Cross-Border Resource Library

Country Information - Belgium

In an effort to provide information on financial planning issues in Belgium, FPA volunteers have gathered the following links together to point you towards a variety of different resources. 

Each link has a descriptive tag explaining what type of site the link goes to. The tags are:
• GOV for government or regulatory sites
• ORG for non-profit or association sites
• EDU for academic or educational sites
• COM for commercial sites, such as product providers 

Virtually all of the links lead off of FPA's Web site. To give feedback or suggestions on the Belgian information below, click here.

Quality of life – local flavor and customs

• http://www.opt.be (GOV)
• http://iv.vlaanderen.be (GOV)
• http://www.fine-arts-museum.be/site/EN/ (ORG)
• http://www.beerparadise.be/emc.asp?pageId=05.en (ORG)
• http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.htm (ORG)
• http://www.brussels.be/ (ORG)
• http://www.tintin.com (COM)

     
Health

• http://www.expatica.com/be/main.html (COM)
• http://www.health.fgov.be (GOV)

Social Security coverage

• http://www.socialsecurity.be/foreign/en/employer_limosa/home.html (GOV)
• http://www.socialezekerheid.fgov.be/ (GOV)
• http://www.employment.belgium.be/home.aspx (GOV)

Education standards

• http://www.belgium.be/en/education/index.jsp (GOV)
• http://onderwijs.vlaanderen.be/English/ (GOV)
• http://www.euroeducation.net/prof/belcofr.htm (EDU)
• http://www.uams.be (EDU) 

Ex-pats opinions on quality of life

• http://expatriates.start.be/ (COM)
• http://www.awcb.org/awcb/ (ORG)
• http://www.visitbelgium.com/ (COM)

Immigration issues

Legal Residency

• http://www.diplomatie.be/en/policy/default.asp (GOV)
• http://www.expatica.com/be/essentials_moving_to/relocation_list.html (COM)
• http://www.relocationbelgium.com/ (COM)

Visas and immigration requirements

• http://belgium.usembassy.gov/ (GOV)
• http://www.investinflanders.com/en/immigration/default.aspx (COM)

     
Exchange Control

Cash management

Bank accounts

• http://www.justlanded.com/english/Belgium/Belgium-Guide/Money/Opening-an-Account (COM)
• http://www.cbfa.be/eng/index.asp (GOV)

     
Currency conversion

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_euro_coins (ORG)

Education costs

• http://www.justlanded.com/english/Belgium/Education (COM)

Cost of living analysis

• http://ec.europa.eu/eures/main.jsp?lang=en&acro=living&catId=8723&parentId=7802&countryId=BE&langChanged=true (COM)

     
Housing issues

• http://www.belgium.be/en/housing/index.jsp (GOV)

Tax Planning

• http://minfin.fgov.be/portail2/en/index.htm (GOV)
• http://ccff02.minfin.fgov.be/KMWeb/main.do?home=true (GOV)

     
Determining liability for income and gains taxes

• http://ccff02.minfin.fgov.be/KMWeb/browseCategory.do?method=browse¶ms.selectedCategoryId=30  (GOV)

     
Determining liability for estate taxes

• http://ccff02.minfin.fgov.be/KMWeb/browseCategory.do?method=browse¶ms.selectedCategoryId=4450 (GOV)

     
Foreign Tax Credit arrangements

• http://minfin.fgov.be/portail2/belinvest/en/publications/brochures.htm (GOV)

Local taxation of non-local pensions and investments

Investment Planning

Asset Allocation viewed globally

• http://www.euronext.com/ (COM)
• http://www.cbfa.be (ORG)

Risk management

• http://www.fecif.org (ORG)
• http://www.cbfa.be/eng/index.asp (ORG)

Liability Insurance

• http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-belgium-insurance (COM)

     
Health Insurance

• http://www.justlanded.com/english/Belgium/Belgium-Guide/Health/Health-Insurance (COM)
• http://www.belgium.be/en/health/european_health_insurance_card/ (GOV)
• http://www.efors.eu/belgium-insurance/ (COM)
• http://www.cm.be/fr/100/que_faire_en_cas_de/arrival_in_belgium/index.jsp (ORG)

     
     
Property Insurance

• http://www.expatica.com/be/finance_business/pensions_insurance/insurance-in-belgium-1477_8292.html (COM)

Retirement Planning

Local pension design and tax structure on encashment

• http://www.ose.be/ (ORG)

     
Social Security agreements between countries

• http://www.socialsecurity.gov/international/ (GOV)
• http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa/werkeninbelgie.asp (GOV)

     
Transferability of Pensions

• www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p515.pdf (GOV)

     
Estate Planning and Succession Taxes

Impact on Estate if there is no local Will

Marital exemptions

• http://www.belgium.be/en/family/becoming_a_belgian_citizen_by_marriage/index.jsp (GOV)

Local taxation of non-local trusts

Not common practice in Belgium

Creating an international trust

Not a common practice in Belgium

Local Regulation

• http://www.belgium.be/en/ (GOV)
• http://www.flanders.be  (GOV)
• http://www.bruxelles.irisnet.be (GOV)
• http://investinbelgium.fgov.be  (GOV)

Referrals to Local Planners

• At the end of 2009, the first Belgian professionals received the CFP mark through registration with FPSB Netherlands.  http://www.fpsb.nl (org Dutch)