Work permits – Indefinite term

If you belong to at least one of the two categories below, you are eligible for a single permit with an indefinite term:

Category 1

• You are legally residing in Belgium.
• You have been working for at least 4 of the 5 years prior to your application.
• You work on the basis of a work permit and/or a single permit.

Turkish nationals are subject to more lenient conditions based on the EU-Turkey Association Agreement. They can apply for a single permit of indefinite duration as early as after three years of employment. This period is further reduced by one year, to two years, if the spouse or registered partner or children together with the Turkish national reside lawfully in Belgium.

Category 2

• You’ve been granted the status of long-term resident citizen(opens in new window) in a different member state of the European Union.
• You legally reside in Belgium.
• You were working in Belgium for at least 12 months in the 18 months prior to your application.
• You work on the basis of a work permit and/or a single permit.

Were you incapacitated for work during your employment? Then we also consider this period to be a work period if you meet the following conditions:

• Your incapacity was the result of:
  • illness
  • a work-related illness, or
  • a work-related accident.
• You became incapacitated at a time when you were regularly employed by your Belgium-based employer.

The periods below are not eligible for inclusion in an application for a single permit with an indefinite term.

• You worked without an employment contract. For example, if you worked as an adolescent au pair or a trainee.
• You worked on secondment and were therefore still employed by your foreign employer.
• Your right to work came from your specific residence situation (in Dutch)(opens in new window).

Submit your application for a single permit with an indefinite term yourself, online: working in Belgium.