Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels each set their own salary requirements for the Single Permit and the EU Blue Card. Where the employee works determines which figure applies.
- Regional work permit thresholds
- Single Permit procedure
- Why do work permit salary thresholds differ within Belgium?
Belgium applies a flat 25% corporate tax rate, with a reduced 20% rate on the first €100,000 of profit for qualifying small companies — a federal framework applied uniformly regardless of region. The more material regional variable for employers is not tax but immigration: Belgium's three regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) and the German-speaking Community each set their own salary thresholds for non-EU work permits, revised independently and on different schedules.
What a foreign hire has to satisfy in Belgium. Every figure below is published on the Belgium country page.
| Belgium | |
|---|---|
| EU Blue Card threshold | €55,052/year (Flanders) · €68,815/year (Wallonia) · €4,748/month (Brussels) — varies by region |
| Main work-permit route | The Single Permit procedure and EU Blue Card are the main routes for non-EU hires, with region-specific salary thresholds (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels) |
| Minimum wage | €1,955/month gross (national inter-professional minimum, 2026) |
| Official languages | Dutch, French, German |
| Legal forms | BV/SRL · NV/SA |
What makes it complex in Belgium
- Regional work permit thresholds — set independently by Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels and the German-speaking Community, each on its own update schedule.
- Single Permit procedure — for non-EU hires, requiring joint regional and federal approval within a four-month window.
Why do work permit salary thresholds differ within Belgium?
Belgium's three regions — Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels — and the German-speaking Community each independently set minimum salary requirements for non-EU work and Single Permit applications. These figures are revised on different schedules and must be confirmed for the specific region where the employee will actually work, not assumed uniform across the country.
What is Belgium's "salary margin" and how does it affect compensation planning?
Belgium sets a biennial cap on how much average total salary cost can grow across the economy, currently 0% for 2025-2026. This restricts blanket salary cost increases, though mandatory indexation and certain bonus types are exempt from the cap.
Regional work permit thresholds is one of the points HTLC Network handles for clients operating in Belgium, within a single engagement that covers every other country they operate in — executed locally, governed centrally.
In Belgium the scope is: Single Permit and EU Blue Card applications, region-specific salary threshold compliance, and coordination for internationally mobile employees.
See Workforce Mobility in Belgium for the full scope, or the Belgium country page for the statutory framework across every service.
Figures as published on the HTLC Network country pages, reviewed September 2026 and collected from public sources. They are not a substitute for advice on a specific case and should be verified before being relied on.