Visa requirements for visits to Belgium of up to 90 days are shown on The Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation website.

For all visits of longer than 90 days a visa is required for non-EU citizens. With the exception of Cyprus and Malta, nationals of the new European Union Member States (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia) are currently subject to transition arrangements lasting two years and require a long-stay visa for Belgium. However, self-employed persons are exempt from the visa requirement.

EU citizens and the nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are allowed to enter Belgium freely to live and work, along with their spouse and children under 21 years of age, without requiring a visa or work permit. They must, however, have a valid passport or identity card, evidence of health insurance and proof that they are able to maintain themselves in Belgium without resort to social services.

The nationals of other countries who wish to live in Belgium for more than three months are required to apply to the Belgian consulate in their home countries for a visa, submitting their work permit, a certificate of good conduct covering the last five years and a medical certificate, along with any other documents specified by the Belgian authorities. The work permit must be obtained on the employee's behalf by the Belgium-based employer, from the relevant regional employment authorities. In general, the employer will be required to demonstrate that no suitable Belgian national is available for the post.

Changes in the rules relating to the employment of certain non-EU nationals were recently announced by the Belgian federal government, and will come into effect in 2006. These apply to academic researchers employed by a Belgian university or research facility, and managers who are employed by a multinational with a European head office in Belgium, who will no longer need to obtain a work permit.