There is no single Belgian system: Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels each set their own salary thresholds and rules, and your employer applies to the region where you will actually work.
Overview
Belgium has no national points system and — crucially — no single national work-migration regime. Work migration is a regional competence: the employment part of every application is decided by the region where you will work (Flanders via the Economic Migration Department, Wallonia via the Direction de l'Emploi et des Permis de travail in Jambes, Brussels via Bruxelles Économie et Emploi, plus the German-speaking Community for its nine municipalities), while the residence part is decided federally by the Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken / Office des Étrangers). For employment over 90 days the two are combined in the single permit (gecombineerde vergunning / permis unique), applied for by the employer through the federal 'Working in Belgium' one-stop portal. Each region publishes its own salary thresholds, indexed annually, so the same job offer can qualify in Wallonia and fail in Brussels. Flanders tightened its rules significantly on 1 January 2026. Verified against vlaanderen.be, emploi.wallonie.be, economy-employment.brussels, workinginbelgium.be and dofi.ibz.be as of June 2026.
Who Decides What — The Federal–Regional Split
- The region decides the work part: The competent region is the one where the branch unit of employment is located (if employment is spread across regions, where you mainly work; failing that, where the company's registered office sits in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises). Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital and the German-speaking Community each run their own economic-migration service with their own forms, categories and thresholds.
- The Immigration Office decides the residence part: After a positive regional decision on employment, the file is automatically forwarded to the federal Immigration Office (DVZ/OE), which examines residence: criminal record extract (if over 18, legalised and translated), the standard medical certificate, health insurance, and payment of the federal contribution fee.
- One application, one portal: The employer submits the complete single-permit file through the federal one-stop shop at single-permit.socialsecurity.be ('Working in Belgium'). Status changes are notified via eBox. Incomplete files get 15 days to be completed, otherwise the application is declared inadmissible.
- Decision deadline: Once declared admissible, the region and the Immigration Office together have a maximum of 4 months to decide. EU Blue Card applications run on a shorter 90-day deadline from admissibility.
- If you are abroad when approved: You collect a long-stay visa D at the Belgian embassy on presentation of the positive single-permit decision (Annex 46/47); national entry B34 on the visa marks a single permit, B29 an EU Blue Card. Within 8 working days of arrival you must register at your municipality to receive the electronic permit card.
2026 Salary Thresholds — Three Regions, Three Answers
Gross salary thresholds are set per region and indexed annually. Wallonia publishes annual amounts; Brussels works in monthly amounts (only the basic monthly salary, DMFA code 1, counts); Flanders pegs thresholds to the average gross annual salary published by Statbel and has announced it will carry its current amounts into 2026 until the new wage index appears, updating within about a month of publication — always check the region's current page before relying on a figure.
| Category | Flanders (current reference) | Wallonia 2026 (annual) | Brussels 2026 (monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highly qualified / highly skilled | €48,912/yr (100% of average gross salary) | €53,220 | €3,703.44 (78% of €4,748 average) |
| Highly qualified — junior (under 30) | €39,129.60/yr (80%; also nurses & teachers) | €42,576 (80%) | no separate junior rate published |
| EU Blue Card | €63,586/yr (130%) | €68,815 (junior <3 yrs experience: €55,052) | €4,748 (100%) |
| Executive / management | (separate 'leidinggevende' category — check current amount) | €88,790 | €6,647.20 (140%) |
| Absolute floor (all workers) | GAMMI €2,189.81/month | GAMMI €2,189.81/month | GAMMI €2,189.81/month |
The Main Routes
- Single permit — highly qualified: The workhorse route. Requires a higher-education diploma (bachelor's/master's level from a course of at least 3 years, or qualification level 5) from a state-recognised institution, plus the regional salary threshold. Flanders grants highly skilled single permits for up to 3 years immediately; since 1 January 2026 Flanders also checks that the job content itself is genuinely highly skilled (Flemish qualification level VKS 5 or higher) — a degree-holder in a non-qualified role no longer qualifies.
- EU Blue Card: Requires a higher-education qualification of at least level 6 (bachelor's) and the region's Blue Card salary. Decided within 90 days of admissibility, and after 12 months of employment the card holder can change employer without a fresh single-permit application, provided the new job still meets Blue Card conditions.
- Shortage occupations: Each region maintains its own shortage list for mid-skilled roles exempt from labour-market testing. Flanders replaced its list on 1 January 2026 (now 21 occupations, 6 added and 14 removed) — check the current regional list before assuming a role qualifies.
- Professional card (beroepskaart / carte professionnelle): The self-employment route, also regional — applications go to the region where the activity will be based, via a business counter (guichet d'entreprises) in Belgium or the Belgian embassy abroad.
- Students and researchers: Students apply for a visa D through the Immigration Office with proof of enrolment, solvency and insurance; researchers use a hosting agreement with a recognised institution.
- Settling long-term: After 5 years of legal, uninterrupted residence you can apply for permanent residence or EU long-term resident status; Belgian citizenship by declaration is possible after 5 years with language (A2), social-integration and economic-participation evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
My employer is in Brussels but I would mostly work at a client site in Flanders — which rules apply?
The region where you mainly work decides the employment part of your single permit, not the region of your employer's head office. If the main place of employment cannot be determined — say a genuine 50/50 split — the region of the company's registered office in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises becomes competent. This matters financially: in 2026 a highly qualified hire needs €53,220 gross/year in Wallonia but €3,703.44 gross/month basic salary in Brussels, and Flanders pegs its threshold to the Statbel average salary. If the place of employment later changes region, a new application is needed.
How long does a Belgian single permit take in 2026?
Plan for roughly five months end to end. The region first checks completeness: an incomplete file gets 15 days to be completed or is declared inadmissible. From admissibility, the region and the federal Immigration Office have a combined maximum of 4 months to decide — EU Blue Card files run on a shorter 90-day deadline. If you are abroad, add time to collect the visa D at the embassy and, after arrival, up to several weeks for municipal registration and production of the electronic permit card. Renewals must be filed at least 2 months (and at most 6 months) before expiry.
What changed in Flanders on 1 January 2026?
A Flemish Government decision of 28 November 2025 tightened the regime from 1 January 2026. The headline change for highly skilled applicants: Flanders no longer checks only the salary threshold but also whether the position itself is genuinely highly qualified (Flemish qualification level VKS 5 or higher) — a master's graduate hired into a non-qualified role no longer passes. The mid-skilled shortage-occupation list was also replaced (21 occupations, with 14 removed), and a legal basis was created for a processing fee for Flemish work-authorisation applications (around €200 was announced; the start date and final amount are set by ministerial decree). Check vlaanderen.be for the current position.
What counts towards the salary threshold — does my bonus or company car help?
It depends on the region, which is why offers must be checked against the competent region's own rules. Brussels counts only the basic monthly remuneration (code 1 of the DMFA declaration) for highly qualified, executive, artist, ICT and Blue Card categories. Wallonia counts gross salary components that are the counterpart of work and known with certainty before the work starts — so guaranteed components, not discretionary bonuses. Flanders takes a broader view for its highly skilled category, counting fixed gross salary, holiday pay, fixed premiums, employer contributions to group/hospitalisation insurance and benefits in kind such as a company car — but not variable pay or expense allowances.
Is the EU Blue Card better than a highly qualified single permit in Belgium?
It costs more in salary but buys flexibility. The Blue Card thresholds are higher — €68,815/year in Wallonia 2026, €4,748/month basic in Brussels, 130% of the average salary (currently €63,586) in Flanders — and require at least a level-6 (bachelor's) qualification. In return you get a 90-day decision deadline instead of 4 months, intra-EU mobility rights, and after 12 months of employment you can change employer without a new single-permit procedure as long as the new role still meets Blue Card conditions. Wallonia also offers a junior Blue Card rate (€55,052) for workers with under 3 years' experience. The ordinary highly qualified route is cheaper for employers and, in Flanders, can be granted for 3 years immediately.
I'm under 30 — do I qualify with a lower salary?
In two of the three regions, yes. Wallonia applies 80% of the highly qualified threshold to workers under 30: €42,576 instead of €53,220 in 2026. Flanders applies its 80% rate (currently €39,129.60/year) to highly skilled workers under 30 and also to nurses and teachers in recognised educational institutions — but only for local employment with a Belgian contract, not for posted workers. Brussels publishes no separate junior rate for the highly qualified category, so the full €3,703.44/month basic salary applies regardless of age. Wallonia additionally discounts the EU Blue Card by 20% for candidates with under 3 years of professional experience.