Moving to Brussels from India (Guide for Indians)

Moving to Brussels from India means clearing three separate hurdles in the right order: getting a Belgian employer to sponsor your right to work, turning that into a long-stay visa D through VFS in India, and then registering at your commune once you land. Miss the order and you can lose months. This guide walks an Indian professional through each India-specific step, with the 2026 numbers that actually matter.

First: understand you are a "third-country national"

As an Indian national you are a third-country national under Belgian law — you have no automatic right to enter, work or stay. Everything hinges on getting permission before you travel. Unlike EU citizens who can simply arrive and register, you need an approved work-and-residence authorisation and a visa in your passport before you board the flight. There is no general job-seeker or "look for work on arrival" visa for Indians, so the process almost always starts with a job offer from a Belgian employer.

The main route: the single permit

The single permit (combined permit / permis unique) is one authorisation covering both the right to work and the right to reside for more than 90 days. It replaced the old two-step work-permit-plus-residence process.

Key facts for Indians heading to Brussels:

• Your employer applies, not you. A Belgian-based employer files the application with the Brussels-Capital Region (the region where your main workplace is), via the federal one-stop counter. You cannot start this yourself.
• Two authorities decide together. The Brussels Region checks the work side (labour-market rules, salary) and the federal Immigration Office (Office des Étrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken) checks the residence side.
• Timeline. The Region confirms your file is complete within about 15 days; the combined legal decision period is up to 4 months. If no unfavourable decision is issued in time, authorisation is generally deemed granted. Highly qualified profiles are handled faster.
• After approval you receive an Annex 46 and a positive decision — this is what unlocks your visa D.

Salary thresholds (Brussels-Capital, 2026)

Most Indian arrivals qualify as highly qualified or as EU Blue Card holders, both of which carry a minimum gross salary. For the Brussels-Capital Region in 2026 (monthly gross):

These figures are for the Brussels-Capital Region and are set per region — Flanders and Wallonia differ, so confirm the workplace region. Always verify the current year's number at economy-employment.brussels before signing, as thresholds are indexed.

Alternative routes: EU Blue Card and ICT

• EU Blue Card. For higher-earning graduates (the €4,748/month Brussels threshold above), the Blue Card offers stronger EU mobility and family rights than the ordinary highly-qualified permit. It still needs a Belgian job contract.
• Intra-Company Transfer (ICT). If you already work for an Indian company (for example an Infosys, HCL or TCS type employer) with a Belgian entity, you may move on an ICT permit as a manager, specialist or trainee, rather than being locally hired. This is often the fastest India-to-Brussels path because your employer runs it.

The visa D and the VFS process in India

Once your single permit is approved, you convert it into a long-stay visa D — the sticker that lets you actually enter Belgium. Steps for Indian applicants:

1. Create your file online at VisaOnWeb (visaonweb.diplomatie.be), complete the visa D form, and print the confirmation.
2. Book and attend a VFS Global centre. Belgium's visa D applications in India are handled through VFS Global, with centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh. You must appear in person for biometrics (fingerprints and a live photo).
3. Pay the fees. The visa D handling fee is €250, plus a VFS service fee of ₹2,750 (incl. taxes). Some visa D categories require an additional immigration contribution — check your category's PDF checklist.
4. Wait for the decision. The passport is returned/collected via VFS and the Belgian mission contacts you when processing is done. Processing times are not fixed — apply early.

Verify the current checklist for your exact category on the Belgian mission's India page, because required documents differ between highly-qualified work, Blue Card and family reunification.

Legalising your Indian documents (apostille)

This is the step most Indians underestimate. Belgian authorities will not accept raw Indian certificates — they must be legalised, and because India and Belgium are both Hague Apostille Convention members, that means an apostille (not full consular legalisation).

• Who apostilles. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issues the apostille. MEA no longer accepts documents directly from individuals — you go through its outsourced agencies (e.g. state-level attestation followed by MEA apostille). Plan for several weeks.
• What to apostille. Typically your degree certificates (for the job / diploma recognition), plus birth and marriage certificates if you are bringing family.
• Translation. After apostille, any document not in French, Dutch, German or English must be translated by a sworn translator recognised in Belgium before your commune or the Immigration Office will accept it.

Do the apostille early — ideally while your employer is still filing the single permit — so nothing stalls at the visa or family-reunification stage. See the Belgian mission's legalisation page for details.

After you land: register at your commune

Within 8 working days of arriving in Brussels you must report to your commune (the local town hall — Brussels-Capital has 19 communes). You present your passport, visa D and single-permit decision. The commune issues a temporary certificate (an Annex 49), a police officer checks you actually live at your address, and you are then entered in the Register of Foreign Nationals and issued your electronic residence card (the "A card"/titre de séjour) and your National Register number — the number you need for banking, health insurance and almost everything else.

Bringing your family

You can be joined by your spouse or registered partner and minor children through family reunification. Since 18 August 2025, a single-permit holder must show:

• Stable income of at least 110% of the guaranteed minimum monthly income (a net reference figure), increased by 10% for each additional family member. The precise euro amount is indexed — confirm it on dofi.ibz.be before applying.
• Adequate, registered housing meeting Brussels' minimum space and safety standards (a registered lease usually satisfies this).
• Health insurance covering the family.

Family members apply for their own visa D at VFS in India, using apostilled marriage/birth certificates. Note that adult family members may face a mandatory integration/civic-orientation obligation after arrival.

Recognising your Indian qualifications

Your Belgian job does not require diploma recognition, but some regulated professions and further study do. Brussels is bilingual, so recognition runs through two communities:

• French Community — Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, for French-language study/work.
• Flemish Community — NARIC-Vlaanderen, for Dutch-language study/work.

Choose based on the language of the employer or institution you're targeting (you can apply to both). Start at the Brussels-Capital equivalence-of-diplomas page. An apostilled, translated copy of your degree speeds this up.

Sending money home (remittances)

Once you have a Belgian bank account and National Register number, moving money to India is straightforward. Traditional Belgian banks charge poor exchange margins on INR transfers; most Indians in Brussels use Wise or Revolut for near-mid-market rates and transparent fees to Indian bank accounts and UPI. Keep at least a few months of Indian-side documentation, and remember that money you send to family is generally not taxable in Belgium — it comes from already-taxed salary.

The Indian community in Brussels

You will not be isolated. Belgium's population of Indian origin is estimated at roughly 10,000+, concentrated in Brussels, Antwerp and Leuven, with active software-sector, Sikh and Gujarati-diamond-trade communities. The Embassy of India in Brussels (217, Chaussée de Vleurgat) serves Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU, and runs Diwali, Holi and Independence Day events. Look for "Indians in Belgium" community groups for practical, on-the-ground help with communes, schools and housing.

Common problems and fixes

• "My employer hasn't started anything." The single permit must be filed by the employer with the Brussels Region — chase them early; nothing moves until they do.
• Visa D delay after permit approval. Book your VFS biometrics slot the moment the single permit is approved; slots in Delhi/Mumbai fill up.
• Certificate rejected at the commune. Almost always a missing apostille or missing sworn translation. Fix both before you fly, not after.
• Wrong region's salary threshold. Recruiters sometimes quote the Flanders number. If your workplace is in Brussels, the Brussels figure (€3,703.44/month highly qualified) is what binds.
• Family income shortfall. The 110%-plus-10%-per-person rule is strict; get a clear employer letter stating your net salary and benefits.

Your one concrete next step

Before anything else, ask your Belgian employer to confirm in writing which permit they will file (single permit, EU Blue Card or ICT) and the exact gross salary, then immediately begin your MEA apostille on your degree and (if bringing family) marriage/birth certificates — that paperwork has the longest lead time in India, so starting it now keeps the rest of the process on track.