All nine distribution centres in Brussels remained blocked on 23 April as industrial action at Belgium’s postal operator Bpost entered its fourth week. The walk-out—sparked by proposed roster changes to accommodate booming parcel volumes—has halted delivery of mail and ID documents across the capital and has spread to pockets of Flanders and most of Wallonia. For globally-mobile employees the disruption is more than an inconvenience: biometric residence cards, work-permit letters and bank PIN codes are all dispatched by registered post. According to relocation firms, more than 3 000 newly-arrived assignees are waiting for residence cards needed to complete municipality registration and open bank accounts. Several HR departments have resorted to arranging in-person collection at municipal offices, though quotas are limited.
![Bpost strike paralyses Brussels postal network, delaying residence cards]()
Amid the uncertainty, global mobility teams might also consider leveraging specialist facilitation services. VisaHQ, for example, can coordinate courier pick-ups outside the postal network and provide real-time tracking for Belgian visas and residence permits—see https://www.visahq.com/belgium/ for details. This extra layer of support can help bridge the gap until normal Bpost operations resume.
Negotiations between management and the three unions resumed this morning, with a revised proposal due for member votes on 24 April. Even if a deal is reached, Bpost warns it will take at least a week to clear the backlog—longer for secure items that require chain-of-custody handling. FedEx and DHL report a 22 % spike in intra-Belgium express shipments as corporates divert critical documents. Companies are advised to issue signed confirmation letters and digital immigration approvals that employees can show landlords, banks and police during checks. Mobility teams should also notify insurers, as some private health policies require physical residence-card numbers to activate coverage. Longer-term, the strike underscores Belgium’s vulnerability to single-point-of-failure logistics for official documents. Business lobby VBO-FEB is urging the Interior Ministry to accelerate plans to allow in-person collection of residence cards at town halls nationwide—a practice already common in neighbouring Netherlands.
Amid the uncertainty, global mobility teams might also consider leveraging specialist facilitation services. VisaHQ, for example, can coordinate courier pick-ups outside the postal network and provide real-time tracking for Belgian visas and residence permits—see https://www.visahq.com/belgium/ for details. This extra layer of support can help bridge the gap until normal Bpost operations resume.
Negotiations between management and the three unions resumed this morning, with a revised proposal due for member votes on 24 April. Even if a deal is reached, Bpost warns it will take at least a week to clear the backlog—longer for secure items that require chain-of-custody handling. FedEx and DHL report a 22 % spike in intra-Belgium express shipments as corporates divert critical documents. Companies are advised to issue signed confirmation letters and digital immigration approvals that employees can show landlords, banks and police during checks. Mobility teams should also notify insurers, as some private health policies require physical residence-card numbers to activate coverage. Longer-term, the strike underscores Belgium’s vulnerability to single-point-of-failure logistics for official documents. Business lobby VBO-FEB is urging the Interior Ministry to accelerate plans to allow in-person collection of residence cards at town halls nationwide—a practice already common in neighbouring Netherlands.
