Belgium’s northern region flipped the switch on a completely redesigned Single-Permit portal on 5 January, completing a three-year overhaul of its economic-migration code. For the first time employers can file fixed-term, intra-corporate-transfer and unlimited-duration work-and-residence permits from a single dashboard that plugs directly into the national social-security database and accepts eID signatures.
The new platform replaces a notorious patchwork of PDF forms, email drop-boxes and courier runs that once stretched processing times well past the statutory 60 days. Flemish officials predict a 20–30 percent time saving once staff finish training on the back-end. The upgrade coincides with legislative changes that shorten labour-market tests for shortage occupations, tighten salary-threshold validation and allow assignees who have held Single Permits for five years to convert to indefinite status entirely online.
Companies and assignees looking for hands-on support during this transition can lean on VisaHQ’s Belgium desk, which already integrates directly with the Flemish portal and can pre-check salary thresholds, biometric data and eID credentials before submission. The service’s online wizard at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/ also covers Brussels-Capital and Wallonia, letting HR managers bundle multiple work-permit and visa requests into a single cart, track status in real time and arrange courier pickups where hard copies remain mandatory.
![Flanders Launches Fully Digital Single-Permit Portal, Unlocking Unlimited-Duration Work & Residence Authorisations]()
For multinationals the implications are immediate and financial. Bulk Q1 assignment filings—traditionally a courier nightmare—can now be uploaded in minutes, with real-time validation of each worker’s salary against sector benchmarks. That should reduce the risk of surprise rejections that can derail project start-dates. However, global-mobility managers must maintain parallel paper workflows for Brussels-Capital and Wallonia, which still rely on hard-copy files; the federal government is expected to nudge the other regions onto the same IT backbone within 18 months.
Early users report a learning curve: blurry scans are automatically rejected, and each company representative must authenticate with a Belgian eID or Itsme account. Advisers suggest building extra lead time into January submissions and scheduling internal ‘portal-training sprints’ for HR staff.
Nevertheless, stakeholders agree the system propels Belgium towards the EU’s goal of fully digital residence-permit processing by 2030 and strengthens Flanders’ bid to attract high-skilled talent in AI, biotech and green tech.
The new platform replaces a notorious patchwork of PDF forms, email drop-boxes and courier runs that once stretched processing times well past the statutory 60 days. Flemish officials predict a 20–30 percent time saving once staff finish training on the back-end. The upgrade coincides with legislative changes that shorten labour-market tests for shortage occupations, tighten salary-threshold validation and allow assignees who have held Single Permits for five years to convert to indefinite status entirely online.
Companies and assignees looking for hands-on support during this transition can lean on VisaHQ’s Belgium desk, which already integrates directly with the Flemish portal and can pre-check salary thresholds, biometric data and eID credentials before submission. The service’s online wizard at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/ also covers Brussels-Capital and Wallonia, letting HR managers bundle multiple work-permit and visa requests into a single cart, track status in real time and arrange courier pickups where hard copies remain mandatory.
For multinationals the implications are immediate and financial. Bulk Q1 assignment filings—traditionally a courier nightmare—can now be uploaded in minutes, with real-time validation of each worker’s salary against sector benchmarks. That should reduce the risk of surprise rejections that can derail project start-dates. However, global-mobility managers must maintain parallel paper workflows for Brussels-Capital and Wallonia, which still rely on hard-copy files; the federal government is expected to nudge the other regions onto the same IT backbone within 18 months.
Early users report a learning curve: blurry scans are automatically rejected, and each company representative must authenticate with a Belgian eID or Itsme account. Advisers suggest building extra lead time into January submissions and scheduling internal ‘portal-training sprints’ for HR staff.
Nevertheless, stakeholders agree the system propels Belgium towards the EU’s goal of fully digital residence-permit processing by 2030 and strengthens Flanders’ bid to attract high-skilled talent in AI, biotech and green tech.
