Belgium
Belgium's single permit combines work authorisation and residence in one document. The structural point is that regulating foreign workers passed to the Regions with the Sixth State Reform, so conditions such as salary thresholds are set separately by Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels rather than federally.
How the system works
Step 1: Establish whether a single permit is needed
A single permit is needed by nationals from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland who will be employed in Belgium for longer than 90 days. It merges work authorisation and residence into one document: since 1 January 2019 the residence document itself indicates whether the holder has a work authorisation. Both the work application and the residence application must be approved; neither alone is enough.
Step 2: Work out which Region decides — the part most easily missed in Belgium
Since the Sixth State Reform, regulating foreign workers has been the responsibility of the Regions. There is therefore no single nationwide set of work-permit conditions in Belgium: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels each set their own thresholds, lists and procedures, and which applies is determined by the Region where the work takes place. Preparing against the Belgian rules in general is likely to miss the rules of the Region that will actually decide. What the Federal State retains is the employment of foreign nationals in particular residence situations, and eligibility for au pair work.
Step 3: Check whether your right to work already follows from your status
For some groups the work authorisation follows from their residence status rather than from a standard permit. The federal page lists EU citizens and long-term residents, applicants for international protection and recognised refugees, students, and family members. If you fall into one of these, the route is entirely different from ordinary employment, and checking your status first saves a great deal of misplaced preparation.
Step 4: Confirm thresholds and procedure with the Region where you will work
Because competence sits with the Regions, the salary threshold, occupation lists and application steps must be confirmed with the authority of the Region where the work will take place. The federal pages checked here state no salary figures, so none are given on this page: any general claim about a Belgian salary threshold should be checked back against the specific Region's own publication.
Key requirements and figures
Figures change. Each row shows the period it applies to and the source it came from.
| Requirement | Current value | Applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| When a single permit is needed | For nationals from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland employed in Belgium for longer than 90 days | 2026 | employment.belgium.be/foreign-workers · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| What the single permit does | Since 1 January 2019 the residence document itself indicates whether the holder has a work authorisation | from 1 January 2019 | employment.belgium.be/foreign-workers · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| Where competence sits | Since the Sixth State Reform, regulating foreign workers is the responsibility of the Regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) | 2026 | employment.belgium.be/foreign-workers · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| What the Federal State retains | The employment of foreign nationals in particular residence situations, and eligibility for au pair work | 2026 | employment.belgium.be/foreign-workers · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| Groups whose right to work follows from status | EU citizens and long-term residents, applicants for international protection and recognised refugees, students, and family members | 2026 | employment.belgium.be/foreign-workers · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
| Salary thresholds | Set separately by each Region; the federal pages checked here state no salary figures, so they must be confirmed with the Region where the work takes place | 2026 | employment.belgium.be/foreign-workers · reviewed 2026-09-06 |
What commonly blocks an application
These are frequent reasons a route is closed. Absence of a listed problem is not an eligibility decision.
Preparing against one nationwide Belgian rule set. Work-permit conditions are set by each Region, and which applies depends on where the work takes place.
Having only the work application or only the residence application approved. The single permit requires both.
Following the ordinary employment route while already holding a right to work that follows from residence status, as students, family members and recognised refugees do.
Applying the single permit requirement to employment under 90 days, or missing it for employment over 90 days. That is where the requirement begins.
Reviewed programs
- Belgium intra-corporate transfer permit — For managers, specialists or trainees temporarily transferred from a non-EU entity to a related entity in Belgium.
- Belgium Single Permit — Belgium's single permit merges work authorisation and residence into one document. The decisive point is that competence sits with the Regions, so there is no nationwide set of work-permit conditions.
Official sources
- Official work immigration portalBelgian Federal Government · Reviewed 2026-09-03
- Foreign workersFPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue (Belgium) · Reviewed 2026-09-06
This page provides general educational information, not personalized immigration or legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the responsible government authority before acting.