Belgium does not look like one country when you arrive. You sign a lease in Dutch in Ghent, buy bread in French in Liège, and in Brussels half the street signs have both. Behind that, the paperwork is surprisingly logical, and nearly all of it starts at one counter: your commune (the town hall). This guide puts the steps of moving to Belgium in order.
What do you need before moving to Belgium?
Not much, if you are a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. You can enter and stay up to three months with a valid identity card or passport. The real work starts on arrival.
Before you go, do three things. Ask your health insurer in your home country what you are covered for and until when, because your European Health Insurance Card only covers unplanned care during a temporary stay. If your home country remains responsible for your health, for example if you are a pensioner, ask for an S1 form. And collect the documents your commune will want: proof of work, of self-employment, of studies or of sufficient means, depending on your situation.
Where do you register first?
At the commune where you live. Belgian communes handle residence, identity cards, certificates and a long list of local taxes. If you plan to stay beyond three months, you must ask for a registration certificate (attestation d'enregistrement) within three months of arriving. The FPS Interior warns that a late application can bring an administrative fine of 200 euros.
Our guide to residence in Belgium for EU citizens walks through the appointment, the check that you really live at the address, and the electronic card. One point to know now: since 1 September 2025, EU citizens must hand in the complete file with their application, and an incomplete request is not taken into consideration, so bring everything to the first appointment.
How do you get your national number?
You do not apply for it. The 11-digit national register number is attributed when the commune registers you, and it follows you everywhere: employer, tax, health, bank. If you work in Belgium without being registered, you receive a BIS number instead. Read more in the Belgian national number explained.
If you are not sure which documents your situation requires, remember that a student, a job seeker and a retiree are asked for different papers. Moovy can list what to bring to the commune for your case.
How do you join the health system?
You join a mutualité (health insurance fund) of your choice, or the public fund, CAAMI. According to the INAMI, you must join a mutuality to be reimbursed. Employees pay through their salary; residents without professional income pay personal contributions. Details are in health insurance in Belgium.
What about money, housing and tax?
- Bank. Any bank must open a basic banking service for a person legally resident in the EU, capped at 20.34 euros a year in 2026. See opening a bank account in Belgium.
- Housing. Housing law is regional. The default lease for a main home lasts nine years, and you can leave with three months' notice. See renting in Belgium.
- Tax. Living in Belgium makes you a Belgian taxpayer on your worldwide income. FPS Finance explains the rules and deadlines for your first return.
Which region should you choose?
Belgium has three regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels-Capital), three communities and four language areas. The region matters for your daily life: language of services, rental rules, registration duties when buying, employment office, child benefits and schools. Compare cities in the best places to live in Belgium, and read daily life in Belgium for what the language split means in practice.
What do your first weeks look like?
A realistic order:
- Find an address you can register at.
- Book the commune appointment and bring your file.
- Pass the residence check at home. Someone must be there when the officer visits.
- Receive your electronic card, with its PIN and PUK codes. Keep that letter.
- Join a mutuality and open a bank account.
- Activate your online access to government services, such as Mon DOSSIER, which lets you consult your data in the national register and download certificates free of charge.
- If you have children, apply to schools early. See schools in Belgium.
What mistakes do newcomers make?
- Waiting too long for the commune. The three-month limit is firm.
- Missing the residence check. Without a positive check, you are not entered in the register of foreigners.
- Losing the PIN and PUK letter. Without them, your card is useless online.
- Forgetting foreign bank accounts. A Belgian resident must declare accounts abroad. See opening a bank account in Belgium.
- Ignoring the car. A foreign-plated car must be registered in Belgium once you are resident. Ask the vehicle registration directorate (DIV) how before you bring one.
If you come from the UK, your route is different: read moving to Belgium from the UK first.
How long does moving to Belgium really take?
How long it takes to be fully settled depends mostly on your commune, since some have a waiting list for appointments. The three-month deadline for your registration starts on the day you arrive, not on the day you find a flat, so book the commune appointment as soon as you have an address. Your electronic card follows later; the delay to receive it varies from one commune to another.
Do not try to do everything on the first day. The order matters more than the speed: the commune registration opens the door to the national number, the mutuality, the bank account and the online services. Our other guides detail each step, and the banking guide explains why even a small foreign account must be declared.
What documents should you keep in one folder?
Moving to Belgium generates paper, and Belgian offices like originals. Keep together:
- your identity card or passport, valid for the whole period;
- proof of your status: employment contract, business registration, enrolment certificate, or proof of sufficient means and health insurance;
- your lease or title deed, since the commune checks your address;
- your S1 or other health forms if your home country stays responsible;
- the letter with your card's PIN and PUK codes, once it arrives;
- diplomas and, if your profession is regulated, the recognition decision. See working in Belgium.
What is different if you move with a family?
Children are subject to compulsory education from 5 to 18, and the school system depends on the community you live in. Nurseries have waiting lists, so ask early. Child benefits are paid by the body of the region where the child lives: in Wallonia you choose a fund and enrol yourself, in Flanders the Groeipakket is paid by a fund you choose for all your children, and in Brussels several funds are active. The amounts are the same in all funds of a given region. Read schools in Belgium before choosing your commune.
Where do you go for official information?
The federal portal belgium.be is the starting point; the regional sites (wallonie.be, be.brussels, vlaanderen.be) cover housing, taxes and education; the FPS Finance covers tax; the INAMI covers health insurance. Moving to Belgium is a lot easier when you rely on those pages rather than on forum advice, since rules changed recently on several points, such as unemployment benefit in 2026.