Family reunification in Belgium: what happens after arrival (commune, residence card, cohabitation check)

Information checked on 25 October 2026.

You arrive in Belgium with a family reunification D visa. Within 8 working days of entering the country, go to the commune; the neighbourhood officer checks that you really live at the address of the person you are joining, then the commune issues an A card if you join a non-European, or an F card if you join a Belgian or an EU citizen. For five years, your residence can be withdrawn if the conditions cease to be met, living together included, with protections for victims of violence. In the same month: health fund, child benefit, school for children from age 5 and, depending on the Region, an integration programme.

This page is part of our D visa series: the page Arriving in Belgium with a D visa compares every case, and the entry page Arriving in Europe with a long-stay visa covers the other countries. Joining someone in France? Read family reunification in France after arrival instead.

Steps after arrival at a glance

Who have you joined? Two regimes, two cards

Everything depends on the nationality of the person you join, the "sponsor".

A special case: a Belgian who genuinely lived in another EU country before settling back in Belgium. Their family then falls under the same rules as that of an EU citizen. Other Belgians fall under article 40ter.

Look at your visa too: the Immigration Office adds a national mention (B followed by a number) in the "Remarks" field. It shows the residence and renewal conditions that apply to you.

Week 1: the commune within 8 working days

Article 12 of the law of 15 December 1980 requires you to apply for entry in the foreigners' register within eight working days of entering Belgium. The Immigration Office repeats it for family reunification: report to the commune of your place of residence within 8 days of arrival.

You register at the address of the person you join, since family reunification means living together. Many communes work by appointment: if no slot is free, contact the foreigners' department before the deadline and keep a written record. Our guide to registering your arrival at the commune explains the process and the documents. Communes charge their own rates for the electronic card.

The residence check: really living together

After your visit, a neighbourhood officer from the local police comes to check that you live at the address you gave. If the check is positive, the commune enters you in its registers and issues the A or F card. Put your name on the letterbox from day one and stay reachable.

The checks do not stop there. The law allows the Immigration Office to verify at each renewal that you still meet the conditions, and to carry out specific checks at any time where there are well-founded suspicions of fraud or of a marriage concluded only to obtain residence. For the spouse of a non-European, the core condition is an effective married or family life.

Five years under conditions: what can lead to withdrawal

If you joined a non-European (article 10). During the first five years after your residence permit is issued, the Immigration Office can end your residence, in particular if:

• you no longer meet one of the conditions of article 10;
• you and the person you joined no longer have an effective married or family life;
• one of you has married or entered a registered partnership with someone else;
• the residence of the person you joined has been ended.

The Immigration Office must then take into account the strength of your family ties, the length of your stay in Belgium and your ties with your country of origin. After five years, residence becomes unlimited if you still meet the conditions.

Protection for victims of violence. The Immigration Office may not end your residence on these grounds if you prove that, during the marriage or partnership, you were the victim of certain violent acts punished by the Criminal Code (notably rape and assault). In other cases, the law asks it to give particular consideration to the situation of victims of domestic violence.

If you joined a Belgian or an EU citizen (articles 40bis and 40ter). During the five years after your right of residence is recognised, it can be ended in particular in case of divorce, end of the registered partnership or end of living together. This ground does not apply, for example, if you lived together for at least three years, including one in Belgium, if you have custody of the children, or if you show you were a victim of domestic violence. In these cases, you must also prove that you work or have sufficient resources, and that you have health insurance.

If you are facing violence, get to safety first: police, CPAS (public social welfare centre), victim support organisations. Keep the evidence (medical certificates, complaints) and consult a lawyer specialising in immigration law before taking any step about your residence.

The sponsor's means are still checked

At renewal, the person you joined often has to prove their income again. Since the law of 18 July 2025, in force since 18 August 2025, the threshold is 110% of the guaranteed average monthly minimum income, or 2,456.97 euros net a month since the indexation of 1 July 2026, plus 10% for each additional dependent family member. Transitional rules keep the old threshold (120% of the social integration income, 2,217.47 euros net a month since 1 September 2026) for some files, notably applications filed before 18 August 2025. Check on the Immigration Office website which regime applies to yours.

Health fund: dependant or member in your own right

You can be covered as a dependant of the person you join if they are a member themselves. The INAMI (national health insurance institute) accepts the spouse, the cohabiting partner and the children as dependants, under conditions: your own income must not exceed a ceiling (except for children), and living together is required. The person you join contacts their health fund, which provides an application form. If you work, you become a member in your own right. Our guide to joining a health fund as a newcomer to Belgium explains the choices and deadlines.

Child benefit: a regional matter

Child benefit depends on the Region where the child lives.

• Brussels: a child whose official address is in the Region is entitled if they are Belgian or authorised to reside. Famiris is the public fund; amounts and conditions are the same in all Brussels funds.
• Wallonia: enrolment is not automatic. You freely choose a fund, public (FAMIWAL) or private (Parentia, Camille, KidsLife, Infino), and the step is free of charge.
• Flanders: child benefit is called the Groeipakket; information and funds are on groeipakket.be.

Apply as soon as the children are registered at the commune.

School: compulsory from 5 to 18

In Belgium, compulsory schooling starts with the school year that begins in the calendar year in which the child turns 5. It ends at the end of the school year in the calendar year in which they turn 18, at the latest on their 18th birthday. Enrol the children without waiting for the residence card. Schools offer support for pupils who do not yet master the language of instruction: ask the school or the commune.

The integration programme by Region

Brussels. The reception programme is compulsory for adult foreigners under 65, registered for the first time in a Brussels commune with a residence permit of more than three months, and legally resident in Belgium for less than three years. You must register with an organiser within 6 months of registering at the commune, then prove within 18 months that you followed the programme. The approved offices are BAPA BXL, BAPA Convivial and BAPA VIA in French, BON in Dutch. After a warning, refusing can cost a 100-euro fine, which can be repeated, up to 2,500 euros in total. EU citizens and their family members are exempt; the ordinance provides no exemption for the family of a Belgian.

Wallonia. The integration programme is compulsory for foreigners legally resident for less than three years with a permit of more than three months. Citizens of the EU, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, and their family members, are not concerned. It must be completed within 3 years of ordering the residence permit and includes a reception module, at least 60 hours of citizenship training, at least 400 hours of French if needed, and socio-professional guidance. The commune refers you to the regional integration centre.

Flanders. Inburgering (civic integration) is aimed at newcomers aged 18 and over. It is compulsory for some of them, and those who do not follow it can be fined. It includes Dutch, social orientation, registration with VDAB and a participation track. Check your situation on integratie-inburgering.be.

Renewing your card and moving to permanent residence

The A card is renewed at the commune, in principle between the 60th and the 30th day before it expires, with proof that you still meet the conditions. After five years, if the conditions are still met, residence becomes unlimited.

With an F card, after five years of uninterrupted residence, you can obtain permanent residence and the F+ card, valid for 10 years. Apply at the commune before your F card expires.

Finding your compatriots

The first months are easier with families who have been through the same commune and the same school. On Compatri, join your community in Brussels, Antwerp, Liège or the other cities in Belgium: Moroccans in Belgium, Congolese in Belgium and Cameroonians in Belgium share useful addresses and meetups there.

Compatri does not carry out any step on your behalf. The commune, the Immigration Office, your health fund and your child benefit fund remain the only authorities.

Official sources

• Immigration Office: family reunification D visa, registration at the commune and renewal
• Immigration Office: joining a non-EU national with unlimited stay
• Immigration Office: joining a Belgian
• Immigration Office: stable, regular and sufficient means of subsistence
• Immigration Office: F and F+ cards
• Law of 15 December 1980, articles 10 to 13, 40bis, 40ter, 42quater and 42quinquies (Justel)
• INAMI: your right to reimbursement as a dependant
• Famiris: conditions for Brussels child benefit
• Wallonia: enrolling with a Walloon child benefit fund
• Groeipakket: child benefit in Flanders
• Wallonia: main features of the education system (compulsory schooling)
• Belgian Official Journal: ordinance of 20 July 2023 on the reception programme in Brussels
• City of Brussels: compulsory reception programme
• Wallonia social action: integration programme
• Flanders: inburgering