At a glance
If your main home is outside the EU, an eligible seasonal job may allow a temporary stay in Belgium. Short stays can last up to 90 days. A long-stay seasonal permit covers more than 90 days, with a maximum of 150 days in any 365-day period.
- Employer
- A Belgian employer must support the application
- First check
- A genuine seasonal job in a sector and category accepted by the relevant region.
- Main home
- Outside the EU; the worker must also be outside the EU for the initial application
Summary
A Belgian employer can apply for a worker whose main home remains outside the EU to fill an accepted seasonal position. Regional rules determine which sectors, jobs and pay conditions qualify; a business being busier in summer is not enough by itself. Earnings, suitable housing and health coverage form part of the application.
Short seasonal stays can last up to ninety days, while the long-stay category is limited to 150 days in a 365-day period. Work is tied to the approved seasonal employment, and the worker must return to their main home afterward. The permit is not a route for an ordinary year-round job.
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Confirm qualifying seasonal work Check the relevant region's rules and the worker's required position outside the EU.
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Check the permitted dates Include earlier seasonal stays when calculating the 150-days-in-365 limit.
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Employer submits the long-stay file Provide work, resources, housing, insurance, medical, and background evidence.
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Complete entry and local registration If approved Obtain the required visa and register after arrival.
The stay limit is separate from processing time. A job's summer peak alone does not make it a recognized seasonal position.
Eligibility
A qualifying case generally needs:
- A genuine seasonal job in a sector and category accepted by the relevant region.
- A Belgian employer willing to file the application.
- Main residence outside the EU and presence outside the EU at the initial application.
- A valid passport and payment of the applicable residence fee.
- Sufficient resources, assessed mainly through expected seasonal earnings.
- Health insurance covering all risks in Belgium.
- Adequate Belgian housing meeting main-residence standards.
- A medical certificate and, for an adult, a criminal-record document no more than six months old, with legalization (official checks confirming a document's origin for use abroad) and translation where required.
Regional rules determine which seasonal sectors, occupations, wage conditions, and employer evidence qualify. A job being busiest during summer is not enough by itself.
More about this route
For a long stay, the Belgian employer files a single application through the relevant regional authority. The region decides the work component and the federal Immigration Office decides the residence component. The worker must be outside the EU when the initial long-stay application is filed.
The official process has a decision period of up to 90 days for a complete ordinary file, or 60 days for a returning seasonal worker who complied with the rules during a Belgian seasonal stay in the previous five years.
What This Route Allows
Approval authorizes residence and work in the approved seasonal employment. After arrival, the worker registers with the commune, normally within eight working days, and receives an A card after the address check; Annex 49 temporarily covers the stay while the card is produced.
The permit may be renewed or a new employer may apply, but the total can never exceed 150 days in the same 365-day period. A renewal should be filed no later than one month before the permit ends.
What This Route Is Not
This is not an ordinary year-round work permit, a general six-month visitor-with-work route, or a direct settlement strategy. At the end of the seasonal authorization, the worker must return to the main residence outside the EU.
The permit does not authorize any employer or occupation. The work authorization and residence authorization remain linked to the approved seasonal basis.
Next Steps
- Ask the employer which region is responsible and for the regional rule showing that the job qualifies as seasonal.
- Confirm the planned dates against the 150-days-in-365 cap, including any earlier Belgian seasonal stay.
- Arrange compliant housing and comprehensive insurance before filing.
- Obtain the medical and recent criminal-record documents early; legalization and translations can take time.
- Have the employer submit the complete application at least 90 days before the proposed start where possible.
- If approved abroad, obtain the D visa and register with the commune promptly after arrival.
- File any renewal at least one month before expiry and leave Belgium when the final seasonal period ends.
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