New Single Work Permit Procedure - Belgium

Just got the update on the Belgium Embassy in Washington, D.C. that they are now accepting single permit holders with B34 code! Check your local embassies. Today is a great day!

I got it officially confirmed by Embassy in India, They are accepting B34 from 24 Aug at least in Mumbai and Chennai

Hey guys, are your respective embassies only taking visa applications by mail or are they allowing in person?

ChrisD wrote:

Peterjohn123 wrote:

ChrisD wrote:

Hi ...

Not sure if this is the correct forum for my question, but I remember reading about people changing employers while I was waiting for my single permit to be approved

My situation
I have been in Belgium since Nov 2019 and working for one employer. Now may have the opportunity to go and work for another. my permit is obviously linked to my current employer for 3 years .
Questions
1. Has anyone got experience with changing employers and the process to get a new work permit ? 
2. What documentation is require?

Chris

I am in the same situation. The new employer applied for me the renewal and it was accepted within 1 week.

So in your case, just ask the new employer apply for you, you will need to submit all papers similar to the first time you apply for your single permit except the payslip. But your HR will tell you all that stuffs.

You also need to resign from your current employer. The Work office will need an official end date on your resignation letter signed by your current employer. The new employer will submit your single permit application with this scanned letter otherwise it will not be approved.

Due to the expiry date of my current residence card (single permit includes Work authorization and Residence permit in the same card) is in 2022 so I can already start working with my new employer. My card is still supposed to be changed by DOFI with a new expiry date but I need to wait for their "light" so I can pickup the card at my commune. But in general I can already start working.

Thank you PeterJohn

My card also expires 2022 - I was just not sure if last day at current employer and start date of new single / work permit will cause a problem if it is too far apart, but if I can transition over without problems it will be great. How long ago was your application for new permit done?

Chris

Yes, you should have no worry about the end and start date because you will. Just make your resignation at date X and the contract start at date X+1. You can negotiate the start date and end date with both employers. In my case, I negotiate to make sure there is no gap.

The Work office also aware of this gap thats why it also ask for your resignation letter with the official End date so it tries its best to make sure you should have no gap (they confirmed with me)

My new employer applied for me in the end of July and I got approved after 1 week by the Work Office and can start working because I still have a "valid" residence permit.

However, to get the final updated permit Card, will be within 2 months from the submission of the Work permit renewal application (I got this from the Work office in the current situation)

Just got my visa D, from SIngle Permit B34. I was able to submit documentation in person, and the visa was ready on the following day for pick-up!
Thank you all for the support along this thread and good luck to all those still waiting!

Congratz
Don't forget to do new documents + translation + apostile/legalized before leaving Brazil (less than 6 months when you start the reunion family process! Up to 7 months depending on the commune you'll live)

Congratulations!!! I'm eagerly anticipating receiving mine soon 😊.

fmmaciel wrote:

Just got my visa D, from SIngle Permit B34. I was able to submit documentation in person, and the visa was ready on the following day for pick-up!
Thank you all for the support along this thread and good luck to all those still waiting!

AlexFromBelgium wrote:

Congratz
Don't forget to do new documents + translation + apostile/legalized before leaving Brazil (less than 6 months when you start the reunion family process! Up to 7 months depending on the commune you'll live)

What kind of documents do we need to take to Belgium with us for a family reunion or which kind of docs we might need in Belgium?

Not sure if there is a topic about this, I think this question might help people who will move to Belgium.

Everything is covered on that page: https://dofi.ibz.be/sites/dvzoe/FR/Guid … gique.aspx
But this topic is focussed on the new single permit... which has nothing to do with family reunion

As a fast answer: Just remember that you can only do a family reunion within Belgium, if the partner in Belgium is EU or if you are already living in Belgium (any ID card).


It depends if you've already a civil status (married/legal cohabitation) or not.
if you already have a civil status, you need to bring the certificate(s)/act(s) that proof it + birth certificate.


If you don't have a status yet:
birth certificate.
single status certificate (translated and legalized)
divorce certificate/death certificate(translated  and  legalized) of your previous spouse in case of previous marriage(if any)
Certificate attesting to the lack of any convictions for crimes or offences under common law / criminal record.

Every documents must be translated and legalized/apostile.


If you want to do a legal cohabitation, you must also bring at least 2 years of proof of relationship.
In case you want to arrive in Belgium to get married, bring enough proof that you know each other + you're keeping in touch.

I got the single permit, and I got the visa. Sharing some info that would be helpful.

1. Work with your employer / employment consultant. The consultants typically have good knowledge of the procedure and possibly connections (my consultant found out about B34 restriction being lifted before the embassies formally announced it)
2. Duration: my single permit took 30 days in total from date of application to email notification to the consultant. We applied on the evening of the 16th July and we got the permit early morning on the 17th August. The websites say 120 days, but it could take 30 days or less based on the content of your file. Do it right the first time. The employee does not get notified directly, the person who files the application is notified. Rejections are communicated to employee.
3. Completeness of the file: we sent criminal history, medical history, education diplomas, signed contract, proof of payment of admin fee by employer, proof of health insurance from employer, letters authorizing consultant to file application on our behalf, passport scans. Check list of documents on your region’s website.
4. B34 / B29: B29 is the single permit code for EU Blue Card which gets you an H permit. B34 is other single permits which gets you the A permit. Highly skilled category is identified in the work permit from the region as “highly qualified”. Assumption that B34 for generic and B29 for highly skilled is incorrect. This information was not available, so a lot of us mistook this and did not file for EU blue card. B29 also follows the single permit procedure, but you MAY need your diplomas “legalized” to Belgian standards. As in, diplomas must be reviewed to what the equivalent would be according to the Belgian education system.
5. Passenger locator form: everyone MUST fill this and have this prior to boarding. It is available on every Belgian website: info-coronavirus, dofi, diplomatie
6. Quarantine: 2 weeks quarantine (staying indoors unless you need groceries, no walks or anything) or 2 negative COVID tests.

COVID related restrictions change frequently, so keep an eye out for changes.

Good luck to everyone. It’s a stressful process without clear ways of checking status. But evidently the government will institute a way to check status in the future. I tried not to email the regional authorities, foreign office, embassies too much, but if you have to, be polite. They are helpful, but they do get inundated with requests.

"Hello Monil,

The first agency gave us a positive answer. We only have to receive an agreement from the foreign Affairs service now.

So we are waiting for their answer. Hopefully they will accept it too.. "

Can anyone help me understand the progress of the application from this.
"Agreement" mentioned here means annexure 46?

Successfully made it to Belgium, and got poked in the nose for a Covid test as well. Wanted to ship wine, but there wasn’t any clear guidelines on it, but I carried 5 bottles of 750ml wines through check-in and i had no issues getting it through.

Can anyone just give an important information if someone from India having a valid visa D (family reunification) can travel within 1 ticket to Brussels via Munich/Frankfurt (by taking 1 stop flight)? Under India's 'Air bubble's it just mentions flights till Germany but are we allowed to take a connecting flight to Brussels, without having to get down at Germany and getting test done and only then proceeding to Belgium? Response is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

This is awesome, glad that you made it in safely without hassle.

I forgot to update that my visa application status changed to imported on the visaonweb website this past Wednesday.  Hoping to get it this coming week since it's been 2 weeks already, fingers crossed!

sm20 wrote:

Successfully made it to Belgium, and got poked in the nose for a Covid test as well. Wanted to ship wine, but there wasn’t any clear guidelines on it, but I carried 5 bottles of 750ml wines through check-in and i had no issues getting it through.

Hey everybody,

I'm curious when you applied for your single permit, did you give any document about how long you will work in Belgium(I'm not talking about contract, a document from ministry of economy) with your annex 46?

Hello -

In my case no. The company provided the contract and all the documents as mentioned in the regulation and that was it.

tugayakin wrote:

Hey everybody,

I'm curious when you applied for your single permit, did you give any document about how long you will work in Belgium(I'm not talking about contract, a document from ministry of economy) with your annex 46?

afaik that kind of the document you mentioned is not in the requirement list of documents of the application procedure.

yes it's not in requirement list, although people from the consulate said about the document "it should come with annex 46 document." did anyone get an extra doc with annex 46?

For the single permit application in Belgium, the only thing that I submitted which specified duration of work was the contract. My work contract was for unlimited time. For single permit I believe there is a minimum duration required (more than 90 days) which should be mentioned in contract. I believe for blue card and regular single permit there may be separate requirements for minimum duration (check vlaanderen.be; use google translate on the pages in Dutch, English language pages were out of date)

For the visa D application in the consulate, I sent the annex 46 and work permit from Flanders. Work permit was for 3 years, annex 46 authorized visa D for 1 year - these were the documents from the ministry.

sm20 wrote:

For the single permit application in Belgium, the only thing that I submitted which specified duration of work was the contract. My work contract was for unlimited time. For single permit I believe there is a minimum duration required (more than 90 days) which should be mentioned in contract. I believe for blue card and regular single permit there may be separate requirements for minimum duration (check vlaanderen.be; use google translate on the pages in Dutch, English language pages were out of date)

For the visa D application in the consulate, I sent the annex 46 and work permit from Flanders. Work permit was for 3 years, annex 46 authorized visa D for 1 year - these were the documents from the ministry.

Yes, work permit document was what they needed and I provided. Thanks!

I have valid visa including my family stamped on 4th March. My SP dates are 2nd Feb'20-1st Feb'21. So If I travel by Oct will it cause any issue in renewal? Due to COVID i couldnt travel in last 7 months. So are there any rule relaxation on untilization of WP period or something like that.
I am coming with family so I dont want to fall into situation where my renewal is stuck.
Can anyone guide me on thsi ? if any link provided with these rule changes for Covid PLZ provide.

Hi

I am new to this forum. I have been reading about current single permit timelines in the last few pages of this thread. I am really curious as i got my job offer in Belgium in February but everything got delayed due to Covid-19 situation. I will share my timeline here:

Start of single permit process: 8-10 September (unsure of the exact date as it's being done by the company)
Work permit approval by Flanders region: 17th September (today!)

Can't believe i got the 1st approval so early, i was expecting it within 20 days or a month.


Fingers crossed for residence permit now!

Hello everyone

I've read through the posts on this topic and couldn't find any information regarding Walloon processing times, does anyone have any idea about any timeline for a single work permit in Walloon?

I've seen most of the people who mentioned their process here did it in Brussel or Flanders.

same everywhere, from 2/3 weeks to 4 in average (work permit only)

Well yes, that is "on paper" official time.
However, in this topic people have shared their actual timelines and experiences, and that is what I'm curious of..

1 of the guys in this forum got his single permit approved within month. My work permit was approved within a week, waiting for residence permit approval step now, I will complete 1 month on 8th or 10th Oct I guess so let's see.

Got my single permit today
Took around a month to get it, so all the best to people who are still waiting!

dubi_gal wrote:

Well yes, that is "on paper" official time.
However, in this topic people have shared their actual timelines and experiences, and that is what I'm curious of..

So I received my Annex 46 which means I got a work permit and resident permit and this is my timeline:
16/09/2020 My employer applied to Walloon federation for a single permit for me
22/09/2020 Work permit was approved
01/10/2020 Resident permit was approved and I received annex 46 for A card

I think we have 2-3 examples of new timelines now for both Flanders and Wallonia regions. The timelines seems to be really short right now, so that's good.

Hi,

My single permit is applied on 5th of October 2020 in Brussels. Can anyone comment on when could I expect it approximately and given covid-19 situation, would it affect any tardiness to procure it?

Please read the last 2 pages, you will get the answer

Hi,

Yeah thanks for the response. Yeah I have read all the previous comments in the forum. I would just like to know at present status. I'm more interested in how the processing time looks now. Especially after September.

If you read replies just on this page, you will get the answer Let me summarize it again:

2 people on this forum got their unique permit in appox. 1 month time (Flanders region).
1 person got his unique permit in 14-15 days (Wallonia region).

All these examples are from September 2020 so you have the latest status now

montylee wrote:

If you read replies just on this page, you will get the answer Let me summarize it again:

2 people on this forum got their unique permit in approx. 1 month time (Flanders region).
1 person got his unique permit in 14-15 days (Wallonia region).

All these examples are from September 2020 so you have the latest status now

Thank you so much for this. But I would like to know about the status of getting the permit in Brussels region after September.

Sorry for bringing this up a lot. I have read all the pages of the forum, seems in the Brussels region, I understood that getting work permit took relatively more time in other regions. So I'm so curious to know about the status in Brussels region

Sunilnk2020 wrote:

montylee wrote:

If you read replies just on this page, you will get the answer Let me summarize it again:

2 people on this forum got their unique permit in approx. 1 month time (Flanders region).
1 person got his unique permit in 14-15 days (Wallonia region).

All these examples are from September 2020 so you have the latest status now

Thank you so much for this. But I would like to know about the status of getting the permit in Brussels region after September.

Sorry for bringing this up a lot. I have read all the pages of the forum, seems in the Brussels region, I understood that getting work permit took relatively more time in other regions. So I'm so curious to know about the status in Brussels region

Hello,

As has already been explained dozens of times on the site through different topics. It is impossible to give precise information on this subject. Whether region by region, or office by office.

The employees of these administrations manage dozens of files per day. If your file is properly prepared (because 90% of files are poorly prepared), processing will be rapid. Otherwise, it will go back to the start of the process as often as needed ...

Hi Guys,

I have received annexe 46 today from my company. Does this mean I have got the single permit? but my employer was telling me to wait for work authorization and then apply for a visa. Could you guys help me on this?

Thanks,
Sunil

Hi All

I need help in understanding visa processing time. 

On 5th Oct 2020 I submitted my visa application form in Bangalore VFS centre with work authorisation letter under B34 & single permit documents, I was told that it would take min 15 days for visa stamping from Mumbai Consulate, 

When I track the application on VFS site the status is " visa is processing with Belgium consulate.

I am not sure if there is any hold from Mumbai consulate or nay travel restrictions agains.

Can someone please help on this.

Thanks in advance

Regards,
Anita

Abstracti wrote:

Hi All

I need help in understanding visa processing time. 

On 5th Oct 2020 I submitted my visa application form in Bangalore VFS centre with work authorisation letter under B34 & single permit documents, I was told that it would take min 15 days for visa stamping from Mumbai Consulate, 

When I track the application on VFS site the status is " visa is processing with Belgium consulate.

I am not sure if there is any hold from Mumbai consulate or nay travel restrictions agains.

Can someone please help on this.

Thanks in advance

Regards,
Anita

Have anyone received visa recently?  I heard in some facebook forum that visa stamp is stopped due to tech issues. I am not sure about how authentic the info is. if anyone can share the thoughts can be of great help

Sunilnk2020 wrote:

Abstracti wrote:

Hi All

I need help in understanding visa processing time. 

On 5th Oct 2020 I submitted my visa application form in Bangalore VFS centre with work authorisation letter under B34 & single permit documents, I was told that it would take min 15 days for visa stamping from Mumbai Consulate, 

When I track the application on VFS site the status is " visa is processing with Belgium consulate.

I am not sure if there is any hold from Mumbai consulate or nay travel restrictions agains.

Can someone please help on this.

Thanks in advance

Regards,
Anita

Have anyone received visa recently?  I heard in some facebook forum that visa stamp is stopped due to tech issues. I am not sure about how authentic the info is. if anyone can share the thoughts can be of great help

Europe is pretty much on lockdown, so you might have to wait a while. you can always call the office that dedlt with it? (Personally I am looking at next year, till you get anyware)

Hello Sunilnk2020,

I know that the Belgium embassy in France have suspended all visa appointment due to some tech issues a week ago. Don't know much if it is only in France and when the services will work again.

Best!