Foreign nationals trying to renew Belgian single-permit residence cards this week faced closed counters and unanswered phones as the Brucity Administrative Centre joined the national strike. An alert posted by the City of Brussels warns that most in-person services—population registry extracts, address registrations and the biometric collection required for A, B and EU cards—will remain severely curtailed until at least 28 November.
The timing is particularly sensitive: many permits issued to non-EU assignees expire on 31 December, making late November the traditional peak for renewal filings. Immigration lawyers say applicants unable to complete biometrics may need provisional “annex 15” or “annex 46/49” certificates to remain compliant. Some employers are contemplating short remote-work stints abroad to avoid overstays.
![Municipal shutdown stalls visa and residence-card services in Brussels]()
Online services via the MyBXL portal remain operational, allowing applicants to book December appointments or order digital documents, but the city cautions that backlogs will persist for several weeks. HR teams are being urged to keep electronic copies of employee permits on file and to brief travelling staff that airlines may refuse boarding without a physical, unexpired card.
The disruption also affects family-reunification dossiers and EU Blue Card exchanges, with several law firms reporting cancelled medical-exam slots and delayed criminal-record extractions.
With further union actions hinted for January, global-mobility professionals should build buffer time into Belgian work-authorisation timelines and monitor municipal strike schedules alongside federal immigration updates.
The timing is particularly sensitive: many permits issued to non-EU assignees expire on 31 December, making late November the traditional peak for renewal filings. Immigration lawyers say applicants unable to complete biometrics may need provisional “annex 15” or “annex 46/49” certificates to remain compliant. Some employers are contemplating short remote-work stints abroad to avoid overstays.
Online services via the MyBXL portal remain operational, allowing applicants to book December appointments or order digital documents, but the city cautions that backlogs will persist for several weeks. HR teams are being urged to keep electronic copies of employee permits on file and to brief travelling staff that airlines may refuse boarding without a physical, unexpired card.
The disruption also affects family-reunification dossiers and EU Blue Card exchanges, with several law firms reporting cancelled medical-exam slots and delayed criminal-record extractions.
With further union actions hinted for January, global-mobility professionals should build buffer time into Belgian work-authorisation timelines and monitor municipal strike schedules alongside federal immigration updates.
