Registering in Belgium starts with two details: the municipality where you actually live and the reason you have a right to stay. An Irish employee, a French jobseeker and an Indian national arriving on a single permit may live in the same building and still need three different files.
Find the counter that covers your front door
Look up the municipality on your tenancy or address documents. In Brussels, the City of Brussels and neighbouring communes such as Ixelles and Etterbeek have separate administrations. Use the foreigners’ service for your home address. If you are in a hotel or staying with a friend, give the municipality the address, start date and type of accommodation. Ask what evidence it accepts and how to meet your deadline while it checks. Federal guidance on principal residence.
EU citizens: bring the complete file
If you are an EU citizen settling for more than three months, apply within three months of arriving. Since September 2025, applicants must present the evidence for their residence status when lodging the application. Put your ID and status documents together before booking. A passport on its own will rarely settle the question. EU guidance on the application deadline · Belgian legal change.
For example, the City of Brussels asks a salaried EU employee for a passport or national ID, a recent compliant photo and an employment contract or employer’s certificate. Its employee page specifies the contract conditions and links to the booking service. A posted worker should check the separate route mentioned there. City of Brussels employee checklist and appointments.
For a jobseeker, the same city asks for proof of registration with an employment service or copies of applications. A student, a self-employed person or someone living on savings should select the relevant status before assembling evidence. For a family moving together, ask what each person needs, especially if family members hold different nationalities. City jobseeker checklist · Brussels Welcome Desk status guide.
Non-EU arrivals: check the code on the visa
If you entered on a D visa, Belgian consular guidance says to present yourself to the municipality within eight days of entry. In the City of Brussels, the single-permit worker route begins through IRISbox. The city has a separate route for other D-visa workers and another for students. Start from the page matching your documents. Save the submission receipt and bring the originals requested in your invitation. D visa arrival instructions · Single-permit workers · Other D-visa workers · Students with a D visa.
What happens after the appointment?
In the City of Brussels, police check that you live at the address you declared. Make your surname visible on the bell and letterbox. Ask which temporary document you receive and whether you must book again to order your residence card. If you move during the process, contact the office handling the file and give the date of the move.
Before you leave the counter, check the spelling of your name, the flat number and how the office will contact you. A correct email address is worth checking twice when your next appointment depends on an invitation. For the rest of the move, see Together’s guide to settling in Belgium.
More in this series First 30 days in Belgium · Your first GP visit.
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