The Single Permit & Work Authorisation for Non-EU Workers in Belgium

If you have just landed a job in Brussels with a non-EU passport and a contract longer than 90 days, the single permit (permis unique / gecombineerde vergunning) is the one authorisation that matters. It bundles your right to work and your right to live in Belgium into a single document, and — importantly — your employer files it, not you. This guide explains who does what, how long it takes, and the 2026 salary numbers for Brussels.

What the single permit actually is

Belgium used to hand out a separate work permit and residence permit. Since 2019 those are merged into one single permit: a combined work-and-residence authorisation for any third-country national working in Belgium for more than 90 days.

Two authorities decide on it together:

• The Region (in your case the Brussels-Capital Region, via Brussels Economy and Employment) checks the work side — your contract, salary and category.
• The federal Immigration Office (Office des Étrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken, part of IBZ) checks the residence side — your identity, criminal record and health.

You deal with neither directly during the application. Everything runs through your employer.

Who applies, and where

The application is always lodged by the employer based in Belgium, or by a person resident in Belgium acting on the employer's behalf with a power of attorney. Since 4 May 2026, all files must go through the federal One-Stop counter online portal — PDF forms and email submissions are no longer accepted.

Your role is to hand your employer a complete document pack. Expect to provide:

1. A valid passport copy
2. Your signed employment contract
3. Diplomas / qualification evidence (especially for highly qualified and Blue Card routes)
4. A criminal-record extract (if you are over 18)
5. A medical certificate
6. Proof of health insurance covering all risks
7. Proof the contribution fee has been paid

The Region assesses the work conditions; the Immigration Office assesses residence. You do not need a labour-market test for the highly qualified and EU Blue Card categories — that is the whole point of those routes.

The timeline: roughly four months

Here is the sequence once your employer submits:

Plan for around four months end to end, and longer if the file is complex or documents are queried. If you are still abroad, add time to collect a visa afterwards (see below).

After approval

• If you are outside Belgium: you collect a long-stay D visa (annex marked B34) at the Belgian embassy or consulate, travel to Belgium, then register at your commune within 8 working days to receive your residence card (the A card).
• If you are already legally in Belgium: the Immigration Office notifies the decision and you go straight to your commune within 8 working days for the A card.

The A card is the physical proof of your single permit. See our guide on Belgian residence cards and the titre de séjour for what the card looks like and how to renew it.

The 2026 Brussels salary thresholds

Salary thresholds are regional and indexed, so a job in Brussels, Flanders or Wallonia can face different minimums. For the Brussels-Capital Region, the official minimum gross monthly remuneration in force for 2026 is:

These are verified against Brussels Economy and Employment's official minimum-remuneration page. Because they are indexed and can change, confirm the exact figure before signing your contract — a file quoting an outdated salary can be refused. Other categories (intra-corporate transferees, trainees, specialists) have their own thresholds; check the official page linked in sources.

Highly qualified vs EU Blue Card — which route?

Both skip the labour-market test, but they are not identical:

• The highly qualified route is Belgian and tied to a Brussels salary floor of €3,703.44/month. It is the most common single-permit category for professionals in Brussels.
• The EU Blue Card is an EU-wide scheme with a higher salary floor (€4,748.00/month in Brussels for 2026) and needs a recognised higher-education qualification or equivalent experience. Its advantage is easier mobility to other EU countries and more favourable rules for long-term residence and family reunification.

If you plan to move around the EU later, the Blue Card is worth the higher salary bar. If you are settling in Brussels, the highly qualified route is usually simpler.

What it costs

There are two separate charges:

• The federal contribution fee paid to the Immigration Office. The official IBZ fee schedule effective 1 January 2026 lists €152 for a single permit and for the highly-qualified-worker category. Note: some private aggregators quote higher figures (e.g. €377) for certain categories — these disagree with the official IBZ page, so check the current amount directly on the IBZ contribution-fee page before paying. Without an uploaded payment receipt, the application is invalid.
• Once in Brussels, the commune charges a small fee for producing the physical A card (varies by commune, typically €20–€30 — confirm with your commune).

What changes for EU citizens (spoiler: no permit)

If you hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport, ignore the single permit entirely — you have free movement and need no work authorisation. You simply:

1. Register at your Brussels commune within three months of arriving.
2. Receive an Annex 19 (declaration of registration).
3. Prove your status (employed, self-employed, student, or sufficient means) to obtain your residence document.

For a full breakdown of the two very different tracks, read EU vs Non-EU: which Brussels immigration process applies to you.

Common problems and fixes

• "My employer says I can start work while we wait." You generally cannot work until the permit is granted (a first application does not authorise work during processing). Confirm with the employer's HR or a lawyer before starting.
• Salary just below the threshold. A file quoting a salary under the Brussels minimum will be refused. Ask HR to check the current indexed figure and adjust the contract before filing.
• Documents from abroad. Criminal-record extracts and diplomas often need legalisation or an apostille and sometimes a sworn translation. Start collecting these weeks before your employer files — this is the most common cause of delay.
• You moved commune before the card was issued. Update your address with the Immigration Office and the new commune immediately; a mismatch can stall your A card.

Your next step

If you are the employee, do the one thing only you can do: assemble your document pack now — passport, contract, diplomas, criminal-record extract and medical certificate — and hand it to your employer's HR so they can file through the One-Stop counter. Everything else is on them and the Region. To verify the exact current salary threshold and fee for your category, go straight to Brussels Economy and Employment and the IBZ single-permit page.