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  2. Current Page:Move to Belgium

Move to Belgium

Belgium has always welcomed migrants from abroad, with people of many different nationalities making the country their home over the years, among them famous figures and intellectuals including Karl Marx, Victor Hugo, Charlotte Brontë, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Baudelaire and Auguste Rodin, to name but a few. Its central location in Europe at the crossroads between the Latin and Germanic worlds, its multilingualism and its pioneering political, social and religious freedoms have all contributed to giving Belgium its cosmopolitan character and made it into the tolerant multicultural society it is today.

   

A precious quality of life

Quality of healthcare, social protection, infrastructure, accommodation, telecommunications equipment, etc., Belgium occupies a leading position in most international rankings in these fields. The country offers excellent conditions for material life and intellectual life, with a rich and varied cultural offering and universities at the cutting-edge of research and education.

In Belgium, conviviality is the watchword! Village celebrations, neighbourhood festivities, music festivals or simple outings to a café, there is no shortage of opportunities for making friends. Discover just how spontaneous and friendly Belgians are.

  

Accommodation

Several websites help you to find accommodation. The Belgian real estate market is particularly stable and balanced. Whether in terms of rentals or sales, transactions remain constant. Also, Belgium benefits from a high quality real estate offering.

  

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Administrative procedures

If you are not Belgian and you wish to move to Belgium, you must have the necessary residence documents. The residence procedure which a foreign national must follow depends on his nationality and on the duration and purpose of his stay in Belgium.

The free movement of persons applies within the European Union, making the residence rules for EU citizens much more flexible than those for the citizens of other countries. "Free movement" also applies to countries in the European Economic Area (EEA): in addition to the EU states, these are Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. However, there are transitional rules for certain new EU Member States.

If as a foreign national you wish to stay in Belgium for longer than three months, you must report to the municipality in which you are staying within eight days of your arrival. You must be registered on the National Register; and for that you must have an actual place of residence in this municipality.

The Immigration Office website provides a great deal of useful information about moving to Belgium: right to enter the territory, right to stay, short stays, moving for work, moving for study, family entry and settlement, exceptional stays, applications for protection, etc.

Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation 

www.diplomatie.belgium.be

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