Guide for foreign employees working in Belgium - Flanders Foreign ...

Belgian Residence Permit
In the case of a stay in Belgium of less than 90 days within any
given period of 6 months, EEA nationals have to be in possession
of a declaration of arrival issued by their local authority.
This declaration of arrival is issued on the basis of the subject’s
national passport and is valid for 90 days. If the subject stays
in a hotel, the hotel register takes the place of a declaration of
arrival.
If the subject stays in Belgium for more than 90 days (within
any given period of 6 months), a declaration of registration
has to be applied for. The application for this “declaration of
registration” has to be filed with the municipality of the place
of residence of the employee. It is the free choice for the EEA
national to opt for the electronic version of the declaration of
registration, being the E-card. The validity of this card depends
on the length of stay of the individual in Belgium..
Important note – work permit For the following EU countries
(new EU Member States as from 1 January 2007), transitional
measures apply: Bulgaria, Romania.
In most cases, employees who are nationals of these new EU
Member States still need a work permit in order to work in
Belgium legally. The conditions for obtaining a work permit
are more lenient, however. Transitional measures will apply
until 31 December 2011.
The residence requirements for entering Belgium are no
different compared to those for other EU nationals. In the case
of a stay in Belgium for more than 90 days within any given
period of 6 months, a Belgian residence permit is issued
linked to the expiry date of the relevant work permit.
B The employee is a non-EEA national
Work Permit
In principle, every non-EEA national working in Belgium has
to be in possession of a work permit, although some categories
of workers are exempted herefrom. The employer has to
obtain an authorization to employ. Hereafter we only refer to
the work permit for both documents as they are linked.
The work permit has to be applied for in Belgium by the
employer (or an agent).
8 Guide for foreign employees working in Belgium