Belgian Immigration Law of 15 December 1980 in English: work, family and long-term residence
The Law of 15 December 1980 on access to the territory, residence, establishment and removal of foreign nationals, as consolidated in Justel on 24 June 2026. English translation of the parts on economic migration: long stays, family reunification, long-term residence, researchers, the single permit, the EU Blue Card and intra-corporate transfers, with the official French under every paragraph.
Card
- Official title
- Loi du 15 décembre 1980 sur l’accès au territoire, le séjour, l’établissement et l’éloignement des étrangers
- In English
- Law of 15 December 1980 on access to the territory, residence, establishment and removal of foreign nationals (often “the Immigration Law” or “the Aliens Act”)
- Published
- Moniteur belge of 31 December 1980, p. 14584; in force 1 July 1981
- Version translated
- Justel consolidated text updated to 24 June 2026, including the Laws of 30 April 2026 and 16 June 2026
- Translated here
- Articles 1 to 1er/3, 9 to 19/1, 61/1/9 to 61/1/15, 61/6 to 61/13/15, 61/25-1 to 61/27-6 and 61/32 to 61/49: 88 articles. Asylum, removal, students in general, EU citizens and procedure are not translated.
- Work authorisation
- Granted by the Region (Brussels-Capital, Flanders, Wallonia, or the German-speaking Community) under the Cooperation Agreements of 2 February 2018 and 6 December 2018; this Law governs the residence side
- EU basis
- Directives 2003/86/EC (family reunification), 2003/109/EC (long-term residents), (EU) 2016/801 (researchers and students), 2011/98/EU and (EU) 2024/1233 (single permit), (EU) 2021/1883 (EU Blue Card) and 2014/66/EU (intra-corporate transfers)
- Authentic languages
- French and Dutch, equally; official German translation. We translate the French.
- Official source
- ejustice.just.fgov.be (Justel)
The text in 5 parts
The definitions, how and where applications for residence are made, the rule that a long stay is applied for at a Belgian consulate abroad, and the exceptions for applications made in Belgium. 8 articles.
Arts. 10 to 13Family reunification with third-country nationalsWho can join a foreign national in Belgium, the income, housing and sickness insurance conditions, the procedure and time limits, withdrawal of the right, and limited and unlimited stays. 7 articles.
Arts. 14 to 61/9Establishment, EU long-term residence, absences, job search after studiesSettlement and EU long-term resident status after five years, absences and the right of return, the year after studies to look for work or set up a business, and long-term residents of another Member State. 21 articles.
Arts. 61/10 to 61/13/15Researchers: permit, mobility and stay after researchApproved research organisations and hosting agreements, the researcher’s permit through the joint procedure, short-term and long-term mobility within the EU, and the year after research to look for work. 19 articles.
Arts. 61/25-1 to 61/49Single permit, EU Blue Card and intra-corporate transfersEmployment of more than ninety days through the single permit, the EU Blue Card for highly qualified employment, and the ICT permit for managers, specialists and trainee employees transferred within a group, with EU mobility. 33 articles.
In short
- A stay of more than three months must be authorised by the Minister. The application is made at the Belgian consulate competent for the place where the foreign national lives abroad (Art. 9). It can be made in Belgium only in exceptional circumstances, through the mayor (Art. 9bis).
- Family members join a third-country national if the sponsor has sufficient accommodation, sickness insurance and stable, sufficient and regular means of subsistence: at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income, plus 10% for each additional dependent family member (Art. 10).
- To work for more than ninety days, the foreign national needs a single permit. The work authorisation comes from the competent Region, the residence authorisation from the federal Minister, and both are issued as one administrative act (Art. 61/25-2). If the work authorisation ends, the stay ends ninety days later.
- EU Blue Card applications are filed with the competent Region and also count as applications for residence (Art. 61/26). The Minister must decide within ninety days of the application being complete, and that time limit cannot be extended (Art. 61/27-4).
- After five years of legal and continuous residence, a foreign national can obtain EU long-term resident status (Art. 15bis).
- A graduate of a Belgian higher education institution may stay for up to twelve months to look for work or set up a business (Art. 61/1/9).
- A residence holder who leaves Belgium keeps a right of return for one year. An EU long-term resident loses it only after twelve consecutive months outside the EU or six years away from Belgium (Art. 19).
Who it affects
- Employers in Belgium hiring third-country nationals, and their HR and mobility teams.
- Groups transferring managers, specialists and trainees to a Belgian entity under the ICT rules.
- Highly qualified workers, researchers and graduates planning to stay or move on to another Member State.
- Foreign nationals bringing a spouse, partner or children to Belgium, and those who want long-term residence.
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 December 1980 | Law adopted |
| 31 December 1980 | Published in the Moniteur belge |
| 1 July 1981 | Law in force |
| 2 February 2018 | Cooperation Agreement between the federal State, the Regions and the German-speaking Community on the single permit |
| 6 December 2018 | Cooperation Agreement on further categories, including the EU Blue Card and intra-corporate transferees |
| 16 June 2026 | Law of 16 June 2026 amends Article 1 and other translated articles |
| 24 June 2026 | Date of the Justel update translated here |
BCA commentary
Two authorities, one permit
Since the sixth State reform, the right to work and the right to stay are decided by different governments. The competent Region (or the German-speaking Community) decides whether the person may work; the federal Minister, through the Immigration Office, decides whether the person may stay. The Cooperation Agreements of 2 February 2018 and 6 December 2018 connect the two in a “joint procedure”, and the result is a single administrative act authorising both (Art. 61/25-2). This Law covers only the residence half. Salary thresholds, labour market tests and the list of exempt categories are in regional law, which is why the Belgian Blue Card salary differs between Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia.
Apply from abroad
The default rule is that a long stay is applied for at the Belgian consulate in the country where the person lives (Art. 9). Applying in Belgium after arriving on a short stay is the exception: it requires exceptional circumstances under Art. 9bis, or one of the specific routes in Title II, for example a single permit or Blue Card application by someone already lawfully staying in Belgium (Art. 61/25-2, Art. 61/27-1).
Family reunification
The family of a third-country national can join if the sponsor proves accommodation, sickness insurance and means of subsistence of at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income, plus 10% per additional dependant. Social integration income and family allowances do not count, and unemployment benefit counts only if the sponsor is actively looking for work (Art. 10). The procedure, time limits and grounds for withdrawal follow in Art. 10ter to Art. 12bis.
Staying on
Five years of legal and continuous residence give access to EU long-term resident status (Art. 15bis), which also gives a stronger right of return (Art. 19). Graduates and researchers who finish in Belgium may stay up to a year to look for work or start a business (Art. 61/1/9, Art. 61/13/12).
What is not here
Self-employed foreigners need a professional card issued by the Region, under the Law of 19 February 1965 as regionalised. That regime is not part of this Law. Nor are the rules for Union citizens and their families (Articles 40 to 47/5), asylum, students in general and removal, which this page does not translate.
Amendment history
Amending acts marked in the Justel consolidation, with the translated articles they touch. Justel marks only the more recent amendments in this Law, so this list is not complete.
| Act | Articles |
|---|---|
| Law of 6 August 1993 | Art. 12 |
| Law of 24 May 1994 | Art. 12 |
| Law of 15 July 1996 | Arts. 1, 9, 14 |
| Law of 15 September 2006 | Arts. 9, 9bis, 10ter, 12, 14, 15 |
| Law of 21 April 2007 | Art. 61/10 |
| Law of 25 April 2007 | Arts. 10ter, 15bis, 17, 18, 18bis, 19, 61/6, 61/7 |
| Law of 6 May 2009 | Arts. 9bis, 12 |
| Law of 29 December 2010 | Art. 9ter |
| Law of 8 July 2011 | Arts. 10bis, 10ter, 11, 12bis, 13 |
| Law of 8 January 2012 | Art. 9ter |
| Law of 15 May 2012 | Arts. 1, 10bis, 10ter, 12bis, 13, 15bis, 17, 19 |
| Law of 19 January 2012 | Art. 1 |
| Law of 19 March 2014 | Arts. 1, 10bis, 12bis, 15bis, 16, 17, 18, 19, 61/7 |
| Law of 14 December 2015 | Arts. 9bis, 9ter |
| Law of 1 June 2016 | Arts. 1er/1, 11, 18 |
| Law of 4 May 2016 | Arts. 9quater, 10bis, 10ter, 11, 12bis, 13, 15, 18 |
| Law of 17 May 2016 | Arts. 10ter, 12bis |
| Law of 18 December 2016 | Art. 1er/1 |
| Law of 21 November 2017 | Arts. 1, 15bis |
| Law of 24 February 2017 | Arts. 1, 19, 61/8, 61/9 |
| Law of 22 July 2018 | Arts. 1er/1, 61/7 |
| Law of 5 May 2019 | Arts. 1, 1er/1, 1er/2, 10bis, 61/25-1, 61/25-5, 61/26, 61/27 |
| Law of 8 May 2019 | Art. 1 |
| Law of 16 December 2020 | Art. 1 |
| Law of 31 July 2020 | Arts. 1, 1er/1, 1er/2, 10bis, 10ter, 13, 61/25-1, 61/25-2, 61/25-3, 61/25-5, 61/25-6, 61/26, 61/27, 61/27-1, 61/27-2 |
| Law of 11 July 2021 | Arts. 1er/1, 1er/2, 10bis, 13, 61/7 |
| Law of 21 August 2022 | Arts. 1er/1, 1er/2, 10bis, 10ter, 19, 61/10, 61/11, 61/12, 61/13 |
| Law of 23 June 2022 | Art. 9ter |
| Law of 29 November 2022 | Arts. 1er/2, 61/25-2, 61/25-5, 61/27-1, 61/27-4 |
| Law of 2 March 2023 | Art. 1 |
| Law of 19 March 2023 | Art. 1 |
| Law of 10 March 2024 | Arts. 1er/1, 1er/2, 9bis, 11, 12bis, 13, 15, 19 |
| Law of 12 May 2024 | Art. 1 |
| Law of 18 July 2025 | Arts. 1er/1, 1er/2, 10, 10bis, 10ter, 11, 12bis, 13, 15, 19, 61/7, 61/11, 61/13/5 |
| Law of 16 June 2026 | Arts. 1, 9bis, 9ter, 10, 11, 12bis, 13, 15bis, 18 |
| Law of 30 April 2026 | Art. 1 |
Related acts
The SRL and the SA, for employers setting up in Belgium. Translated in part.
Luxembourg · ResidenceLuxembourg Immigration Law 2008Salaried workers, EU Blue Card, ICT, investors and family members in Luxembourg. Translated in part.
EU · DirectiveDirective (EU) 2021/1883The recast EU Blue Card Directive. EUR-Lex.
How to cite
Cite the article and paragraph and link to the paragraph anchor. For example:
Unofficial English translation by BCA EU, for information. Only the French and Dutch texts published in the Moniteur belge have legal force; both are equally authentic. Article headings are editorial; chapter and section headings are the law’s own. Text checked against the Justel consolidated French text updated to 24 June 2026 on ejustice.just.fgov.be on 30 October 2026. This page is not legal or tax advice.
Bringing staff or family to Belgium?
We prepare the work and residence applications, coordinate with the Region and the municipality, and set up the Belgian entity if you need one. Fixed fee agreed upfront.