Employer-led work and residence route for people with an offer.
Route overview
Employer work + residence
Typical timeline / duration: 3-9 months
Important notes
A Belgian employer must submit the single application through the one-stop counter to the competent Region for work lasting more than 90 days.
A genuine job offer or employment relationship meeting the applicable regional work-authorisation conditions.
Passport, proof of fee payment, proof of means and employment duration, criminal-record extract if over 18, medical certificate, and Belgian health insurance coverage.
If applying from abroad, obtain the national long-stay visa after the work and residence authorisations are approved.
The Region assesses work authorisation and the Immigration Office assesses residence; both decisions are combined into the single permit.
The permit is employer and region dependent; it is not an open job-search or remote-work route.
In force in Wallonia from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2027: the updated foreign-worker shortage list applies to the specified regional labour-market test. It is not the general Forem shortage list and does not cover every permit category or remove other conditions.
Preparation checklist
Have the employer identify the competent Region and the work-permit category for the actual job.
For a relevant Walloon labour-market-test application, compare the job with the 2026–27 foreign-worker list and check all remaining conditions.
Prepare the joint work/residence evidence and, after approval where required, the competent consulate's visa application.