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🇧🇪 How to get a job in Belgium as a South African

Jobs in Belgium for South Africans: the single permit, EU Blue Card, regional shortage lists, VDAB, Actiris and Le Forem, and the languages you'll need.

Updated 5 October 2026

Belgium is smaller and less obvious than the UK or the Netherlands, but it has a lot going for South Africans: a central location in Europe, a big international workforce in Brussels, a busy port and chemical industry in Antwerp, and real shortages in healthcare, engineering and technical work. Afrikaans speakers have a head start in Flanders. The things to understand early are languages and the fact that work permits are handled region by region.

Your right to work in Belgium

South African citizens need a Schengen visa to visit Belgium, and you can't work on a visit visa. South Africa isn't part of Belgium's working holiday programme. The main routes are:

  • Single permit: a combined work and residence permit for jobs longer than 90 days. Your employer applies to the region where you'll work: Flanders, Brussels or Wallonia. Each region has its own criteria, usually based on a minimum salary for highly qualified roles, or on its list of shortage occupations for medium-skilled jobs.
  • EU Blue Card: for degree holders with a job paying above the regional threshold.
  • Family reunification if your partner lives and works in Belgium, and EU citizenship by descent if your family history allows it.

One honest note: most jobs at the EU institutions in Brussels require EU citizenship, so they generally aren't open to South Africans with only an SA passport. Private companies, NGOs and some international organisations are a different story. The federal Immigration Office (dofi.ibz.be) handles residence.

Jobs in demand for South Africans

Each region publishes its own shortage list: knelpuntberoepen in Flanders (from VDAB), métiers en pénurie in Wallonia (from Le Forem) and fonctions critiques in Brussels (from Actiris). The Flemish and Walloon lists were both shortened in 2025–2026, so check the current version for your region. Sectors where South Africans fit well:

See all jobs in Belgium or Belgian jobs with visa sponsorship. While you plan a move, remote jobs from South Africa can pay in euros.

Where to look

  • VDAB, the Flemish public employment service. Its job board is the biggest in Flanders.
  • Actiris for Brussels and Le Forem for Wallonia.
  • EURES, LinkedIn (very widely used in Brussels), and private boards such as StepStone, Jobat and Indeed.
  • Work in Flanders, the Flemish government's site for international talent.

Saffa.global collects Belgian listings twice a day, and our job hunting abroad guide has general CV advice.

Getting your qualifications recognised

  • Diplomas: recognition depends on the language community. In Flanders it's NARIC-Vlaanderen. In Wallonia and French-speaking Brussels it's the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles equivalence service.
  • Healthcare: nurses, doctors and other health professionals need their diploma recognised by the relevant community, and then a licence to practise (a "visa") from the FPS Public Health. Language skills are part of the picture.
  • Language: Belgium has three official languages. Flanders works in Dutch, Wallonia in French, and Brussels is officially bilingual, with English common in international firms. A small German-speaking community lives in the east. Afrikaans gives you a real advantage with Flemish (Belgian Dutch). Outside international companies, expect employers to want Dutch or French, and both for many Brussels roles.

CV and application tips for Belgium

  • Write your CV in the language of the advert. Dutch for Flanders, French for Wallonia, and often English in Brussels.
  • Keep it to one or two pages. A photo is common but optional. Leave out your ID number.
  • Include a short, tailored cover letter. Belgians tend to be more formal and less blunt than the Dutch, so match that tone.
  • List your languages honestly with levels (for example "Dutch: B1, improving; Afrikaans: native"). Belgian employers take language levels seriously.
  • Say that you'll need a single permit, and which region the job is in, so the employer knows what's involved.

Salary and cost reality

The single permit and Blue Card have minimum salary thresholds that differ by region and are updated regularly. Check the current figures with the regional authority for your job's location. Belgian salaries are decent and come with benefits such as meal vouchers and company cars, but income tax and social security are among the highest in Europe. Housing is generally more affordable than in Amsterdam or Dublin.

Avoiding job scams

  • Only your employer can apply for a single permit. Nobody can sell you one, and you should never pay a recruiter for a job.
  • Be wary of "EU institution" jobs offered to non-EU citizens through agents. Real EU recruitment is run through official channels.
  • Check the company is registered in Belgium and uses a company email domain.
General information, not immigration advice. Work permit rules differ by region and change often. Always check the regional authority (Work in Flanders, Brussels or Wallonia), the official Belgium.be work pages, or a qualified immigration lawyer.