Belgium raises Visa D fee to €250 as Flanders adds a €180 single-permit charge

Moving to Belgium for work is getting more expensive on two fronts. The handling fee for a long-stay Visa D rose from €180 to €250 for applications lodged from 1 July 2026. Separately, Flanders is introducing a €180 processing fee (retribution) per single-permit application from 1 September 2026 – covering both first applications and renewals – with annual indexation from 2027. The changes were reported in KPMG’s GMS Flash Alert of 29 July and corroborated by RSM Belgium and Erickson Immigration; Brussels and Wallonia have not announced equivalent regional fees so far.

Why this matters

For non-EU nationals taking up employment in Flanders – including remote workers being localised onto Belgian contracts by their employers – the combined cost of a first application rises materially from September: €250 for the visa plus €180 for the Flemish permit processing, on top of existing costs, and the €180 recurs at every renewal. Employers and applicants with Flanders-bound moves in the pipeline may want to lodge single-permit applications before 1 September where feasible. Confirm the current fee schedule on official Belgian government channels (dofi.ibz.be and the Flemish work-permit portal) before budgeting, as regional practice can shift.

Context

Belgium does not offer a digital nomad visa, so the single-permit route is the standard path for non-EU employees, and fee levels feed directly into relocation economics. The rise fits a wider 2026 pattern of European states increasing immigration fees and tightening administration rather than changing eligibility rules – seen this year in fee and threshold adjustments across several member states.