From next year, employers in Flanders will pay a new €180 administrative contribution every time they sponsor a non-EU national under Belgium’s Single-Permit system. Employment Minister Zuhal Demir announced the measure on 30 June 2026, arguing that “those who use the system must bear the cost, not the Flemish taxpayer.” The Single Permit – officially the ‘combined permit’ for residence and work – is Belgium’s main route for third-country nationals taking up local employment. Today applicants already pay a €152 federal fee that goes to the Immigration Office.
![Flemish Government adds €180 charge to each Single-Permit application for non-EU workers]()
For companies and assignees unsure how to tackle these evolving requirements, VisaHQ can help streamline the process. Via its user-friendly portal and in-house specialists, VisaHQ guides employers through Belgian work permit filings, monitors fee changes like Flanders’ new surcharge, and provides document checks to minimise delays. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/
The new Flemish levy raises the up-front cost per candidate to €332 before any legal or relocation expenses. Demir framed the decision as part of a broader drive to prioritise local recruitment and curb abuse. Earlier this year, Flanders barred most low-skilled and many medium-skilled profiles from outside the EU after revelations of wage dumping and human-trafficking in Antwerp’s petrochemical sector. Since January, medium-skilled applications have dropped 61 %, while highly-skilled requests – which Flanders still wants to attract – are up 12 %. Business groups are unconvinced. Employers’ federation Voka warns that processing already takes up to 15 weeks and that additional fees will deter SMEs competing globally for talent. Multinationals fear the precedent could spread to Belgium’s other regions, creating a patchwork of surcharges and complicating workforce-planning. Immigration advisers therefore recommend filing any outstanding Single-Permit requests before the regional order takes effect on 1 January 2027 and factoring the extra cost into 2027 budgets. For HR teams, the takeaway is clear: Belgium remains open for critical skills, but the price tag — and the scrutiny — are rising. Companies should audit their Flemish head-count forecasts, re-check salary thresholds and ensure staffing plans align with both federal and regional rules, which are diverging more sharply than ever.
For companies and assignees unsure how to tackle these evolving requirements, VisaHQ can help streamline the process. Via its user-friendly portal and in-house specialists, VisaHQ guides employers through Belgian work permit filings, monitors fee changes like Flanders’ new surcharge, and provides document checks to minimise delays. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/belgium/
The new Flemish levy raises the up-front cost per candidate to €332 before any legal or relocation expenses. Demir framed the decision as part of a broader drive to prioritise local recruitment and curb abuse. Earlier this year, Flanders barred most low-skilled and many medium-skilled profiles from outside the EU after revelations of wage dumping and human-trafficking in Antwerp’s petrochemical sector. Since January, medium-skilled applications have dropped 61 %, while highly-skilled requests – which Flanders still wants to attract – are up 12 %. Business groups are unconvinced. Employers’ federation Voka warns that processing already takes up to 15 weeks and that additional fees will deter SMEs competing globally for talent. Multinationals fear the precedent could spread to Belgium’s other regions, creating a patchwork of surcharges and complicating workforce-planning. Immigration advisers therefore recommend filing any outstanding Single-Permit requests before the regional order takes effect on 1 January 2027 and factoring the extra cost into 2027 budgets. For HR teams, the takeaway is clear: Belgium remains open for critical skills, but the price tag — and the scrutiny — are rising. Companies should audit their Flemish head-count forecasts, re-check salary thresholds and ensure staffing plans align with both federal and regional rules, which are diverging more sharply than ever.
