Belgium: Employees in Walloon Region Can Now Work Immediately Upon Receipt of a Single Permit

As of April 5, 2024, employees in the Walloon Region of Belgium can work immediately upon arrival in the country (provided they already have a work authorization and an ‘Annex 46’ residency permit). Previously, to be eligible to work, such individuals had to first obtain their ‘Annex 49’ certificate (a document which attests that the applicant has started the residence registration process at their local town hall). Employees in the country’s two other regions (Brussels and Flanders) were already able to work immediately upon arrival if they had a work authorization and an ‘Annex 46’ residency permit. This change is likely to make the onboarding process simpler and faster for businesses and employees in the Walloon Region as the process of sourcing an Annex 49 had required individuals to first secure permanent accommodation and was delayed due to capacity issues at local townhalls.