Apr 1 2022

Tips before you arrive in Belgium

Register at your local municipality

When you wish to stay longer than three months in Belgium, you must register at the local municipality of the city where you will stay. There, you need to apply for a visa or permit for visiting, living, studying or working in Belgium. Citizens from the European Economic Area and Switzerland don’t need a Belgian visa, but must still register with the municipality.

Register for social security

You should register for social security or make sure that your employer has registered you, as soon as you arrive in Belgium. After moving to Belgium, all residents pay contributions towards their social security and healthcare. Therefore, you must register for Belgian social security. If you work in Belgium, your employer does this for you. If you are self-employed, you will need to register at the National Social Security Office.
 
More information about social security can be found in the blog ‘How does the healthcare system in Belgium work?’.

Become a member of a health insurance fund

For being able to receive refunds on medical expenses, you need to register at a self-chosen health insurance fund. This enables you to access state Belgian healthcare.
 

Housing and banking

First of all, you need to make the decision if you will rent or buy a property in Belgium. Besides that, you need to make sure that gas, electric, water, phone, internet and TV are installed and running. If these are already installed in your property, make sure to contact the providers and transfer everything to your name. Lastly, it is important to have a Belgian bank account for receiving your salary and paying daily costs.

Join the expat community

The welcome team at Expat Centre Limburg is skilled in providing guidance to individuals making their way to the province of Limburg. When you relocate you will be confronted with hurdles and issues, they are here to help you overcome them. The website www.expatcentrelimburg.com features a section Services which provides a lot of useful and up to date information. You still have not found what you are looking for? No worries, the welcome team is happy to put you in contact with the appropriate person or organisation in Limburg to find answers on your questions and facilitates a smooth entry into the interregional community.
 

Keep in mind that the Youregion International Network-community has the aim to connect people and inform you about the daily life in the region. Interested in other bordering regions? Brace yourself because within a few weeks we will be announcing, in cooperation with other Euregion partners, a new service platform about the possibilities in Euregio Meuse Rhine (Belgium-Limburg and Eupen regio, The Netherlands-Maastricht, Germany-Aachen). 
 

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