A citizen of the European Union has the right to enter Belgium:

• Upon presentation of a national identity card, or
• Upon presentation of a valid national passport.

Any citizen of the European Union, the European Economic Area or any Swiss citizen has the right to stay in Belgium for a period of up to three months, whatever the purpose of his/her stay (tourism, family visit, professional reason, ...), and after a few formalities.

Check first:

• If you have one of the documents giving you the right to enter Belgium (ID card, passport…)
• Your situation.

Then do the required formalities according to your situation:

• You stay at the hotel or at the hospital, for instance:
  • You don’t have anything to do
  • No documents needed
• You stay in a private accommodation (in your apartment, at a friend’s or relative place):
  • Present yourself with your passport or national identity card to the municipal administration of the place where you stay within ten days of your arrival and report your presence
  • You receive a declaration of presence valid for 3 months (Annex 3ter)
• You are a minor: Take legal parental authorization

If you, as EU citizen or citizen of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, want to stay more than three months in Belgium, you are considered as a resident and will have to go through a range of formalities to obtain a residence permit or “long-term stay”.

A citizen of the European Union has the right to stay for more than 3 months in Belgium:

• If he/she is a salaried worker, or
• If he/she is self-employed, or
• If he/she is a posted worker, or
• If he/she is a job seeker, or
• If he/she has sufficient resources for him or herself so as not to become a burden for the Belgian welfare system during his/her stay and for health insurance in Belgium, or
• If he/she is enrolled in an educational establishment which is organized, recognized or subsidized for the purpose of pursuing studies, including vocational training, and if he/she has a fully-fledged health insurance in Belgium and (by declaration or by any other equivalent means of his/her choice) if he/she has sufficient resources to avoid becoming a burden on the Belgian welfare system during his/her stay, or
• In case of family reunification. So who is considered to be a family member?
  • a spouse,
  • a partner (being at least 21 years old),
  • ascendants and those from the partner, in their care,
  • descendants under 21 years or in their care, and those from the partner.
  • Documents needed for family reunification:
    • The civil status document proving the relationship, translated and legalized where applicable,
    • For minors, parental authorization or custody judgment, if applicable.

If you are in one of the situations giving you the right to stay for more than 3 months in Belgium, you may ask for your registration at the municipal administration of the place where you reside, within the three months following your arrival in Belgium. Depending on your situation, you will need to submit some documents.

At your first appointment, you will receive a document entitled "application for a registration certificate" (Annex 19) which will mention the documents you have provided. If your file is complete, you will receive a certificate of registration (Annex 8).

A police survey will be conducted to verify your address.

In the event that some required documents are missing, you will have a period of 3 months to provide them to the Aliens’ Service.

After having sent all the documents required for your first registration in Belgium and following the statement by the police that you reside at your address, you will receive an invitation to make an appointment to order your E residence card.
 

A citizen of the European Union has the right to stay permanently in Belgium after five years of uninterrupted residence.

The starting point for this five-year period is the date on which the municipal administration gives you an "application for a registration certificate" (Annex 19).

Submit your application for permanent stay to the municipal administration by means of a form (Annex 22).

Once all the conditions of the Annex 22 are met:

• You will receive the Annex 8bis and the status of permanent stay. This document is available in two formats: paper format (unlimited validity) or electronic format: E+ Card (5 years validity renewable).
• You will be registered in the population register instead of the aliens’ register. The fact of being registered in the population register gives you the right to social integration.

Note: extended stays outside the Belgian territory may have consequences on your right to permanent residence (condition of uninterrupted stay of 5 years).
 

Situation 1

You leave Belgium before having obtained the right to stay there permanently:

• You leave Belgium for less than three months. You remain registered in the communal registers. No formality, no consequences.
• You leave Belgium for more than three months but less than twelve months. You remain registered in the communal registers. Recommendation: notify the communal administration of your absence to avoid the inconvenience of being struck out and re-registered.
• You leave Belgium for more than twelve months. You will have to establish again that you have the right to stay in Belgium for more than three months.
• You leave Belgium to do your military service. You remain registered in the communal registers, whatever the duration of your absence, provided that:
  • You have notified the municipal administration of your absence, and
  • You return within 60 days after the end of your military service.

Situation 2

You leave Belgium after having obtained the right to stay there permanently:

• You leave Belgium for less than two years. No consequences. Recommendation: Notify the communal administration of your absence to avoid the inconvenience of being struck out and re-registered.
• You leave Belgium for more than two years. You will have to establish again that you have the right to stay in Belgium for more than three months.

When leaving Belgium definitely (for undetermined time), you are required to inform the Aliens’ service before departure. It will carry out your removal from the register of foreigners.

You have two options to report your departure from Belgium:

• Either by going voluntarily to the Aliens’ service of the municipality. A document of deregistration called "Model 8" will be issued in exchange of your residence permit. During your visit to the municipality, be sure to have your residence permit with you.
• Either by returning your permit by post to the Aliens’ service. In this case, indicate in your letter your new address abroad, and the date of your departure.

Note: extended stays outside the Belgian territory may have consequences on your right to permanently reside there (condition of uninterrupted stay of 5 years).

European civil servants and SNEs can chose from the start to register directly at the commune or to get a special ID card via their own institution.

• If you wish the special ID card: get in touch with your institution and consult the administrative procedure for the registration of staff members of International Organizations based in Belgium and their family members.
• If you want to register at the municipal authority: see above.

Special Identity Card (SIC)

In Belgium, civil servants working for a European or international organization, and seconded national experts, have the right to ‘simplified residence’, which amounts to the issuance of a ‘special identity card’ by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and not by the municipal authority. The members of their family can also take advantage of this system unless they are working in Belgium. Indeed, it is forbidden to work for a Belgian employer with a SIC! Holders of these special cards must not register in the commune where they live. They are however included in a separate local authority register and receive a national number (though this does not appear on their special identity card).

SIC is valid for 5 years and can be renewed.

Children can receive a SIC until a certain age (25 for civil servant’s children and 18 for SNE’s children) After 25 or 18 they have to enroll on the municipal register where they are living and must hand in their SIC. This also applies to children under these ages who are engaged in a paid or student job.

It is also always possible to give back the SIC and decide to go to the municipality to obtain the Belgian residence permit.
 

• The Aliens’ service of the municipality of Etterbeek
• Belgian Immigration Office
• Residence formalities explained