Work permits for Belgium are the employer’s job to sort out, not yours as the employee. EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens do not need one; everyone else does. For any stay longer than 90 days, the work permit and residence permit come bundled into a single permit, and your prospective employer applies for it on your behalf.
Since May 2026, every application has been processed through the federal Working in Belgium online portal, also called the One-Stop counter. Paper forms and email submissions no longer count. Your employer files with the labour authority for the region where you will be based: Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels Capital, or the German-speaking Community.
Work permits for non-European citizens
Work permits for non-European citizens hinge on how long you plan to stay. Your Belgian employer carries the paperwork: they secure authorisation to hire you and file the application for you.
Belgium overhauled this system in 2019, so older guides that cite ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’ permits are out of date. These are the routes that matter now:
Single permit
Anyone staying longer than 90 days needs a single permit, the combined work and residence document introduced in 2019. Your employer applies to the region where you will work, and the regional labour service and the federal Immigration Office assess the file together. For highly qualified workers the permit lasts as long as the employment contract, up to three years, and it renews. After five years of legal work and residence, you can apply for an indefinite single permit yourself.
Short-term work authorisation
Jobs of 90 days or less fall under a short-term work authorisation rather than a single permit. This authorisation is what replaced the old ‘work permit B’ for brief assignments. Seasonal work, some cross-border commuting, short technical postings, and brief stints for performers or guest lecturers tend to sit here.
EU Blue Card
Highly qualified professionals can instead apply for the EU Blue Card, known in Belgium as the H card. It calls for a recognised higher qualification or several years of senior experience, plus a salary above a regional threshold that updates each January. The Blue Card also travels well: it smooths a later move to another EU country, which the standard single permit does not.
Once the authorities approve the work side, you apply for a long-stay Type D visa to enter Belgium. The single permit itself is issued after you arrive and register with your commune.
Useful links
Work permits for European citizens
In the vast majority of cases, work permits for European citizens are beside the point. Nationals of the EU, the EEA, and Switzerland can live and work in Belgium freely; a valid passport or national ID card is all you need to carry. You can enter for up to three months to look for work or set up a business. Stay beyond three months, and you must register at your local town hall.
Useful links
Work permit regulations are subject to change at short notice, and expats should contact their respective embassy or consulate for the latest details.