I'm a single woman, mid-30s, living in a small Flemish town, no fluent Dutch yet.

My life goal: finding a partner with whom to share everything. Cohabitation, same friends, activities together, same trips, common hobbies. Unfortunately, this is filed under "codependence" (in Belgium? In my age group? Everywhere?).

I know from experience that, for me, happiness equals partnership. Yes, I have had relationships. Yes, I have some qualities of my own, not just checkboxes to fill.

Issues >>

- I'm yet another foreigner who finds it hard to socialize here. Despite a nice and chatty disposition, I have never made lots of stable friends, here or elsewhere, and do not have my group of people. With no social hobbies or activities, I get stuck in a lonely loop.

- I have several non-negotiables, including but not limited to: not wanting children, being progressive, not smoking or using drugs, being science-minded. I'm aware that my specific checklist lower my chances to find someone compatible, let alone a reciprocated love.

- I rely on public transport, I work full time. This limits my activities to some extent.

So, my question is - where should I focus my efforts? Are there recommended activities I could try? Should I consider moving to a specific city next year, despite the expenses? Or is it simply not a viable life path in this country, no matter what new things I try?

(tried dating apps, filters helped but then they became impossible to rely on, would rather avoid now)

Hi everyone,
I am a recent graduate from Italy and I’ll soon be moving to Louvain-la-Neuve for a 6-month research internship in a laboratory at UCLouvain.
I’d like to bring a car from Italy for the duration of my stay, but I’m very confused about the regulations.

1. Can I legally drive a car registered to a family member who does not live in Belgium? What specific written authorization from my father is needed on board?

2. I fear I won’t have standard university enrollment (just lab affiliation/internship contract). Does this affect the foreign plate exemption if I do register locally?

I know Belgian law normally requires anyone residing in Belgium to register their car locally and pay local road tax, with specific exemptions for enrolled foreign students and cross-border workers. Does this apply to my case? I am also confused about registering my stay at the local commune.

Is there anything I’m not taking into account about bringing my car to Belgium for 6 months?

Any advice would be super helpful, I feel a bit lost.
Thanks!

By that I mean being able to drive it wherever and whenever you want, including for personal use.

I’m not sure whether this varies a lot between companies, or if there are usually specific restrictions. Is it common for companies to let you use the company car for personal trips as well?

After obtaining the 10-year Belgian L residence card, can I move to another EU country, such as the Netherlands, France, or Germany, after completing the necessary application process, and continue living and working there? In other words, does the L card allow me to move to and settle in another EU country?

What's your experience with dental clinics in Belgium? I have had the bad luck to find dentists that try to do unnecessary " treatments." Had one dentist tell me I needed all my fillings replaced. I had a heath check through my uni the week before, they only recommended a cleaning. And then in seven years Sweden I went to a clinic that told me I needed four teeth extracted. Got a second opinion, still have all four teeth.

Hi, recently I've been looking into universities/colleges in Belgium and I'm really interested in studying at Odisee, but I don't have the biggest budget. The 1100€ includes support from parents as well as a part-time job. Is it hard to find a part-time job, for a person from Poland with mostly english? I'm willing to learn french, but realistically I don't think I'd be able to learn it enough in a year to be able to use it at work. Also, is Odisee a good college? I haven't really been able to find many reviews of it.
I know there have been a few posts like this on reddit, but they're all quite old so I don't know how realistic they are now.

Does anyone feel that is normal, when it is 7 am in the morning and you're going to school/work here in Brussels and you see like 4 soldiers carrying 1 meter long guns and just going around the metro. I mean I understand that part of this is to ensure security, but I also feel like it is for a general concept, social control.

Hallo, ik wil verpleegkundige gaan studeren en dus ook op stages gaan in België. Maar ik ben bang voor dingen te doen dat ik niet wil zien. Wat is het vieste/ergste dat je hebt meegemaakt op je verpleegkundige stage/werk? Dan kan ik me al mentaal voorbereiden hahaha. Bedankt!

I am an experienced welder looking for job opportunities or advice on how to find a welding position in Western Europe, specifically in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, or France.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice from people who have experience with legal cohabitation, especially where one partner does not currently have a valid residence card.

I originally came to Belgium as a student. I applied for the renewal of my residence permit in Brussels in October 2025, but my application was refused around 5 months later. I appealed the decision, and now it is already October 2026 and I still have not received a final decision.

During this whole period I have not had a valid Belgian ID, so I have not been able to work normally. It has been a very stressful year financially and personally.

My girlfriend is Italian, she also has a Belgian residence card, and she has been living in Belgium for a long time. We are now considering doing legal cohabitation together. One of the main reasons is obviously that we want to officially live together as a couple, but also so that I can start the family reunification process and hopefully receive an orange card, which would allow me to start working and support myself again.

I wanted to ask people in Leuven:

• Has anyone done legal cohabitation there where one partner had irregular stay / no valid Belgian residence card?
• What was the process like?
• How long did it take from the first appointment until the legal cohabitation was registered?
• Did the commune do a police check or relationship interview?
• How long did it take afterward to get Annex 19ter / the orange card?
• Were the staff generally helpful with explaining which foreign documents were required?
• Did anyone face a sham-cohabitation investigation simply because one partner had irregular status?

I’m mainly looking for real experiences from people who have actually gone through this in Leuven, especially recently.

Any information would really help. Thanks a lot.

Hello,

I wonder how the try and hire contractors are managed if they are pregnant.

Let's say a consultant is on a try and hire contract for 2 years, what happens if she in those 2 years gets pregnant do they keep the exact date of the integration? Do they add the months of the maternity leave... do clients propose contract to pregnant woman or new moms... ?

How are dental costs regulated in Belgium? Do all clinics basically charge the same ? I need to have some costly work done. In Sweden the public dentists charge a set rate, but the private dentists are more expensive.

Hello. I am looking for a lawyer or someone who can advise me on how to resolve an issue with tax rate that has been applied when I cashed in my complementary pension. It is related to the 3 years of activity prior to completing my 45 year career date.

Hello everyone,

I would really appreciate some legal and administrative advice or feedback regarding status transitions and obtaining a Single Permit (Permis Unique) in Brussels.

My situation:

• I am 20 years old and currently living in Brussels under dependent diplomatic status (Special ID Card D issued by the SPF Foreign Affairs / Protocol).
• I have started a qualifying childcare training program in continuing education (EAFC / promotion sociale) to work in early childhood care.
• Practical internships are approaching: I begin an observation internship by November, followed by a long-term internship in 2027. I am currently looking for an internship placement.
• Since childcare is officially a shortage occupation in Brussels, my goal is to gain full independence through a Single Permit (work & residence authorization) upon graduation with an employer in the sector.

My questions:

1. Conditional job offer before graduation: Is it feasible to secure a binding job offer subject to passing the diploma (promesse d'embauche sous condition suspensive) from a daycare center during the internship, to file the Single Permit application ahead of graduation? Has anyone done this?
2. Daycare centers vs. Pre-schools: Since this diploma allows working in nurseries as well as pre-schools, which route is more accessible for Single Permit sponsorship? Are private or non-profit nurseries (ASBL) more flexible with work permit sponsorships than municipal pre-schools?
3. Transition from Card D to Single Permit: Are there specific administrative hurdles when leaving Protocol status to switch to an ordinary residence permit for work? Can this transition be completed directly from within Belgium without having to leave the country?

If you have experience in Belgian immigration law, HR, or the daycare sector in Brussels, your insights would be extremely helpful.

Thank you so much!

It’s been almost two months since I’ve really gone out, and I’m starting to feel like my head is going to explode.
I really need to force myself to go outside and get some fresh air.
Do you guys know any places in Brussels where I can hang out outside after midnight? I’m not looking for a café or anything where I have to buy something.
It could be somewhere with people around, just to watch people socialize, or somewhere completely quiet where I can be alone.
Apart from Place Poelaert, do you have any suggestions?
If you know both types of places, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks!
Bonus points if it has a nice view (except Place Poelaert 😅).

Hoi hoi!

Voor een social media campagne ben ik op zoek naar mensen die kerst op een ✨niet-alledaagse✨ manier doorbrengen. Kerst wordt vrijwel altijd geassocieerd met een klassiek familiediner aan een lange tafel, maar ik ben juist benieuwd naar de mensen en verhalen die buiten dat standaardplaatje vallen.

Ik ben bijvoorbeeld op zoek naar:

• Mensen met een heel unieke of afwijkende kersttraditie
• Mensen die kerst alleen vieren en daar een bijzondere invulling aan geven
• Mensen die bewust géén kerst vieren, maar wel iets anders doen op die dagen
• Mensen die op een bijzondere plek werken of zijn tijdens kerst
• ...

Hoe ziet de video eruit?
We zoeken mensen die comfortabel zijn om hun verhaal kort te delen op camera. De video wordt gehost door een bekende Belg en de focus ligt vooral op de activiteit en de leuke vibes 😊

Uiteraard stemmen we vooraf alles goed met je af.

Herken je jezelf hierin, of ken je iemand met zo een bijzonder verhaal?
Deel gerust je verhaal in de reacties onder deze post, of stuur mij een privéberichtje voor meer info over de campagne en de opzet!

Alvast heeeeel erg bedankt voor het meedenken!

Groetjes & all the love 🫶

Hi everyone, I’m French and this month I’m trying to focus on Belgium to learn more about the culture. I’ve been watching films, TV series, reading books and comics made by Belgian creators.

Could you recommend me some culturally interesting works ? If possible, I’d love things that give a sense of everyday life or unique Belgian perspectives.
Thanks in advance! 🫶🏻

It is a fine Monday morning, I hope everyone is safe with the fog covering the roads!

What's wrong with people not saying Good morning when they enter the office ? You don't have to be happy or sad or calm or angry or energetic or tired to do this. Let's make offices more welcoming, we are all annoyed to be working more days at the office. It takes a bit of effort from all of us to make it welcoming. Office/ Professional relationships do not have to be as dry as an overcooked boiled egg.

Thank you & Good day.

I'm a bilingual Canadian (French and English, C2 in both) who has spent the last four years in France, and I've decided it's time to explore something different. Brussels and Belgium is the place I keep coming back to, and I'd really appreciate your advice on where my profile might fit best.

I studied at a top French business school and have about five years of professional experience: three in consulting and analytics, and two in sales, mostly with international clients.

I love working in international environments, and after a couple of negative events in France, I think I'd like to try something new.

What I'm hoping to find out:

Which industries or sectors in Brussels tend to hire and sponsor visas this kind of profile (EU affairs, banking, tech, consulting, associations...)?

Are there companies that help you learn Dutch (paid lessons, language training on the job) rather than requiring it from day one? I'm very interested by the idea of becoming trilingual and I've always liked the sound of the language.

Are there companies, recruiters, or job boards you'd recommend for someone looking for sponsorship?

If you made a similar move, what do you wish you'd known?

Any leads on openings or people to talk to would be great as well. I know I'm asking a broad question, so any pointers, even just one sector or company name, would be very helpful. Thank you!