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.antwerpen.be/eCache/BEN/52.html (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.onss.fgov.be/en/home.html (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://eacea.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/Eurydice/EuryCountry (edu)
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

http://belgium.usembassy.gov/living_in_belgium.html (gov)

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://www.travelex.com/nl/default.asp?content=&lang=ENG (com)
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)
http://belgium.angloinfo.com/countries/belgium/housebuy.asp (com)

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://www.irs.gov/businesses/international/article/0,,id=169500,00.html (gov)
http://minfin.fgov.be/portail2/belinvest/en/publications/brochures.htm (gov)
     

Local taxation of non-local pensions and investments

http://belgium.angloinfo.com/countries/belgium/pensions.asp (com)

Investment Planning

Asset Allocation viewed globally

http://www.euronext.com/ (com)
http://www.cbfa.be (org)
http://www.beama.be/content/index.php (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)
http://www.pensionfunds.be/startEN.php (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

http://www.notaris.be/algemeen/other-languages/english (com)

Marital exemptions

http://belgium.usembassy.gov/marriage-in-belgium/ (gov)
http://brussels.angloinfo.com/countries/belgium/marriage.asp (com) 
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.wallonie.be/en/index.html (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 will receive the CFP mark through registration with FPSB Netherlands.  http://www.fpsb.nl (org Dutch)