Living in Belgium

This guide sets out essential information for British citizens moving to or living in Belgium. Read about how our consulate in Brussels can help.

This information is provided as a guide only. You should get definitive information from the Belgian authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is not liable for any inaccuracies in this information.

Read general guidance on moving or retiring abroad.

To stay up to date:

• sign up for email alerts
• follow the British Embassy in Brussels on Facebook and Twitter

If you were living in Belgium before 1 January 2021

Some parts of this guide only apply if you have been living in Belgium since before 1 January 2021. You should read these in addition to the rest of the guidance in each section.

You should also read our Living in Europe page for detailed guidance about citizens’ rights under the Withdrawal Agreement.

Coronavirus

Follow the advice of the Belgian Government and your local authority. You should also read the Belgium travel advice.

For information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine as a UK national in Belgium, read our coronavirus travel advice.

Visas and residency

You must tell the UK government offices that deal with your benefits, pension and tax if you are moving or retiring abroad.

Check the entry requirements for Belgium and read the Belgian government’s guidance on residency documents.

You must inform your local municipality (commune/gemeente) if your circumstances change. For example, tell them if you move home or change your marital status, so your registration is kept up-to-date. This applies to everyone in your household.

Visas and residency if you were living in Belgium before 1 January 2021

If you applied for the ‘M’ card by 31 December 2021, your rights are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement pending a decision on your application. Read the Belgian government’s guidance on residency rights. You should continue the process to get your ‘M’ card if you do not yet have it.

You should keep hold of your certificate of application ‘annexe/bijlage 56’ as evidence of your rights. Seek written confirmation from your commune/gemeente if you have started the application process but not yet received your certificate of application.

If you have not had a response to your ‘M’ card application, ask your commune/gemeente for an update. If they cannot update you, you can email the Office for Foreigners (infodesk@ibz.fgov.be) or call +3224 88 80 00.

If your application is successful, you will receive your ‘M’ card, valid for 5 years. If you already have permanent residency, your ‘M’ card will show this and will be valid for 10 years.

You must renew your ‘M’ card when it expires. Contact your commune/gemeente for more information.

Appeal process

If your application is refused, your refusal letter, known as ‘annexe/bijlage 59’, will tell you how to appeal.

If you have a ‘P’ or ‘S’ card

If you were resident in Belgium with a ‘P’ or ‘S’ card (a special residence permit) before 1 January 2021, you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. You can choose to register with your commune/gemeente and obtain the new ‘M’ residency card.

Read the Belgian government’s guidance on special residence permit holders.

Late applications

The deadline for applying for the ‘M’ card was 31 December 2021. You can still apply if you have reasonable grounds for missing it, and should do so as soon as possible. Contact your commune/gemeente to ask about the process. Applications will be considered on an individual basis.

Family members

Your close family members continue to be able to join you and settle in Belgium at any pointtime in the future. Find more information on who this applies to in the Living in Europe guidance. They must travel to Belgium and then submit an ‘M’ card application as your family member. Read the Belgian government’s guidance for family members.

Nationals of certain non-EU countries may need a visa before travel. The Belgian authorities should issue family reunion visas free of charge. Read the Belgian government guidance for 1 January 2022 onwards which we expect to be updated shortly.

Passports and travel

Coronavirus travel restrictions may affect travel to and from Belgium.

You can apply for or renew your British passport from Belgium.

Check the Belgium travel advice for passport validity requirements.

Always carry your passport when travelling within the Schengen area. If you have citizenship of an EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) country, in addition to your British citizenship, you should enter and leave Belgium using your EU or EFTA passport.

If you stay in Belgium with a Belgian residence permit or long stay visa, this time does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit for the Schengen area.

If you visit other Schengen area countries outside Belgium, make sure you do not exceed the visa-free 90 days in any 180-day period. You are responsible for counting how long you stay under the Schengen visa waiver, and you must comply with its conditions.

Different rules apply to EU countries that are not part of the Schengen area. Check each country’s travel advice page for information on entry requirements.

If you were living in Belgium before 1 January 2021

When you travel, carry your residence card (‘M’ card) or frontier worker permit (‘N’ card) issued under the Withdrawal Agreement, in addition to your valid passport.

You must proactively show your residence document, or other evidence of residence status, if you are asked to show your passport at border control. If you have applied for, but not yet received, your residence card, show your certificate of application (“annexe/bijlage”(annexe/bijlage 56 for the residence card or annexe/bijlage 57 for a frontier worker permit).

If you cannot prove that you are a resident in Belgium, you may be asked additional questions at the border to enter the EU. Your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. This will not affect your rights in the country or countries where you live or work. If a passport is stamped, the stamp is considered null and void when you can show evidence of lawful residence.

If you have rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you can enter and exit Belgium with a valid passport. You do not need any additional validity on the passport beyond the dates on which you are travelling.

Healthcare

Read our guidance on healthcare in Belgium and make sure you are correctly registered for your circumstances.

Travel insurance is not intended to cover healthcare costs if you live overseas.

You must register with a health insurance fund (mutuelle/ziekenfonds) to access the healthcare system if you are resident in Belgium. If you are working, both you and your employer will make contributions to your social security and healthcare system through the mutuelle/ziekenfonds. The amount you have to pay is set by the Belgian government.

When you visit a doctor or pharmacist, you need to pay and then send the receipt to your mutuelle/ziekenfonds.

The amount you’ll be refunded depends on the health services covered by your insurance.

Read the Belgian government guidance on health and social security entitlements.

You should also read guidance on:

• finding English-speaking doctors in Belgium
• travelling with medicines

Working in Belgium

If you are planning to move to Belgium and work, you may need a visa. Read the Belgian government’s guidance on working in Belgium as a foreign national and how to get a visa.

To apply for a job you may need to provide a:

• UK police certificate
• Belgian criminal records certificate (‘extrait(extrait de casier judiciaire’/’uittrekseljudiciaire/uittreksel uit het strafregister’),strafregister), which you can request at your local municipality (commune/gemeente)

Read:

• working or providing services in Belgium
• working in an EU country
• EU guidance on working in an EU country

If you work in Belgium, even if you work for a UK-based company, this may affect where you pay National Insurance-type contributions. Read the National insurance and social security contributions section for more information.

If you were living in Belgium before 1 January 2021

You have the right to work under the Withdrawal Agreement if you have an ‘M’ or ‘N’ card or have applied for one.

If you live in Belgium and were regularly commuting to work in another EU or EFTA country before 1 January 2021, read our guidance for frontier workers.

Professional qualifications

You may need to get your professional qualification recognised if you want to work in a profession that is regulated in Belgium.

Read guidance on:

• recognition of professional qualifications
• how to get your qualification recognised in Belgium

If you were living in Belgium before 1 January 2021

If the relevant regulator in Belgium officially recognised your professional qualification before 1 January 2021, or you started the recognition process by this date, make sure you understand the terms of your decision. You should get advice from the relevant regulator.

Studying in Belgium

If you plan to study in Belgium, you must meet all visa requirements before you travel.

Contact the relevant higher education provider in Belgium to check what fees you may have to pay.

Read guidance on:

• continuing your studies in the EU
• studying in the European Union
• healthcare for students in Belgium

If you were living in Belgium before 1 January 2021

You have the same right to access education in Belgium as Belgian citizens as long as you were lawfully resident before 1 January 2021.

The studying in the European Union guidance includes information if you were already living in Belgium before 1 January 2021.

Tax

The UK has a double taxation agreement with Belgium so that you do not pay tax on the same income in both countries. Ask the relevant tax authority your questions about double taxation relief.

You should get professional advice on paying tax in Belgium.

Read guidance on:

• tax if you leave the UK to live abroad
• tax on your UK income if you live abroad
• tax if you get a pension and live abroad
• paying income tax in Belgium
• EU factsheet on buying goods online from UK websites

Declaring your assets

All residents must declare assets outside Belgium, including bank accounts, securities, insurance, annuities and property. The declaration is separate to the annual tax return, and there are severe penalties and criminal charges if you do not comply.

All non-residents have a legal obligation to file an annual Belgian tax return if they receive income, including a pension, from Belgium.

National insurance and social security contributions

National Insurance-type contributions (NIC) are called ‘social security contributions’ (SSC) in Belgium. Find out if you need to pay National Insurance in the UK or social security contributions in Belgium.

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Benefits

UK benefits

Read guidance on entitlement to UK benefits and pensions while you are living in Belgium.

Check which UK benefits you can claim while abroad and how to claim them.

Many income-related benefits such as pension credit and housing benefit cannot be paid to you if you’re abroad for more than 4 weeks.

Belgian benefits

You may be eligible for Belgian benefits. Find out if you are entitled to Belgian benefits and how to claim them:

• read about Belgian social security benefits
• read the European Union’s guidance on claiming benefits in an EU country
• speak to a social worker (assistant social/maatschappelijk werker) at the public welfare centre of your local municipality (commune/gemeente) (CPAS/OCMW)

Pensions

Read guidance on entitlement to UK benefits and pensions while you are living in Belgium.

Read State Pension guidance if you have lived in Australia, Canada or New Zealand and you are claiming or waiting to claim your UK State Pension.

If you retire in Belgium, you can claim:

• your UK State Pension or new UK State Pension. Contact the International Pension Centre for further information
• your Belgium pension if you’ve worked in Belgium (in Dutch and French), through the Federal Pensions Service
• pensions if you have worked in other EU countries

Read the Money and Pension Service’s MoneyHelper guidance on pension and retirement for more information on cross-border pensions.

Life certificates for UK State Pensions

If you get a ‘life certificate’ from the UK Pension Service, you must respond as soon as possible. Your payments may be suspended if you do not.

Money and banking

Whether UK banks can provide services to customers living in the EEA depends on local laws and regulation.

Read the Money and Pension Service guidance on banking, insurance and financial services for more information on cross-border banking.

Accommodation and buying property

Read guidance on how to buy a property in Belgium.

Driving in Belgium

You cannot renew or replace your UK, Gibraltar, Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man licence if you live in Belgium. Read the guidance on what you must do to drive legally in Belgium:

• what you need to drive in the EU
• driving licence rules in Belgium if you live there
• road travel in Belgium

Exchanging your UK, Gibraltar or Isle of Man licence

If you live in Belgium, you must exchange your valid licence for a Belgian one. You do not need to take a driving test. You cannot use an International Driving Permit (IDP) instead of exchanging your licence.

Exchanging your Jersey or Guernsey licence

If you have a licence from Jersey or Guernsey you may need to take a test.

Disabled drivers

If you have a UK Blue Badge and live in Belgium, you must return it to the original UK issuing authority. You can apply for a new Belgian disabled parking card(in French, in Dutch and in German).

Read the EU guidance on the EU parking card for people with disabilities.

Bringing a UK-registered vehicle to Belgium

Read our guidance on taking a vehicle out of the UK.

If you are resident in Belgium, you must register your vehicle with the Belgian authorities. (in French and Dutch).

Driving outside Belgium with a Belgian licence

You can use your Belgian licence when visiting the UK. Keep up-to-date with the UK Highway Code.

If you go to live in the UK, you can exchange your Belgian licence for a UK one without taking a test.

To drive in another country, in addition to your Belgian licence you may need to apply for an IDP(in French and Dutch).

Read the EU guidance on:

• EU driving licences and insurance
• driving licence exchange and recognition in the EU

Voting

If you have been resident in Belgium for more than 5 years, you can vote in local elections if you:

• register on the municipal register where you live
• formally declare your intention to vote and register on the local electoral roll
• confirm your status every 2 to 5 years to remain registered and be able to vote

You cannot vote in federal or regional elections in Belgium or European Parliament elections.

You may be able to vote in some UK elections. You can:

• check if you are able to vote
• register as an overseas voter

Births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships

If your child is born in Belgium, you can register the birth with the UK authorities in addition to registering locally. If your child has British nationality, you do not need to register the birth with the UK authorities to apply for a British passport.

If someone dies in Belgium, read our guidance on:

• what to do after someone dies abroad
• bereavement in Belgium
• finding English-speaking funeral directors in Belgium

Find out how you can get married or get a civil partnership abroad.

Find out about notarial and documentary services for UK nationals in Belgium.

You may also need:

• English-speaking lawyers and translators in Belgium
• the British Charitable Fund

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Before you travel, check the rules for the country you’re travelling to for any additional restrictions or requirements.

Emergencies

Dial the European emergency number 112 in Belgium for the police, ambulance or fire brigade, or dial:

• 100 for medical emergency and fire brigade
• 101 for police
• 116 000 for missing children

Dial the EU 116 000 hotline to report a missing child in the EU country where you live or in another EU country.

Consult the Belgium emergency numbers.

If you need guidance on child abduction, read the guidance on international parental child abduction; the EU guidance on child abduction and EU guidance on child abduction to another EU country.

If you’re the victim of a crime, have been arrested, or are affected by a crisis, contact the British Embassy Brussels.

Returning to the UK

Check the COVID-19 travel guidance for entering the UK.

Tell the Belgian and UK authorities if you are returning to the UK permanently.

To move your pension to the UK, contact the International Pension Centre.

Read the guidance on returning to the UK permanently which includes information on, amongst other things, bringing family members, tax and access to services.

Useful information

Contact us through our web form if you have a specific question on living in Belgium.

Support for British nationals abroad: a guide sets out how to stay safe abroad, and explains how the FCDO can support you if you get into difficulty.