Employees who are not exempt from the obligation of having a work permit and who are not entitled to a work permit type A or C, must obtain a work permit type B.
The employer must apply for it for the foreign national he wants to employ.
The work permit type B is valid for a maximal duration of one year and for this employer only.
The employment permit is only granted when it is impossible to find an employee on the labour market who is capable to fill the vacant position in a satisfactory way and within a reasonable term, possibly after receiving a professional training (according to article 8 of the Royal Decree of 9 june 1999).
For any application for a work permit type B, the employer must fill in and send back the following forms to the regional authority.
Application for permission to employ a foreign national
in Dutch (.pdf 430K)
in French (.pdf 418K)
Information sheet work permit type B (if the employee is residing in Belgium)
in Dutch (.pdf 515K)
in French (.pdf 511K)
Employment contract
in Dutch (.pdf 600K)
in French (.pdf 479K)
Medical attestation
in Dutch (.pdf 489K)
in French (.pdf 487K)
NB: If you have problems opening this PDF-file (for instance you get the message “file damaged”), this may be due to the fact that the version of Adobe Reader you have on your computer is too old. On the website of Adobe you can download the most recent version of Acrobat Reader for free.
1/ Special categories
For certain categories of employees (see below), the situation on the labour market is not taken into account (by virtue of article 9 of the Royal Decree of 9 june 1999).
For certain of these cartegories of employees (trainees, stage artists, au pairs, specialized technicians), additional specific forms must be submitted to the regional authority.
1) Trainees (.doc (53K)
Persons between 18 and 30 years of age who are undertaking an internship for a maximal duration of one year, that is, a training at the site of an employer as the continuation of a previous training attested by a diploma or an educational certificate.
Demand for permission to employ a trainee
in Dutch (.pdf 415K)
in French(.pdf) (410K)
Trainee declaration
in Dutch (.pdf 369K)
in French(.pdf 379K)
2) Highly qualified worker or managerial post social security art. 9,6° (.doc 48K)
- highly qualified worker:
with a higher education degree, on the condition that their yearly gross salary is higher than 36.355 EUR (amount valid as of 01/01/2010).
- managerial post:
on the condition that their yearly gross salary is higher than 60.654 EUR (amount valid as of 01/01/2010).
3) Highly qualifed worker or managerial post, posted art. 9,6° (.doc 44K)
4) Researchers (.doc 50K)
5) Visiting professors (.doc)(49K)
6) Specialised technicians (.doc)(47K)
who are bound to an employer established abroad through an employment contract and who are coming to Belgium to install, initialise or repair an installation produced or delivered by the employer, for a period of maximally 6 months.
Application technician
in Dutch(.pdf)(468K)
in French(.pdf 481K)
7) Specialised technician, posted workers for a professional training (.doc) (43K)
8) Professional sportspersons and trainers (.doc)(8K)
Professional sportspersons who are at least 18 years of age and sports trainers:
on the condition that their yearly gross salary is at least 69.400 EUR (amount valid as of 1 July 2009).
9) Foreign trainee highly qualified workers or managerial post, posted workers foreign carriers or tourist office with social security paid in Belgium (.doc 48K)
10) Foreign air carrier or tourist office, posted workers (.doc 44K)
11) Au pair youths (.doc 51K)
These are youths who are temporarily in a host family where they get board and lodging in exchange for everyday light household chores, in order to perfect their language knowledge and to broaden their general development through a better knowledge of the country by taking part in the family life of the host family.
For more information, your can consult the application file au pair
in Dutch (.pdf) (327K)
in French (.pdf) (278K)
Demand for permission au pair
in Dutch (.pdf) (403K)
in French (.pdf) (399K)
Employment contract au pair
in Dutch (.pdf) (458K)
in French (.pdf) (667K)
12) Stage artists (.doc 48K)
On the condition that their yearly gross salary is at least 30.327 EUR (amount valid as of 01/01/2010).
Employment contract foreign stage artist
in Dutch (.pdf) (726K)
in French (.pdf) (784K)
13) Spouse or registered partner and children of a foreign employee art. 9,16° (.doc)(50K)
Their right of stay in Belgium is limited to the period of validity of his/her work permit or of his/her self-employed activity.
14) Spouse or registered partner and children of a foreign employee art. 9,17° (.doc 44K)
15) employees who are
- either no national of a member state of the European Economic Area (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland , Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom) and who are employed in a company established in a member state of the European Economic Area;
- either a national of a member state as referred to in article 10: Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, or one of the 2 new member states of the European Union (Bulgaria and Romania);
- or a national of a member state of the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation, in particular: Australia, Canada, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Mexico, New-Zealand, Turkey;
and who are coming to Belgium in order to get a training (.doc 46K) for a duration of more than three months, at the Belgian seat of a multinational group the company belongs to, in the framework of a training agreement between the seats of this multinational group;
16) employees who are
- either no national of a member state of the European Economic Area and who are employed by a company established outside the European Economic Area;
- either no national of a State having signed the Convention of 14 December 1960 concerning the Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation,
and who are coming to Belgium in order to get a training (.doc)(46K) in the Belgian seat of a multinational group the company belongs to, in the framework of a training agreement between the seats of this multinational group.
2/ Other categories
Persons belonging to none of these categories (outside article 9) can only obtain a work permit type B if it is impossible to find an available worker on the labour market who is suitable to fill the vacant position in a satisfactory way.
Furthermore these persons must be nationals of countries that are bound to Belgium through international treaties or agreements on the employment of foreigners.
The competent Minister of the Region can grant exceptions for economic or social reasons in individual cases worthy of consideration.
The employers must also submit the following documents to the regional authority.
living-in household staff (.doc 49K)
other employees (.doc 48K)
For household staff, see the form concerning the benefits in kind:
household staff - benefits in kind
in Dutch (.pdf) (371K)
in French (.pdf) (368K)
3/ Labour shortage occupations
1) Labour shortage occupations held by workers from the new EU member states
A faster procedure is in force to fillin in positions with a labour shortage. This procedure only applies to applications for work permits for inhabitants of the new EU member states.
More information and single application form
2) Labour shortage occupations held by workers "long-term residents" in another EU country
Since 1 January 2009, the situation on the labour market is not taken into account for persons having acquired the long-term resident status(.doc 53K) in another member state of the European Union (on the basis of Directive 2003/109/EC), in order to fill in vacant positions with a labour shortage (article 38septies).
Single application form (see FR or NL page)
in Dutch
in French
4/Regularisation of immigration based on work permit.
This part is not translated yet, please consult the French or Dutch pages of this site.
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