Profile

Single permit – highly skilled worker

Route status

Active as of 2026-08-13[8][10]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Gecombineerde vergunning – hooggeschoolde / Permis unique – personnel hautement qualifie as of 2026-08-13[8][10]
Dutch and French. The Regions name the category, not a separate permit: the title issued is the ordinary single permit (A card).
Official name (English)Single permit – highly skilled worker as of 2026-08-13[8]
Translation of the Flemish and Walloon category names; the Immigration Office publishes no separate English name because the residence instrument is the single permit.
Legal basisLoi du 15 decembre 1980, art. 61/25-1 to 61/25-7; Besluit van de Vlaamse Regering van 7 december 2018 (Flemish Region); Ordonnance du 1er fevrier 2024 relative a la migration economique and Arrete du 16 mai 2024 (Brussels-Capital Region); Arrete du Gouvernement wallon du 6 juin 2024 (Walloon Region) as of 2026-06-24[1][2][9][10]
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-08-13[5]
An A card, as for the ordinary single permit; the EU Blue Card's H card is a different title and a different route.

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this routeEU, EEA, EFTA as of 2026-08-13[2][8][10]
Criminal-record conditionYes as of 2026-08-13[5][7]
An extract from the criminal record, legalised and translated, is required for applicants over 18; the Flemish administration requires it to be less than six months old at filing.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial durationNot established from a qualifying source[8]
Set by the Region with the employment contract; no statutory figure attaches to the category.
How the initial term is setmatches the contract
RenewableYes as of 2026-08-13[5]
Renewal is applied for through the employer at the latest two months before the A card expires; the salary floor is retested against the year in which the renewal is filed.
Maximum total durationup to 5 years as of 2026-08-13[5]
Of the limited-duration phase only: after five years the residence permit is renewed for an unlimited period and a B card issues. Same rule as the ordinary single permit.
Work rightsemployment only as of 2026-08-13[5][8]
Dependent employment with the named employer. Self-employment requires a professional card from the competent Region.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceYes as of 2026-06-24[1]
Aliens Act art. 15bis, para 1, al. 2 does not exclude residence for employment from the five-year count for EU long-term resident status.

Requirements

Requirements
Job offer requiredYes as of 2026-08-13[8][10]
A dated and signed employment contract, drawn up in the language of the Region where the employer is established, is part of the application.
Salary threshold
    • Measured against: statistical average
    • Amount: 1 × average gross annual salary in Belgium per year as of 2026-08-13[8]
      Flemish Region: 100% of the average gross annual salary in Belgium – EUR 48,912 on the figure the Flemish portal states still governs 2026 applications.
    • Measured against: statistical average
    • Amount: 0.80 × average gross annual salary in Belgium per year as of 2026-08-13[8]
      Flemish Region: reduced floor of 80% – EUR 39,129.60 – for a worker under 30 at the time of application.
    • Measured against: statistical average
    • Amount: 0.78 × average gross monthly salary in the Brussels-Capital Region per month as of 2026-08-13[2]
      Brussels-Capital Region: 78% of the average gross monthly salary in the Brussels-Capital Region – EUR 3,703.44 per month from 1 January 2026, unchanged from 2025. Brussels counts only the basic monthly pay, DMFA code 1.
    • Measured against: set by decree or programme rules
    • Amount: EUR 53,220 per year as of 2026-08-10[10][11]
      Walloon Region: EUR 53,220 gross per year from 1 January 2026, up from EUR 51,613 in 2025. The Walloon administration publishes this as a bare indexed figure and names no benchmark behind it, unlike Flanders and Brussels, which both express their floors as a percentage of a published average wage.
    • Measured against: set by decree or programme rules
    • Amount: EUR 42,576 per year as of 2026-08-10[11]
      Walloon Region: junior floor, 80% of the ordinary figure – EUR 42,576 – for a worker under 30 at the time of application.
Labour-market testNo as of 2026-08-13[8][10]
Neither the Flemish nor the Walloon condition set requires the employer to show that the post could not be filled locally; the qualification and salary conditions replace that test.
Qualification requirementdegree, equivalent experience as of 2026-08-13[8][10]
Employer sponsorshipYes as of 2026-08-13[8]
The employer files the application; a foreign-based employer must appoint an agent resident in Belgium.

Process

Process
Where to apply fromeither as of 2026-08-13[5]
As for the ordinary single permit: the employer files through the one-stop counter; a worker abroad then collects a type D visa, a worker already lawfully resident in Belgium files domestically.
Statutory processing time4 months as of 2026-06-24[1][5]
Aliens Act art. 61/25-5, para 2, with positive silence if no unfavourable decision issues in time. The category does not shorten the federal clock.
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: EUR 152 as of 2026-08-13[3][4]
      Federal contribution fee (redevance / bijdrage) under Aliens Act art. 1/1, indexed on 1 January each year to the consumer price index. Payable per person; one fee only for a family applying jointly on the same legal basis where the partners are married or legal cohabitants. Non-payment makes the application inadmissible, and the fee is not refunded on refusal or abandonment. Children under 18 are exempt.
    • Charged per: applicant
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: federal residence-processing fee, art. 1/1, para 2, 11 (art. 61/25-1 applications); EUR 148 in 2025
Quota
  • Quota exists: No as of 2026-08-13[8][11]
    No Region publishes a numerical cap for this category; the salary floor is the filter.

Physical presence

Physical presence
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-08-13[1][5]
Neither the Aliens Act nor the administering authority imposes a minimum physical presence or an absence ceiling on this permit itself. The residence permit terminates automatically 90 days after the Region terminates the work authorisation. The country-level right-of-return rule of Aliens Act art. 19 applies to every residence title and is recorded at country level.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-08-13[1][6]
Family reunification runs off the general regime of Aliens Act art. 10bis, para 2, not off this instrument: the holder of a limited-duration residence title is a sponsor within that provision. The conditions – stable, regular and sufficient means at 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income plus 10% per additional dependant, sufficient housing meeting the legal safety and health criteria, and health insurance covering all risks in Belgium for the sponsor and the family – are recorded on be-family-reunification-limited-stay-sponsor.
Eligible relationsspouse, registered partner, minor child, adult dependent child as of 2026-08-13[1][6]
Aliens Act art. 10bis, para 2 admits the family members listed in art. 10, para 1, al. 1, 6, a) to e): the spouse and the registered partner, both at least 21, their common minor children, the minor children of either where parental authority and custody are held, and an unmarried disabled child over 18 who produces a certificate from a doctor approved by the Belgian diplomatic post. adult_dependent_child carries that last limb; the vocabulary has no narrower value for it.
Family may apply at the same timeNot established from a qualifying source
Family members' work rightsNot established from a qualifying source

Your next step

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited11
of which official (tier 1)11
Oldest as-of date2026-06-24
Newest as-of date2026-08-13
Reviewed on2026-08-17
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Loi du 15 décembre 1980 sur l'accès au territoire, le séjour, l'établissement et l'éloignement des étrangers — consolidated text (Justel), updated to 24 June 2026
    Service public fédéral Justice (Moniteur belge / Justel) · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-24 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  2. [2] Remuneration minimum – permis unique
    Bruxelles Economie et Emploi / Brussel Economie en Werkgelegenheid, Service public regional de Bruxelles · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-19
  3. [3] Contribution fee
    Immigration Office (Office des Etrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), FPS Home Affairs · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  4. [4] Contribution fee indexation
    Immigration Office (Office des Etrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), FPS Home Affairs · official guidance · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  5. [5] Single permit
    Immigration Office (Office des Etrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), FPS Home Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  6. [6] Work – third-country nationals
    Immigration Office (Office des Etrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), FPS Home Affairs · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  7. [7] Een buitenlander in Vlaanderen tewerkstellen: Europese blauwe kaart
    Government of Flanders (Vlaamse overheid), Department of Work and Social Economy · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  8. [8] Een buitenlander in Vlaanderen tewerkstellen: hooggeschoolde
    Government of Flanders (Vlaamse overheid), Department of Work and Social Economy · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  9. [9] Wetgeving – een buitenlander in Vlaanderen tewerkstellen
    Government of Flanders (Vlaamse overheid), Department of Work and Social Economy · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  10. [10] Personnel hautement qualifie
    Service public de Wallonie – Emploi et Formation professionnelle · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-13
  11. [11] Autorisations de travail et permis de travail B : seuils salariaux a respecter par les employeurs
    Service public de Wallonie – Emploi et Formation professionnelle · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-10 · Accessed 2026-08-13

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