New salary limits for work permits as from January 1, 2023
Foreign employees who are not European Economic Area (EEA) citizens need a work permit or a single permit to work on the Belgian territory, unless they are exempt from this requirement.
Since July 1, 2014, the authority to grant a work permit or a single permit has been regionalized and each region can determine its own conditions to grant a work permit/single permit. They therefore also each determine the salary conditions that may apply to grant a work permit/single permit in their respective region (Brussels-Capital Region, Walloon Region and Flemish Region).
As from January 1, 2023, the following minimum gross salary limits will apply for the category of highly qualified staff, executives who want to work in Belgium and the employees who want to apply for an European blue card:
| Highly qualified staff | Executive staff | European blue card | |
| Brussels-Capital Region | € 47,174 | € 78,704 | € 60,998 |
| Walloon Region | € 47,175 | € 78,704 | € 60,998 |
| Flemish Region |
< 30 years: € 36,787.20 ≥ 30 years: € 45,984 |
€ 73,574 | € 55,181 |
In addition to these salary limits, other conditions must additionally be met in order for the employee to qualify for a work permit/single permit.
! Please note that the Flemish Ministry of Employment is experiencing a backlog in processing the applications. They have announced the following processing times on their website:
- First application for highly qualified staff: 7 weeks
- First application for the other categories: 9 weeks
- Extension highly qualified staff: 7 weeks
- Extension for the other categories: 7 weeks
The Foreigners Department has informed us that the processing time takes approximately 4-6 weeks from the moment they receive the file from the Ministry of Employment.
Do not hesitate to contact our legal department for more information on immigration at the following e-mail address: legal@propay.be.
