Work permit application

Cross-Border Worker

Contact

Covid-19 measures

Postal adress

Brussels Economy and Employment

Direction de la Migration économique
Place Saint-Lazare 2
1035 Brussels
Contact form
+32 (0)2 204 13 99 (from 9 am to noon)

Fédéral, Wallonie, Flandre

Consult the list with useful contacts at the federal administration and in the other Regions.

Before hiring a non-European national living in a bordering country, you need to obtain an authorisation. Thereto, you need to submit the following documents:

Form
Authorisation application to employ a foreign cross-border worker - Employer in Belgium (in French or in Dutch)
Authorisation application to employ a foreign cross-border worker - Employer established abroad (in French or in Dutch)
Employment contract (in French or in Dutch)
Medical certificate for a foreign worker, in accordance with article 14 of the royal decree dated 9 June 1999 (in French or in Dutch)
Other required documents

What is the procedure?

The procedure requires a maximum of 90 days between the time the application is complete with Brussels Economy and Employment, and the issuance of the work permit/the notification of refusal.

Regulation

Cooperation agreement dated 2 February 2018 on the coordination of the policies with regard to granting employment authorisations and residence permits, as well as the norms pertaining to the employment and residence of foreign workers

Cooperation agreement dated 6 December 2018 implementing the cooperation agreement of 2 February 2018 on coordination between policies on work permits and residence permits and the legislation on employment and residence of foreign workers

Law dated 15 December 1980 on access to the territory, residence, establishment and removal of foreigners

Royal decree dated 6 June 2019 amending the Royal decree dated 8 October 1981 concerning access to the country, the residence, the location and expulsion of foreign nationals

Royal decree dated 2 September 2018 implementing the law dated 9 May 2018 with regard to the employment of foreign nationals in a specific residence situation

Royal Decree dated 24 December 2020 amending the Royal decree dated 8 octobre 1981 concerning access to the territory, the residence, the location and expulsion of foreign nationals benefiting from the agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland from EU

Law of 16 December 2020 on the beneficiaries of the agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the EU and the EAEC