I didn’t know how any of this fit together, and I couldn’t find much that explained it, so my first month was mostly stress. This is the list I wish someone had handed me at the airport, with what actually happened and what I’d do now.
This is my experience, not legal advice. Rules differ by nationality, region and commune, and they change. Use it as a map, and check the official source named in each step before you act.
Every step needed the step after it. The bank wanted my ID card. The ID card needed a commune appointment. The appointment needed an address. An address meant renting a place, because Airbnbs don’t count as your official address. Renting meant showing a payslip, before I’d started working, and paying a deposit in euros, without a Belgian bank account. Which needed my ID card.
Here’s how I got out of it, week by week, and what I’d do now.
I had the right documents. They were in three different bags, in two different cities.
Passport, rental contract, employment contract, passport photos and, depending on your nationality, your permit. Bring originals and copies. Ask the commune in advance whether anything needs a translation or stamp.
I found out that BNP Paribas Fortis runs an expat service. I started the application online from abroad, with my passport and my address back home. Back then, I still had to sit down with someone at their office before the account was open. That account is what finally broke the loop.
Today it’s simpler: BNP Paribas Fortis lets you apply for an expat account online from abroad, then sends the contract by email for you to sign and return, with no office visit in their steps. You need a valid passport or ID card, residence in one of the countries on their list, and a certificate of residence from the last three months. Check that list before you count on it, and if you’re not eligible, their expat branches can help by email or phone.
I’d studied in Madrid the year before, so I still had money in a Spanish bank account. That’s what paid my deposit. Honestly, that was luck, not planning.
Make sure you can move money in euros before you sign a lease, from an account you already have or a money-transfer app. Neobanks like Revolut are handy day to day, but they’re tied to where you’re resident, and as far as I know they don’t offer the blocked rental deposit account many landlords ask for. Check before you rely on one.
In my first week I lived on Immoweb and the agencies’ own websites, shortlisting everything in my budget. Before booking a viewing, I walked past each building to see the street and the neighbourhood. Ten viewings later, in week two, I picked one.
Start on Immoweb and Zimmo, and check the immo agencies’ own websites too, since not every listing shows up everywhere. Walk past a building before you book a viewing: the street tells you a lot in two minutes. Visit several places and compare before you decide; the first one you see is rarely the best fit. Give yourself time for that, and book a temporary stay that covers the search. Before you fall in love with a place, ask one question: can I register my official address here? An Airbnb or many short-stay rentals won’t let you, and without that address the rest of the loop stays stuck. And never pay a deposit before you’ve seen the place and signed a contract.
Every form asked for my phone number. My phone number started with the wrong country code.
Get a prepaid SIM in week one. You don’t need a Belgian ID, but every prepaid card has to be registered, so bring your passport. You can try a few providers online first: some let you register with a passport photo, others only work once you have a Belgian eID or itsme. The easiest route is a telecom shop. Show your passport there and you usually walk out with a working SIM. You’ll need a Belgian number for half the forms that follow.
Landlords asked for payslips. I hadn’t started working yet, so I had none. I showed the immo my signed employment contract instead, and that was enough.
Have your signed employment contract ready, on paper and on your phone, before you start house hunting. If an agency wants more, ask HR for a short letter confirming your salary and start date. If your employer works with a relocation agency, ask whether they can help.
I almost handed over the deposit in cash. My colleague looked at me like I’d proposed a duel.
The deposit usually goes into a blocked account in your name, not straight to the landlord. Ask how it’s arranged before you pay, and keep the paperwork.
I’d booked an appointment, so on the day I barely had to wait. After everything before it, this was the smoothest part of my first month.
Registration needs your new address, so it comes right after the rental. Book an appointment the moment you’ve signed: it’s what turns a long morning in a waiting room into a short visit. You’re expected to register within eight working days of moving in.
After my appointment, a local police officer came by to check that I really lived at the address. Nobody tells you when: they just turn up. Only after that visit could I go back and pick up my card.
The visit is unannounced, so in the first weeks after registering, try to be home in the evenings. Put your name on the letterbox and the doorbell on day one, because that’s how they find you. Once your address is confirmed, the commune lets you know when your card is ready to collect.
Nobody explained the mutualiteit to me, and I didn’t know it existed. I only registered in my second month, after a colleague mentioned it like it was obvious. Luckily I didn’t need a doctor until months later.
It’s the health insurance fund you join to get medical costs reimbursed. Pick one in week one and ask HR whether they need a form from you. The funds differ mostly in their extras, so compare a couple.
I didn’t need a doctor until about six months in. When I did, I opened the Doctena app, found the GP closest to my home, booked, and went. Easier than I expected.
Install a booking app like Doctena now, so you’re not figuring it out when you feel ill. Look up a huisarts / médecin généraliste near home, and check they take new patients. Having one GP who knows you also helps later, for sick notes and referrals.
My card arrived weeks later. Then a letter with codes arrived separately. I almost threw it away as junk mail.
When your card is ready, you’ll get a separate letter with its codes. Keep it somewhere safe: you’ll need them to activate digital logins for banking, government services and taxes.
Everyone told me to get a bike. They were right. Nobody told me it would be stolen in week six.
Second-hand is fine for the bike, but don’t save money on the lock: get a good one. And get lights, a white one at the front and a red one at the back, because you’ll be riding home in the dark for half the year. Write down the frame number somewhere you can find it.
I could order coffee in Dutch by month two. Then they replied in English. I kept going anyway.
Learn the local language of your region, Dutch or French. Ten minutes a day changes how people treat you, even if they switch to English.
Lunch is at noon. Not 12:15. If you’re still answering emails at 12:05, you’re eating alone.
“Interesting” is rarely interesting. Listen for what comes after it.
“How was your weekend?” is a real question on Mondays. Prepare one sentence.
Belonging takes longer than 30 days. By day 30 I had a card that said I lived here. I wasn’t sure I did yet. That’s normal.