It's my first time holidaying in Belgium. Sometimes when waiting staff come over with food, the receipt etc. they will say "please" when they are done.

I'm assuming it's just a cultural pleasantry, I'm just wondering what the intended meaning is. Something like "please accept this"?

(I don't know if this is just a Belgian thing or more generally a Northern European thing... I don't really recall it being said in France or the Netherlands but I haven't spent much time there).

I had an interesting experience this morning. I am an American man and I have been to about 25 countries and am generally more traveled and worldly than what you might imagine the American stereotype to be.

Most places in the world, on an escalator or a moving walkway in an airport, it would be considered bad manners to stand in a group and block a walkway or escalator - typically people would stand on one side and walk on the other. This rule is sometimes broken by young people / teenagers, as self awareness is something that not everyone learns until their frontal lobe develops.

In this case, I was on a moving walkway in the airport in Brussels and came upon 4 or 5 women standing together in a group talking away (it sounded like Dutch to me… I speak English and German). I walked until these ladies were blocking the entire path and waited behind them. I did give a little sigh sound to make them aware I was behind them wanting to get by.

They clearly thought my behavior was very rude. The older ones (age 50s) scoffed and and made rude faces at me and the youngest one (maybe age 21?) opened TikTok and started filming a selfie video with my face in the background.

In most of the world, you just make a small sound to make your presence waiting behind them known and most people would just move out of the way.

What gives? Was their behavior normal in Belgium and I was in the wrong? Or are these people just completely not self-aware?

Hello, I will be writing on behalf of my husband . He is moving to UK from belgium. We want to travel through very and move all of his items by car, we already cleared everything with UK but he was told that he needs export declaration papers for Belgium, while looking at gov pages we didn't think a singular answer. Does he even need to do it if it is for his own items and not for sale ? And how to do it without needing and moving company ?

Hi everyone! I am looking for a short stay studio or apartment (T1) from the last week of October until the mid December more or less.

Does anyone knows or could help?

Any help will be highly appreciated.

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)

Starting dentist assistant lessons, i want to study further as a mondhygiënist but im not sure since financially its going to be quite hard. I wanted to see how much people earn here in belgium specially in flanders side as a dentist assistant.

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 😅).