Necessary formalities

Before leaving
Before leaving for Belgium, you should go through certain formalities. Depending on your country of origin, some may not be necessary.

1. You must have a valid passport issued by your country of origin (for citizens of some countries, an identity card will suffice).
2. You must have a visa if you need one to enter Belgium. You can get one from the Belgian embassy or consulate responsible (link is
external) for your place of residence.
3. In some cases, you must also have the permits required for working in Belgium. You will need different permits (info depending on
whether you wish to acquire self-employed status or employee status.
For more information on visas (link is external), please consult the website of the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development
Cooperation.

For more information on work permits, please consult the website of the FPS (in French (link is external) or Dutch (link is external)).

Formalities for residence in Belgium

You must also complete certain formalities once you have arrived. If you plan to stay in Belgium for less than three months, you must
go to the municipal authorities responsible for your place of residence within three days of your arrival (unless you are staying in a
hotel).

You can consult the list of documents required for stays of less than three months (link is external) via the website of the FPS Foreign
Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

If you plan to stay in Belgium for more than three months, you must go the municipal authorities responsible for your place of
residence to obtain a residence permit. You should go to the authorities, taking your visa with you (if you need one), within eight days of
your arrival in Belgium.

Work permit

Work permit for employees

Foreign workers who wish to work in Belgium as employees (i.e. working under an employment contract) must hold a work permit. This
does not apply to nationals of the Member States of the European Economic Area (link is external) or Swiss nationals.

There are three different types of work permit:

Work permit type A, which is valid for all salaried professions and all employers, for an unlimited period;
Work permit type B, which is only valid for one employer for a period of one year;
Work permit type C, which is valid for all salaried professions and all employers, for a limited period (must be renewed each year).
For more information on work permits, see the website of the FPS (in French (link is external) or Dutch (link is external)).

Applying for a work permit

People applying for work permits must do so using the forms available from the regional employment agencies.

More information on applying for a work permit:

In Flanders, on www.werk.be (link is external) (nl)

In Wallonia, via the Regional portal (link is external) (fr)
 In Brussels-Capital Region, via the Regional portal (link is external)
In the German-speaking Community, via the Community portal