For the tens of thousands of people who commute daily from France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands into Belgium, change is coming fast. The Interior Ministry’s Immigration Office (IBZ) published new regulations on 27 July that will take effect in August, replacing the ageing 1981 framework that still governs cross-border employment. The headline change is the phase-out of the familiar ‘Annex 15’ paper document. Frontier workers will now be required to hold a biometric long-stay D visa or Belgian residence card if they spend more than 90 days per 180 in the country. Those already resident in the neighbouring four countries will benefit from a 12-month grace period to switch to the new regime. The rules are stricter for UK residents. Post-Brexit, British frontier workers previously relied on Annex 15 to shuttle between Kent and Flanders. From August they must apply for a D-visa at the Belgian Embassy in London before taking up their next rotation. The embassy has warned of a summer appointment crunch, so employers should act swiftly. Why it matters: Large multinationals in Belgium’s logistics belt – including the port complexes of Zeebrugge and Antwerp and the pharmaceutical hubs around Liège – depend heavily on specialised technicians who live just across the border. The new visa requirement will lengthen lead times and add cost. HR teams should audit their mobile workforce, map who holds Annex 15 and schedule visa submissions well ahead of the July 2027 cut-off. Digital time-tracking will also become essential; exceeding the 90-day allowance without the correct permit will now trigger fines both for the worker and the Belgian host entity. Employers can take comfort in one modernisation: applications will be lodged via the ‘Working in Belgium’ single-window portal, eliminating multiple trips to provincial town halls. A pilot phase opens on 1 September, with full roll-out expected by year-end.
Source: Belgian Immigration Office (IBZ)
