Spouse/ partner

Visa & documents

• Check whether you need your own family reunification visa, or whether you are included in your partner's application
• Confirm your passport is valid for your stay, renew if needed
• Gather your documents: 
           - passport
           - marriage or partnership certificate
           - proof of relationship
           - birth certificates for any children
• Check whether any documents need legalisation before you travel
• Gather certified copies of your diploma and professional certificates now - you will need them later for diploma recognition, and they are easier to arrange while still at home

Practical decisions

• Decide what happens to your job, contract or business back home
• Ask your employer whether working remotely from Belgium is possible
• Look into shipping or storing your belongings
• Arrange travel insurance or health cover for the period before you are registered in Belgium
• Check the cost of living and budget for your first few months

Housing

• Start your housing search early, alongside your partner
• Ask your partner's employer whether relocation support extends to accompanying partners

Getting a head start

• Start learning some basic Dutch before you arrive
• Read up on how Belgium works so the system feels less unfamiliar on arrival
  
   

• Compare cities of West Flanders against where your partner will be working
• Join IHWF's community before you land, so you already know some faces on arrival

Getting official

• Register your address at the gemeente (local council office)
• Apply for or collect your residence permit if you didn't receive it before travelling
• Collect your eID and set up itsme
• Check whether your residence permit gives you the right to work, or whether you need a separate work permit

Getting set up

• Sign your rental contract and finalise your move-in
• Open a Belgian bank account
  Get a local SIM card or activate roaming
• Get an overview of how the Belgian healthcare system works
• Register with a health insurance fund (mutuality)
• Find and register with a local GP
• Save your emergency contacts

If you have children

• Register them at the gemeente along with yourself
• Look into school registration if they'll be starting straight away
   

• Keep digital and physical copies of every stamped document from this phase - you'll need them again for your health insurance, your bank, and later for diploma recognition.
• Download a few useful apps and locate your nearest supermarket - small things that make daily life easier from day one.

Practical setup

• Convert or apply for a driving licence, if you plan to drive
• Set up your utilities, if this wasn't already arranged
• Sort out your internet and mobile plan
• Learn your local waste and recycling rules and collection schedule
• Arrange home insurance if you're renting
• Confirm your new address with your bank, your health insurance fund, and any other providers

Language and integration

• Check whether the civic integration programme applies to you - it's often required for dependant permit holders who aren't working
• Start Dutch lessons
   

• Look for ways to meet people and make friends, since there's no workplace or classroom doing it for you automatically
• Try a local sports club or hobby group
• Explore local culture and food, and the wider region on weekends
• Look into household help (service vouchers) if you want to free up time for job hunting or settling in
• It's normal to feel isolated or out of place at first - see adjusting to Belgian culture or mental health support if it helps

Career and diploma

• Look into diploma recognition via NARIC-Vlaanderen if you plan to work in a regulated profession
• Check find a job for how to start your job search, and confirm whether you need a separate work permit before starting
• Prepare or update your CV for the Belgian job market
• Look out for upcoming job fairs in the region

Volunteering and connections

• Consider volunteering as a way to build local experience and make contacts
• Join a professional network in your field
   

• VDAB offers extra career coaching for highly skilled newcomers who don't yet speak Dutch fluently, even if you're not registered as unemployed
• Attend a coffee morning or networking event through IHWF
  Look into Dutch courses geared toward your industry's vocabulary, once you've got the basics down
• If employment isn't the right fit, look into working as a freelancer or self-employed as an alternative

Permit and family

• Track your residence permit's expiry date and renewal window
• Check family reunification requirements if bringing over other family members later
• Keep up with your home country's own requirements, such as voting or tax filing

Career, if you've started working

• Understand your salary structure and benefits
• Check your tax filing obligations for your first full year
• Look into training leave and study credit for further development

Financial check-in

• Review your budget against what you're actually spending
• Keep an eye on exchange rates if you're transferring money home
• Build up your banking history in Belgium
• Check whether your insurance coverage still fits your needs
• Start thinking about long-term savings and pension options

Looking further ahead

• Think ahead about long-term housing
• Get involved locally: volunteering or a club
• Look into your voting rights as a resident
• Once you meet the residency requirement, look into applying for Belgian citizenship

Taking stock

• Check in on your Dutch language progress
• Reflect on your social connections and support network - this is often the biggest factor in how settled you feel
• Think about your own work/life balance, separate from your partner's
• Reflect on how settled home feels