Work permit for employees
Foreign workers who wish to work in Belgium as employees (i.e. working under an employment contract) must hold a work permit. This does not apply to nationals of the Member States of the European Economic Area (in French or Dutch) or Swiss nationals.
For more information on work permits, see the website of the Immigration Office (in French or Dutch).
Applying for a work permit
People applying for work permits must do so using the forms available from the regional employment agencies.
More information on applying for a work permit:
Students, interns and au pairs
Foreign students (i.e. not from the European Economic Area) (more info in French or in Dutch) wishing to work in Belgium usually need to have a work permit. The same applies to au pairs (more info in French or in Dutch) and interns (more info in French or in Dutch).
New Member States
Special rules apply to the new Member States of the European Union. For a certain transitional period, free movement of workers from these countries is subject to some restrictions.
However, there are more flexible provisions for workers planning to exercise a profession for which there is a shortage of qualified staff: