working in Belgium 

WHat is a Single Permit?

To live and work legally in Belgium as a non-EEA (European Economic Area) citizen, it is required to obtain a Single Permit, which is the official work permit recognized in Belgium. 

It is a document/card that must be applied by your employer. Therefore, it is crucial to land a job beforehand. 

The processing time typically takes up to 3-4 months or even longer depending on your Municipality. And it can be valid for up to 1-3 years, then it has to be renewed again by the employer. 

If you are a freelance or self-employed individual, there are different requirements and restrictions. A Professional Card is then required instead of a Single Permit.

After getting a job offer from a company, you will first sign an official contract which allows the employer to proceed their request of your work permit (Single Permit) with the Economic Migration Service. This request will be responded first with a "Decision" once approved. Only then, your single permit will officially start to be processed with an estimated waiting time of 3-4 months. 

After this waiting period, you will receive the Single Permit, then you need to visit the Belgian Embassy in your home country to apply for D Visa. 

*Please aware that each embassy has different rules when it comes to appointments. We recommend checking before visiting one.

With D Visa, you are finally ready to come to Belgium! 

Within 8 days after your arrival, you will need to visit the local municipality (usually the city hall) to request an application of your Residence Permit. This usually takes around a couple of months, and meanwhile, you will be provided with a temporary residence document, so-called Annex 49. 

With Annex 49, you are not allowed to travel outside of Belgium until you are granted the official permit, which is the Annex 46.

In between this waiting period, a spontaneous police visit to your domicile address is required. If the police doesn't reach you after 7 visits, your application will be delayed, and you will likely have to revisit the city hall for further adjustments, so please make sure to be home for at least the first four weeks of your application.

*Please note that we only offer some basic guidelines and information. For more detailed and up-to-date requirements, we refer you to Your Future in Flanders.

What to know?

• Do I need a Single Permit?

If you are a European Economic Area citizen, you do not need a Single Permit. However, if your country of origin is outisde of the EEA, and you would like to work in Belgium (as employed), it is necessary to acquire this document. There are only some exceptions.

If you are an international student finishing your studies and would like to start working here, you can first look into a Search-Year visa. Please be aware that your student visa usually does not directly guarantee your right to freely and legally work in Belgium. 

As freelance individuals, there are different requirements and restrictions. A Professional Card is then required instead of a Single Permit.

• Is it difficult to acquire Single Permit?

As explained above, it is crucial to find a job before you apply for the Single Permit. Besides that, there are some other factors that might accelerate or slow down this process of acquisition, such as your job categories, education level, salary requirement, and so on. 

To start with, the most common job categories that we encounter in expats are "highly-skilled workers", "PHD researchers", "bottleneck occupations(shortage)" or "specialized technicians". Depending on the category you belong to, there can be different sets of rules that can influence the efficiency of your application. For more related information, please visit the official Flemish Government website.

In most cases, it is also required to translate your original diploma and have it legalized by a Belgian authority to continue with your application.

In general, we encourage being proactive in the process of job search and not be afraid of refusal or time consumption. All in all, it is a learning and growing process, too!

• What about the renewal?

The renewal of your Single Permit should take place at least 2 months before the expire date. As the usual procedure, you will receive an Annex 49 while waiting for the official new document.