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Fixed-term single permit

Would you like to hire a non-European employee who will work and reside in Belgium for more than 90 days? If so, apply for a combined fixed-term permit from the region, or from the German-speaking Community, where the employee will be working. Once your application has been accepted, your employee will receive a combined fixed-term permit. This will allow them to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days to work there. The permit is issued by the Immigration Office of the Federal Public Service Home Affairs (New window).

The single permit is a residence permit linked to work: non-European citizens can use this permit to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days in order to work.

The usual obligations for the employer remain applicable:

Are you a Belgian employer wanting to hire a non-European employee? Or are you a foreign employer, and would you like to have one of your non-European employees work in Belgium?

In both cases, you must apply for a fixed-term single permit in order to employ a non-European employee in Belgium for a period longer than 90 days. This specifically concerns employees with a nationality from a country outside the European Economic Area (+ Switzerland). The European Economic Area (EEA) comprises the EU Member States as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The regulations governing the employment of foreign employees continue to apply.

More information can be found on the website of each competent region or community:

The application must be submitted by the employer established in Belgium or their representative, namely:

  • either the employer themselves, or
  • a natural person with their main residence in Belgium, acting in the name and on behalf of the employer.

If the employer is established outside Belgium, only that natural person is authorized to act.

Please note: if you represent an employer as an authorized representative, you will need a mandate from that employer. The employer can create the mandate using the Mahis online service (in French) (New window).

The competent region or the German-speaking Community will automatically receive the fixed-term single permit application.

As an employer, you must provide the Belgian social security identification number (SSIN) or temporary SSIN of the employee(s) for whom you are submitting an application. If you do not know this number, or if your employee does not yet have an SSIN, you can request one using the online service belgianIDpro (in French) (New window).

The other conditions, procedures, and information for submitting your application can be found on the website of the region or community itself:

Does your employee not yet have a residence permit for Belgium? Then you must apply for one before the employee enters Belgian territory. In certain cases, you can also submit the application when your employee has been granted a permit for a stay of up to 90 days in Belgium (provided that this does not contradict the federal and regional regulations applicable to the application).

If your employee does have a residence permit for Belgium, you must submit the application before that residence permit expires.

An extension of the fixed-term single permit is only possible within certain time limits. Please find the conditions on the websites of the regions or the language community:

The employee may start working as soon as they have the necessary documents.

  • This means that the initial application for both work and residence has been approved.
  • For a renewal application, the employee does not have to wait for the renewed approval of the residence permit. They can start working as soon as the work authorisation has been reapproved, provided they have a valid residence document pending approval of the single permit.
  • The employee obtains the necessary documents from the local authority where they live. You can find an overview of all the necessary documents on the ‘Single permit’ page of the FPS Home Affairs website (Immigration Office) (New window) or in the decision you receive from the competent region or community.

The employer, their representative or mandate holde gets access to the One-Stop Counter

Granting a mandate to a Belgian representative

Only an employer established in Belgium or their Belgian representative (mandate holder) can apply for a fixed-term single permit. If you as a Belgian employer work with a Belgian representative, you must grant them a mandate. This mandate is laid down in a standard document called ‘procuration’.

Please find more information in the Guidelines for service providers (PDF, 253 KB, in French) (New window).

Is your representative already known to the NSSO?

Your representative must be known in the NSSO service provider database. If this is not the case, they must first contact the Identification Department of the NSSO via idnl@rsz.fgov.be.

Download our flyer on granting a mandate to a Belgian service provider as a Belgian employer (PDF, 43 KB) (New window)

Your representative gets access to the One-Stop Counter online service

Granting a mandate to a Belgian representative

If you as a foreign employer wish to put an employee to work in Belgium, only your Belgian representative (mandate holder) may apply for a fixed-term single permit. If your company does not yet have a Belgian representative, you must first register with the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises (CBE) (New window) and then grant a mandate to a Belgian representative. This mandate is recorded in a standard document called ‘procuration’.

More information can be found in the Guidelines for service providers (PDF, 253 KB, in French) (New window).

Is your representative already known to the NSSO?

Your representative must be known in the NSSO service provider database. If this is not the case, they must first contact the Identification Department of the NSSO via idnl@rsz.fgov.be

Download our flyer on granting a mandate as a foreign employer (PDF, 37 KB) (New window)

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For help or clarification about mandates

Support for BelgianIDpro

If you have any other questions about submitting or following up on your application, please contact the region or language community that is processing your application: