who come to seek work in a Belgian city will need to apply for a work permit type and a long-stay visa type D (in most cases). Our team presents the main conditions and the procedures for obtaining a work permit for Belgium, and interested individuals who need more details can feel free to reach out to us for more details.
Understanding the requirements for a work permit in Belgium, as well as those for a residence permit, is essential for all foreign nationals who are interested in relocating to the country. It is equally important to note that the type B permit for work is issued for a specific activity, based on the relationship that has been secured with a Belgian employer before the permit application was made (an employment contract is in place). Changing the job or the employer will mean that the individual who is interested in remaining in the country will need to apply for the permit once more.
Moving to Belgium is an attractive option for many foreign nationals, both from within the EU/EEA region and outside of it. The employment opportunities with many of the international companies that are present in the country are decisive factors for the decision to relocate.
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The employer is the one who is required to apply for an authorization to hire a foreign national in Belgium. This is an important detail for applicants, and it means that an essential prerequisite to moving to Belgium for employment purposes is finding a job, namely agreeing to the employment relationship. While it is also possible to first arrive in the country and then look for a job, most foreign nationals will first look for an employment opportunity.
Some of the most important conditions for the work permit for Belgium, the work permit B, are the following:
Those who are interested in moving to Belgium for work purposes should know that the conditions can also depend on their professional qualifications, as in some cases the applicant may need to have his or her qualifications recognized (the equivalence of diplomas). It is common for many of those who come to the country for employment to wish to apply for residency in Belgium.
Foreign nationals who wish to become self-employed in Belgium must obtain a professional card. The conditions are different from those for the work permit, and we suggest discussing this separate situation with our Belgium immigration lawyer.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, the Regional Labor Inspectorate, with the Brussels Regional Public Service, is the authority in charge of verifying compliance with the laws for the employment of foreign nationals. One of our agents can provide interested individuals with more information on the various authorities that handle the applications in the two other regions in the country, Flanders and Wallonia.
As seen above, the work permit B is the most commonly used among foreign nationals interested in seeking employment. However, there are several other categories of work permits for Belgium, and our agents list them all below:
As previously mentioned, you can apply for a work permit in Belgium as required for the type of remunerated work you will be engaging in.
Please note that each application includes a set of documents (which are permit-specific, according to your employer and work, and general – to provide personal information). In addition to the mandatory documents, the foreign national who applies for a work permit in Belgium will also pay a set of fees.
Our Belgium immigration specialists list some of these fees below:
Each Belgian region may determine its own fees for processing and registering work permit applications. The ones mentioned above are for the Brussels Capital Region.
Please keep in mind that the Belgian authorities may change these fees at any time. Moreover, the amounts mentioned above by our Belgium immigration lawyer do not include lawyer or notary fees, as may apply in some cases.
Working in Belgium for at least five years will allow the foreign national to explore their options for being granted Belgian citizenship. For this to be possible, the applicant will need to have lived in Belgium for work purposes during this time (thus proving his economic participation), as well as have sufficient knowledge of one of the three officially recognized languages.
For many foreign nationals, the decision to move to Belgium to seek employment is part of their intention to remain in the country indefinitely. This also means that they are interested in acquiring permanent residency and, in time, Belgian citizenship.
If you obtain a work permit for Belgium and you spend at least five years in the country, you may consider your application for Belgian citizenship by naturalization. First of all, this means that you must have stayed in the country lawfully, under a work permit that was renewed accordingly during the entire duration of your minimum five-year stay.
To relocate to Belgium permanently as a worker here who wants to obtain citizenship by naturalization, you will have to meet the following criteria:
Our Belgium immigration lawyers can provide you with more details not only on the requirements for lawfully working in the country but also on the steps that are common for all those who wish to relocate here, including but not limited to registering with the municipality, getting health insurance, opening a bank account, and many others. We can also help those who are interested in obtaining Belgian residency by investment, as opposed to employment.
The work permit is not the only type of document that allows the holder to remain in the country for medium to long-term purposes. Foreign nationals who have questions about the other types of residence permits in Belgium can reach out to our team. One of our agents will analyse your situation and will provide you with personalized answers, depending on your reason for relocation.
Foreign nationals who are interested in more information on the work permit in Belgium can contact our Belgium immigration lawyers for personalized details.
