Working in Belgium

You can work in Belgium by getting a variety of work visas in Belgium. In fact, work visas in Belgium are divided into several categories, which we will describe them in the following. EU citizens can work in Belgium without getting an entrance permit, but people outside of the EU experience different conditions and need a job offer or a formal job offer from an employer. This job offer can be issued to people outside of the EU when the employer advertised the job in Belgium and then advertised it all over the European union, and no person with the desired profile (Specifications) is not found, then people from outside of the EU will be chosenfor the job. The whole process takes 6 months and actually it makes it very difficult for people from underdeveloped countries to apply for a work visa in Belgium

Work visas in Belgium are generally divided into three categories: Type A work visa, Type B work visa, Type C work visa

Type A work visa

Type-A work permit is for all reliable employers and required jobs in Belgium and it has an unlimited validity, meaning you can work for any employer in Belgium for any time, but there are special qualifications. To get this type of work permit in Belgium, you must prove that during your 10 years of continuous (uninterrupted) legal residence in Belgium, you have worked for 4 years with a Type B work visa. “Uninterrupted” means that during your residence you must not have left Belgium for more than one year.

If you are from Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey, this period will be reduced to three years. If your spouse or dependent child lives in Belgium, these three- or four-year periods can be reduced to one year.

Some types of workers may not be able to apply for a Belgian Type-A work visa, including:

• Very qualified (skilled) workers
• Interns
• Workers with temporary contracts
• Guest researchers and professors
• Expert technicians
• Family members of people who have a Type B visa or are self-employed or do not have a work permit

When you are applying for this Belgian work permit, you must fill out the “Type A Work Visa” application form and present copies of your work permit, b-payment and residence permit. You should apply to the Immigration Office in your area, which can also provide more details on how to get a work permit in Belgium.

Type B work visa

The type B work visa in Belgium is issued for a specific job and a specific employer for a maximum of 12 months, regardless of the duration of your employment contract. However, this permit can be renewed/extended as long as you meet the requirements. A type B work visa requires the support of employers. Your employer, in order to hire you must present his/her job offer. This work permit is valid only for employment in the sponsoring company and for the job position which is specified in the application. Mainly, a foreign worker is only allowed to work in Belgium when no one with the required qualification is found in the labor market of Belgium and the European Union.

However, some people can get a work permit without needing to go through the process mentioned above, for example, researchers, highly qualified workers, or technical experts. In jobs that have shortage of workforce (understaffed jobs), employers are allowed to use residents of other EU countries who have a long-term residence with a Type B work visa.

In order to be qualified/eligible for a Belgian work visa, employers must provide eligible individuals who have at least a bachelor’s degree and are executive managers with a determined salary. The minimum annual wage is € 40,124 for highly qualified workers and € 66,942 for managers.

To calculate the minimum wage, the following elements are considered:

• Gross income (taxable income)
• A year-end bonus (taxable)
• Any rewards and payable benefits for the job that have been done under the employment contract which includes the person who have been hired

If this is your first time being employed in Belgium, you must present a medical health certificate that is less than 3 months old. If a type B work permit is issued in Belgium, you can contact with the embassy of Belgium in your home country and apply for a residence permit in Belgium.

Type C work visa

The type-c work permit in Belgium is for foreigners who are only temporarily residing in Belgium, such as students or family members of embassy staff, or people who have not confirmed their right of residence, such as Refugees. The people who have this type of visa are allowed to work in any field and under any type of employment contract according to the validity of their residence permit and can enjoy the same rights as Belgian citizens. This permit will be issued for one year and can be renewed/extended under certain conditions.