European Union citizens will be able to secure work contracts with greater ease in Belgium in June.
This modification is aimed at speeding up the procedure and facilitating the entry of EU citizens into the job market, by making it no longer necessary to produce a "registration certificate request" ahead of time at the municipality.
From June, EU citizens can sign a Belgian labour contract with their own national identity card or passport.
The move was included in a royal decree from the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, Nicole de Moor (CD&V), who announced it on Tuesday. The Secretary of State’s primary concern is to reduce unnecessary administrative procedures for incoming EU citizens.
"Many companies are short of hands today. If they want to recruit workers from EU countries, this must be possible quickly," State Secretary de Moor said. "We are therefore doing away with outdated and unnecessary procedures. This also means a lot less work for municipalities. If people want to contribute to our economy and prosperity, they must be able to do so quickly."
The text has already been discussed in the government but still needs to be formalised and will come into force by June, her cabinet clarified.
Freelancers and new employees
According to the Secretary of State’s statement, in 2023, 31,438 EU citizens secured work contracts in our country or started working as freelancers. It primarily involved Romanians (9,028 people), followed by the French (4,474), Spanish (2,828), Italians (2,740), Bulgarians (2,515), Poles (2,354), and Dutch (1,831).
Until now, the practice was that they first had to apply for registration at the municipal counter. There, they were given a temporary document, the 'application for a certificate of registration' or Annex 19.
With that document, they could then sign an employment contract with the employer. Then they had to go to the municipal counter again to apply for an electronic residence card with that employment contract. In short, a very cumbersome and burdensome procedure for all concerned.
By ensuring that EU citizens can immediately conclude a work contract, they can start working immediately. With that contract, they can then register in their municipality, De Moor underlined.
