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Show Applicable labour law

Show Overview of employment contracts

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<div class="ck-content" data-wrapper="true" dir="ltr" style="--ck-image-style-spacing: 1.5em; --ck-inline-image-style-spacing: calc(var(--ck-image-style-spacing) / 2); font-family: Segoe UI; font-size: 11pt;"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">Belgian labour law is, inter alia, governed by the<a href="https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=nl&amp;la=N&amp;cn=1971031602&amp;table_name=wet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <strong>Labour Law of 16 March 1971</strong></a>. The Law of 3 July 1978 regulates employment contracts. The <a href="https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=nl&amp;la=N&amp;cn=2002030530&amp;table_name=wet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Law of 5 March 2002</strong></a>, supplemented by the <a href="https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=nl&amp;la=N&amp;cn=2007040134&amp;table_name=wet" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Royal Decree of 1 April 2007</strong></a>, specifically regulates the posting of workers in Belgium by transposing the European Directives regarding posting of workers, ensuring that all posted workers, including TCNs, are entitled to Belgian working and employment conditions.&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">The 1971<strong> Labour Law:</strong></p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><ul style="list-style-position: initial;"><li data-list-item-id="e9f9da5aec4c60779457796407f4374e2"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;"><strong>Regulates employment conditions</strong>, such as child work, working time, protective provisions concerning maternity and also in the case of dismissal, concerning workers undergoing infertility treatment or medically assisted reproduction.</p></li></ul><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">The <strong>Law of 3 July 1978 on the employment contract:</strong></p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><ul style="list-style-position: initial;"><li data-list-item-id="ee19e3a6c12e73dd81fe1d520d8d1b572"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">Regulates <strong>employment contracts</strong>, including their conclusion, the obligations of the parties, the suspension and the termination of contracts, etc. &nbsp;</p></li><li data-list-item-id="e2e126b0bc0119a54a1d485a7afd9145a"><p style="margin: 0;">Requirements vary in accordance with the legal status of the employee (namely, employee providing services (“bediende”/”employé”), manual labour (“arbeider”/”ouvrier”), students, commercial representatives), duration of the employment contract (definite, indefinite) and working time arrangements (full-time, part-time). &nbsp;</p></li></ul><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">The <strong>Law of 5 March 2002 on posting of workers in Belgium:</strong></p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><ul style="list-style-position: initial;"><li data-list-item-id="e06723f2a1bda2ccb5302d3b03ce207cd"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;"><strong>Defines a worker</strong> as a person who provides services in exchange for remuneration under the authority of another person, by virtue of a contract (Article 2(1)). &nbsp;</p></li><li data-list-item-id="e4aeba889bd0874bbf1f50b5e500cbb6e"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;"><strong>Defines a posted worker </strong>as a worker who temporarily performs work in Belgium and who either usually works in the territory of one or more countries other than Belgium or who has been recruited in a country other than Belgium (Article 2(2)). &nbsp;</p></li><li data-list-item-id="e0027bd2d66293c01e6e343334ed4b765"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">Establishes that any an employer who employs a posted worker in Belgium is obliged to <strong>respect the working, remuneration and employment conditions</strong> laid down by legal and regulatory provisions sanctioned under criminal law, as well as contractual provisions made compulsory by Royal Decree (i.e. collective labour agreements sanctioned under criminal law) (Article 5 §1).</p></li><li data-list-item-id="eda55e8654a1020e9e9d6c84d8622df3f"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;"><strong>In cases of postings lasting more than 12 months</strong>, additional working, pay and employment conditions apply, such as a guaranteed salary for the worker in case of sickness or accident (Article 5 §2).<sup>1</sup> &nbsp;</p></li></ul><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">The <a href="https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/wet/1996/08/04/1996012650/justel" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Law of 4 August 1996</strong></a><strong> on well-being of workers in the performance of their work:</strong></p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><ul style="list-style-position: initial;"><li data-list-item-id="e368104873a62277b7d31d08df3723a1b"><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">This is the general law on safety and health of workers at the workplace.</p></li></ul><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;"><strong>Collective agreements</strong> play an important role in defining the rules set out by labour laws. Collective agreements, agreed with the social partners, can have national, sectoral or company-wide scope. Several national and sectoral collective agreements have been declared legally binding, i.e. they set out legally binding labour requirements applicable to all workers or those workers employed in a specific sector. Collective agreements cover topics such as working time, employment contracts, part-time work, yearly holidays, salary, and temporary agency work. A full overview of applicable collective agreements in Belgium can be found on the website of the National Labour Council.<sup>2</sup> &nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0; text-align: justify;"><br>The Belgian &nbsp;working, remuneration and employment conditions to be determined on basis of the Law of 5 March 2002 <strong>apply to all posted workers</strong>, including TCNs, posted to Belgium.&nbsp;</p><hr><p style="margin: 0;"><span style="font-size:9pt;"><sup>1</sup> &nbsp;</span><a href="https://employment.belgium.be/en/themes/international/posting/working-conditions-be-respected-case-posting-belgium/additional" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-size:9pt;">Additional working conditions applicable as of 30 July 2020 if the period of posting exceeds 12 months</span></a><span style="font-size:9pt;"> [last accessed: 27/01/2026].</span></p><p style="margin: 0;"><span style="font-size:9pt;"><sup>2</sup> Overview of national collective agreements can be consulted per topic: NL:</span><a href="https://cnt-nar.be/nl/documents/cao-thema" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-size:9pt;"> https://cnt-nar.be/nl/documents/cao-thema</span></a><span style="font-size:9pt;">; FR: </span><a href="https://cnt-nar.be/fr/documents/cct-par-theme" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-size:9pt;">https://cnt-nar.be/fr/documents/cct-par-theme</span></a><span style="font-size:9pt;"> [last accessed:27/01/2026].</span></p></div>

Employments contracts

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Table 2 - Overview of relevant national administrations

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Country-Fiche: Belgium

Competent authorities

Request for information from national authorities

Table 1 - Overview of relevant national administrations

Applicable labour law

Employments contracts

Table 2 - Overview of relevant national administrations

Temporary Work Agencies

Social security

Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) system (includes public repository of social security institutions)

Institutions responsible for the issuance of PD A1

Online tool to check PD A1

European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – List of institutions that issue the EHIC

Entry and stay requirements for TCNs

Visa

Table 3 - Visa types

Residence and work permits

Table 4 - Residence Permits

Table 5 - Work Permits

Special entry and stay requirements

Travel and residence documents

Useful Links

Table 6 - Useful links