Belgium – Single Permit Procedure Implemented
As reported earlier, the Single Permit Procedure has now been implemented, effective January 1, 2019.
The single permit is a residence permit with confirmation of the right to work, applicable to non-EU nationals seeking to work and reside in Belgium for longer than 90 days.
For short-term work of up to 90 days, and for frontier workers among other special cases, the work permit type B remains in effect.
In many cases which were previously exempt from the work permit requirement, a single permit will now be required if the stay is above 90 days. However, a single permit is not required in Vander Elst cases.
Note that each region can define its own regulations and conditions for work authorization, such as the required documents, validity or quota. Also note that some of the supporting documents for residence authorization may take a long time to obtain, especially police clearance certificates.
Action Items
- Employers who may be affected by the recent changes to the work and residence permit rules and procedures in Belgium are encouraged to contact their immigration specialist for case-specific advice.