Belgium: Flanders single-permit applicants face a 15-day payment deadline

Pay the regional charge through the submitted case

Employers applying for a combined work and residence permit in Belgium’s Flemish Region must account for the regional charge introduced on 1 September 2026. Flanders publishes a EUR 180 fee per application and requires payment within 15 days after submission; otherwise the case is automatically closed. This current deadline guide concerns an existing charge, not a new November increase, and should not be applied as a Belgian nationwide regional fee.

The official regional fee page says the charge covers first applications and renewals of combined permits, but not applications for a work card. It is additional to the federal residence-processing contribution. Payment is made through the Working in Belgium single portal after the application generates a case number and payment request. There is no separate regional bank account to which an employer can freely transfer the amount.

Use that fee resource to check the permitted payment methods and confirm that the case status shows successful processing. Saving an unfinished application is not formal submission, and preparing a transfer inside a company bank account may still require approval by an authorised colleague. The regional charge is nonrefundable even if a case is refused, withdrawn or cancelled. Payment does not establish that the employment or residence requirements have been satisfied.

Check the worker category before spending on the file

Flanders’ January 2026 economic-migration rules changed the treatment of several employment categories. Its official reform summary says low-skilled positions at qualification levels 1–2 no longer qualify under the “other” category. For relevant medium-skilled recruitment, employers must establish qualifications and undertake the prescribed vacancy and placement process, including a nine-week vacancy publication. Do not assume that paying the regional charge makes a role eligible.

The current “other” category guidance provides the specific test for the occupation and employer. It requires the role to appear on the relevant VDAB shortage list and sets conditions for demonstrating unsuccessful recruitment. A prospective employer should identify the exact category and job before commissioning certificates or promising a start date. A general statement that Belgium needs workers is not evidence that the particular vacancy meets the applicable Flemish requirements.

Assemble the identity, contract and residence evidence

The “other” category page supplies the combined-permit document checklist for employment exceeding 90 days. It requests passport copies, relevant residence evidence where applicable, payment evidence, criminal-record documentation for adults, the standard medical certificate and health-insurance evidence or the prescribed undertaking. It also specifies contract details, including the employment period and place, remuneration, joint committee and job classification. Use the checklist matching the actual application rather than a short-visit work-card checklist.

Employers and workers should check document dates and legalisation or translation requirements before submission, and ensure the signed contract matches the advertised role and requested permission. Different filing situations have different conditions on where the worker may remain during processing. Establish that point explicitly instead of assuming a visitor stay authorises either work or an in-country application.

Flanders’ exemption resource separately identifies groups that do not need the employer work-permit application, including EEA and Swiss nationals and specified other cases. Self-employed activity follows a different professional-card framework. Check the precise exemption or route for the nationality and proposed activity; exemption from one labour authorisation should not be treated as a blanket answer to residence and registration obligations.

Track the regional and federal decisions separately

The October 2026 waiting-time page distinguishes the queue before Flemish examination starts from the later federal residence stage. For the “other” category it reports an indicative five-week wait before examination; it separately reports roughly 14–15 weeks for several federal combined-permit categories. These figures describe different stages and are not a promised total approval time for an individual case.

After a positive regional employment decision, the file proceeds to the federal Immigration Office for the residence assessment. Use the portal and official correspondence to identify which authority is handling any outstanding issue. A positive work-stage status, a processed payment or a proposed contractual start does not replace the final permissions needed by the worker.

The immediate payment deadline is 15 days from submission. Renewal timing and lawful stay must also be checked against the existing permission. Keep the case number, payment status, document versions and both decisions together, and confirm any current federal contribution separately. The reviewed regional fee page does not provide a single all-inclusive cost for every nationality and application situation.