Belgium
Work visa for Belgium: documents, fees and steps
Work · 218 nationalities · any residence · ordinary passport
Verified on 12 October 2026
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Documents requested
Copy of the worker's passport, or of the travel document serving in its place, validConditions and details
The work authorisation application also constitutes a residence authorisation application: the file submitted by the employer includes the documents relating to residence, including a copy of the worker's passport or of the travel document serving in its place, valid.Proof that the worker has sufficient means of subsistence, duration of the employment and, where applicable, the employer's VAT numberConditions and details
Among the documents relating to residence, the Office for Foreigners cites proof that the worker has sufficient means of subsistence, the duration of his occupation as a worker and, where applicable, the employer's VAT number. It may request additional information and documents during the examination of the file.- Extract from the criminal record or equivalent document for the worker over 18 years of ageIf the worker is over 18 years of age, the file includes an extract from the criminal record or an equivalent document.
- Medical certificateA medical certificate is among the documents relating to residence in the single permit file.
- Proof of sickness insurance covering all risks for the worker and his family in BelgiumThe file includes proof that the worker has sickness insurance covering all risks for the members of his family and for himself in Belgium.
Proof of payment of the fee to the Immigration Office (152 euros for the single permit)Conditions and details
The fee covers the administrative costs of processing the application. For the single permit, proof of full payment is submitted to the competent regional authority at the time of introduction of the application; payment is made in euros to the account of the Immigration Office indicated on its “Fee” page, with the applicant's surname, first name, nationality and date of birth as the payment reference. Without proof of full payment, the application is declared inadmissible. The fee is not refunded in the event of refusal.Documents relating to work requested by the competent Region, provided by the employerConditions and details
The employer provides the information on the position to be held, the worker provides that on his identity. The Immigration Office refers to the Regions' websites for the list of documents relating to work: Flemish Region, Brussels-Capital Region, Walloon Region and German-speaking Community.Decision granting the single permit (annex 46 or annex 47), in conformity with that communicated to the post by the Immigration OfficeConditions and details
The worker who indicated an address abroad in the application applies for a D visa at the post competent for his place of residence. The post issues the visa upon presentation of a valid passport and of the decision granting the single permit (annex 46 or 47), provided that it corresponds in every respect to the decision communicated to the post by the Immigration Office. The national mention B34 affixed to the visa indicates a single permit; B29, a highly qualified worker (European blue card).Visa D application form, completed online on Visa-On-Web, or according to the procedure of the competent postConditions and details
The Consulate General of Belgium in Paris states that the visa application form is completed online on the Belgian State's Visa-On-Web service; the system then offers to make an appointment, and the application is submitted in person. The post competent for the country of residence states its own procedure.
Depending on your situation
An identity photograph, if the competent post requests itConditions and details
The list of documents of the Consulate General of Belgium in Paris for the D visa for a salaried worker (single permit) includes the Visa-On-Web form, the valid passport, annex 46 with the agreement of the competent Region and an identity photograph. The post competent for the country of residence states its own requirements.
Official fees
- Fee to the Immigration Office — single permit application (work and residence authorisation), since 1 January 2026 152 €
- Flemish Region — regional fee per single permit application, paid by the employer from 1 September 2026, in addition to the federal fee 180 €
Steps
- The employer, or its authorised representative, submits the application for work and residence authorisation (single permit) through the federal single window; the worker provides his or her personal documents.
- Pay the fee of 152 euros to the Immigration Office and attach proof of payment to the file submitted to the competent Region.
- The Region verifies that the file is complete (15 days to complete it, otherwise inadmissible) then examines the work authorisation; the Immigration Office examines the residence authorisation.
- Await the decision: at most four months after the declaration of admissibility, possibly extended; in the absence of a negative decision, the work and residence authorisation is deemed granted.
- Receive the decision granting the single permit (annex 46 or 47), communicated to the worker, to the employer and to the diplomatic or consular post indicated in the application.
- Apply for the D visa at the post competent for the place of residence, presenting the valid passport and the decision granting the single permit; the post issues the visa if the decision matches that of the Immigration Office.
- After entry into Belgium, apply for registration in the foreigners register and for issuance of the single permit at the municipal administration within 8 working days; an A card is issued after the residence enquiry.
Where to apply
- Federal one-stop shop ("Working in Belgium"): the employer established in Belgium submits the single permit application there, which is then sent to the competent Region
- Competent Region for the work authorisation: Bruxelles Économie et Emploi if the main place of work is in the Brussels-Capital Region; otherwise the Flemish Region, the Walloon Region or the German-speaking Community
- Embassy or consulate of Belgium competent for the worker's place of residence, for the D visa after the single permit has been granted
- Municipal administration of the place of residence, for the authorised worker who already resides lawfully in Belgium
Good to know
Two steps: the single permit, then the D visaConditions and details
The single permit application is made in two stages: the employer first submits a file to the competent Region, which counts as a residence application; the worker then applies for the D visa at the Belgian post competent for his or her place of residence, after the Region's approval. Categories of workers such as au pairs, or persons employed for less than 90 days in Belgium, remain under the old procedure (B work permit).Who submits the applicationConditions and details
It is generally the employer or its authorised representative who applies for the authorisation; the applicant must be a natural person residing lawfully in Belgium, so an employer established abroad goes through an authorised representative. In only two cases does the foreign worker himself or herself apply for the authorisation to work and reside. Since 4 May 2026, all work authorisation applications for non-European nationals in the Brussels-Capital Region are made through the federal portal “Guichet unique”.Examination periodsConditions and details
After the declaration of admissibility, a first period of 15 days allows the Region to send a copy of the file to the Immigration Office, then a second period of 4 months, possibly extended in exceptional circumstances related to the complexity of the application, gives the Region and the Office time to decide. Without a negative decision within this period, the work and residence authorisation is deemed granted. If the Region refuses the work authorisation, or the Office refuses the residence authorisation, the procedure ends.Permit tied to the employer and to the functionConditions and details
The work permit is issued for a worker with a given employer and in a given function: any change to one of these elements requires a new application. The validity of the permit depends on the duration set in the employment contract and on the type of authorisation; if the residence authorisation is no longer valid, the work permit is no longer valid either.Minimum remuneration in the Brussels-Capital RegionConditions and details
To obtain a work authorisation or a single permit in Brussels, the remuneration of every worker must comply with Belgian regulations and may not be lower than the guaranteed average minimum monthly income, currently 2 233,61 euros gross per month, except for au pairs, interns and volunteers. For certain functions, a specific amount has applied since 1 January 2026: 3 703,44 euros gross per month for highly qualified staff, 6 647,20 euros for managerial or executive staff, 4 748 euros for the European Blue Card (calculated as a percentage of the average gross monthly Brussels salary of 4 748 euros). Only the basic monthly remuneration is taken into account.Minimum remuneration for highly qualified staff in FlandersConditions and details
In the Flemish Region, highly qualified staff over 30 years of age in local employment under a Belgian employment contract must earn at least the average gross annual salary in Belgium, namely 48 912 euros (2025 figure, still applied in August 2026 to applications introduced in 2026 pending new statistics). For those under 30 years of age, highly qualified nurses and teachers at a recognised institution, the threshold is 80 % of this amount, namely 39 129,60 euros. The diploma must be at least a bachelor's or master's level (qualification level 5) issued by an institution recognised by the State in which it is located; a diploma from a private institution is not valid.After entry: visa mention, registration and A cardConditions and details
The D visa bears national mention B34 for a single permit, or B29 for a highly qualified worker (European blue card). Within 8 working days following entry, the worker applies for registration in the foreigners register and for issuance of the single permit at the municipal administration, with the passport, the decision granting the single permit (annex 46 or 47) and the decisions authorising work and residence. The municipality issues an annex 49, which covers the stay for 45 days while awaiting the residence enquiry, extendable twice by 45 days; if the enquiry is positive, an A card bearing a mention relating to access to the labour market (single permit) is issued.Family of the workerConditions and details
A foreigner authorised to work and stay more than 90 days in Belgium may, under certain conditions, be accompanied or joined there by his or her spouse or partner (registered partnership) and by his or her minor children. The Consulate General of Belgium in Paris states that the visa application of family members may be submitted at the same time as that of the worker, each applicant making a separate appointment.Example of a post: Consulate General of Belgium in ParisConditions and details
The Consulate General in Paris receives, by appointment, applications from persons who reside permanently and durably in France or Luxembourg and hold a French or Luxembourg residence permit; those who reside there only temporarily should apply to the Belgian embassy of the country of their habitual residence. The application is submitted at most six months before the envisaged date of travel. The consular fees are 180 euros before 1 July 2026 and 250 euros from that date, payable by bank card on site. The documents must be less than six months old and be in French, Dutch or German, translated, legalised or apostilled as needed.
Nationalities covered
This procedure applies to 218 nationalities.
- Afghanistan
- Åland Islands
- Albania
- Algeria
- American Samoa
- Andorra
- Angola
- Anguilla
- Antarctica
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Australia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belize
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Bouvet Island
- Brazil
- British Indian Ocean Territory
- British Virgin Islands
- Brunei
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Cape Verde
- Caribbean Netherlands
- Cayman Islands
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Colombia
- Comoros
- Congo
- Cook Islands
- Costa Rica
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Curaçao
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Ethiopia
- Falkland Islands
- Faroe Islands
- Fiji
- French Guiana
- French Polynesia
- French Southern Territories
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Gibraltar
- Greenland
- Grenada
- Guadeloupe
- Guam
- Guatemala
- Guernsey
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Heard Island and McDonald Islands
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Isle of Man
- Israel
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kiribati
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Libya
- Macao
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Marshall Islands
- Martinique
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mayotte
- Mexico
- Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Montserrat
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Nepal
- New Caledonia
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Niue
- Norfolk Island
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palau
- Palestine
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Pitcairn Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Réunion
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Barthélemy
- Saint Helena
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Martin
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- San Marino
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Sint Maarten
- Solomon Islands
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Svalbard and Jan Mayen
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Türkiye
- Turkmenistan
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- Tuvalu
- U.S. Outlying Islands
- U.S. Virgin Islands
- Uganda
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wallis and Futuna
- Western Sahara
- Yemen
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Official links
- Permis unique | IBZ (new tab) dofi.ibz.be
- Redevance | IBZ (new tab) dofi.ibz.be
- Visa long séjour (plus de 90 jours) | SPF Affaires étrangères - Commerce extérieur et Coopération au Développement (new tab) france.diplomatie.belgium.be
- Demande de visa D – Travailleur salarié (permis unique) (new tab) france.diplomatie.belgium.be
- Autorisations de travail pour salarié | Bruxelles Économie et Emploi (new tab) economie-emploi.brussels
- Vous êtes un travailleur - Emploi et Formation professionnelle en Wallonie (new tab) emploi.wallonie.be
- Rémunération minimum | Bruxelles Économie et Emploi (new tab) economie-emploi.brussels
- Een buitenlander in Vlaanderen tewerkstellen: hooggeschoolde | Vlaanderen.be (new tab) www.vlaanderen.be
- Travail | IBZ (new tab) dofi.ibz.be
- Retributie voor gecombineerde vergunning | Vlaanderen.be (new tab) www.vlaanderen.be
- Ressortissants d’un pays tiers | IBZ (new tab) dofi.ibz.be
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