Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt (N-VA) announced on 7 July that a disused Van der Valk hotel near the E17 motorway in Nazareth-De Pinte will be converted into a dedicated return centre with capacity for 300 migrants. The facility, scheduled to open in October, will accommodate people who transited other EU states before lodging an asylum request in Belgium and are therefore subject to transfer under the new Asylum and Migration Management Regulation.
![Belgium to open 300-bed return centre along E17, says Migration Minister Van Bossuyt]()
While the authorities focus on enforcement, travellers and employers can avoid complications from the outset by using VisaHQ’s Belgium portal, which streamlines visa, residence and work-permit applications and provides real-time advice on supporting documents and timelines. The service — available at — helps applicants stay compliant so they never enter the return pipeline in the first place.
The minister described the project as “a clear signal that secondary movement to Belgium is pointless,” adding that rapid-return capacity is essential to make the EU Migration Pact credible. Residents will receive basic shelter and legal counselling but will be expected to cooperate with identity verification and travel-document issuance. Average stay is projected at 30 days. Local authorities in East Flanders have demanded a federal fund to bolster policing and health-care services, while NGO Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen warns that the plan risks blurring the line between open reception and detention. The government counters that the site will not be a closed centre but will impose night-time curfews and electronic check-ins. For employers dealing with refused applicants or overstayers, the expansion of return infrastructure could shorten appeal timelines and reinforce the message that Belgium will strictly apply Dublin and AMMR rules. Companies are advised to audit compliance of posted-worker dossiers and student interns to avoid inadvertent status violations.
While the authorities focus on enforcement, travellers and employers can avoid complications from the outset by using VisaHQ’s Belgium portal, which streamlines visa, residence and work-permit applications and provides real-time advice on supporting documents and timelines. The service — available at — helps applicants stay compliant so they never enter the return pipeline in the first place.
The minister described the project as “a clear signal that secondary movement to Belgium is pointless,” adding that rapid-return capacity is essential to make the EU Migration Pact credible. Residents will receive basic shelter and legal counselling but will be expected to cooperate with identity verification and travel-document issuance. Average stay is projected at 30 days. Local authorities in East Flanders have demanded a federal fund to bolster policing and health-care services, while NGO Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen warns that the plan risks blurring the line between open reception and detention. The government counters that the site will not be a closed centre but will impose night-time curfews and electronic check-ins. For employers dealing with refused applicants or overstayers, the expansion of return infrastructure could shorten appeal timelines and reinforce the message that Belgium will strictly apply Dublin and AMMR rules. Companies are advised to audit compliance of posted-worker dossiers and student interns to avoid inadvertent status violations.
More From Belgium
View all
EU lets Member States keep partial suspension of EES biometrics through summer, easing pressure at Brussels Airport
EU allows partial suspension of biometric capture under Entry/Exit System until end of summer
