Belgium’s Immigration Office has instructed its consulates worldwide to verify the sponsor’s income *before* issuing any D-visa for family reunification—a procedural shift that quietly entered into force on 17 December 2025. Although the ‘sufficient resources’ test has existed in law since 2011, it was often checked only after the family member arrived in Belgium. Consular officers must now see proof that the Belgian resident earns at least €2 323.08 net per month for a spouse or first dependent, plus 10 % for every additional dependent.
In practical terms, a family of four will need a sponsor earning roughly €5 100 net, a figure that many blue-collar and mid-level employees do not reach. Applicants who cannot meet the threshold may face refusals or lengthy appeal procedures, adding months to family-reunification timelines.
The policy applies across all three Belgian regions and affects both EU and non-EU sponsors, though students, recognised refugees and long-term residents remain subject to separate conditions.
![Belgium Enforces Higher Income Thresholds for Family-Reunification Visas]()
Amid these tightened requirements, VisaHQ—a global visa and passport facilitation platform—can walk sponsors and their families through Belgium’s evolving paperwork maze. Its dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers step-by-step checklists, document templates and real-time support, helping applicants assemble salary certificates, bank statements and other evidence correctly the first time and avoid costly refusals or delays.
Immigration lawyers report a spike in requests for salary certificates and notarised bank statements as sponsors race to satisfy consular demands.
Multinational companies that routinely relocate staff to Belgium should alert assignees of the stricter scrutiny. HR teams may need to adjust relocation allowances or explore alternative visa categories (such as the EU Blue Card for spouses who qualify to work) to keep families together.
Longer term, the measure aligns Belgium with other EU states that front-load financial checks to deter arrivals likely to require social assistance. However, migrant-rights groups warn that the rule disproportionately affects low-income families and could encourage undocumented stays.
In practical terms, a family of four will need a sponsor earning roughly €5 100 net, a figure that many blue-collar and mid-level employees do not reach. Applicants who cannot meet the threshold may face refusals or lengthy appeal procedures, adding months to family-reunification timelines.
The policy applies across all three Belgian regions and affects both EU and non-EU sponsors, though students, recognised refugees and long-term residents remain subject to separate conditions.
Amid these tightened requirements, VisaHQ—a global visa and passport facilitation platform—can walk sponsors and their families through Belgium’s evolving paperwork maze. Its dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers step-by-step checklists, document templates and real-time support, helping applicants assemble salary certificates, bank statements and other evidence correctly the first time and avoid costly refusals or delays.
Immigration lawyers report a spike in requests for salary certificates and notarised bank statements as sponsors race to satisfy consular demands.
Multinational companies that routinely relocate staff to Belgium should alert assignees of the stricter scrutiny. HR teams may need to adjust relocation allowances or explore alternative visa categories (such as the EU Blue Card for spouses who qualify to work) to keep families together.
Longer term, the measure aligns Belgium with other EU states that front-load financial checks to deter arrivals likely to require social assistance. However, migrant-rights groups warn that the rule disproportionately affects low-income families and could encourage undocumented stays.
