Social assistance in Belgium
For people who cannot cover rent, food or other essentials: what the local social welfare centre can arrange and how to ask for an appointment.
106 offices · 30 cities
Sort out your paperwork in Belgium, one task at a time
From a new address to an ID card or a licence, find out who handles it
In Belgium your town hall handles many everyday tasks, while others go to a national agency or a regional body, so it is not always obvious where to start. Choose a task, such as registering a new address, getting a passport or renewing a driving licence, to see who it is for and which local offices deal with it.
Look for the task in plain words, not the official name
What do you need to arrange?
Think of the job the way you would say it, such as changing your address, getting a birth certificate or registering a car. Each service explains who it is for and which local offices in Belgium deal with it, from town halls to national counters.
Proof of your registered address in Belgium
A paper or digital certificate showing where you are registered, with versions for address history or household. Find the municipal office that issues it.
80 offices · 31 cities
Digital ID and eID help
Reset an eID PIN, replace activation codes or set up a digital key for online services. Useful for residents, residence card holders and some non-residents.
77 offices · 30 cities
Applying for or renewing a Belgian ID card
The eID for teenagers and adults and the Kids-ID for children. See how applying works and find the municipal office that handles your card.
69 offices · 30 cities
Reporting a move within Belgium
For anyone who has moved house in Belgium. See who reports, what happens after the address check and which office handles it in your new town.
68 offices · 31 cities
Birth, marriage or death certificate in Belgium
Learn whether you need an extract or a full copy, who can request it and how to reach the civil registry office in your municipality.
66 offices · 31 cities
Applying for or renewing a Belgian passport
See who can apply, what is different for children and how to prepare, then find the municipal office that handles passports.
61 offices · 30 cities
Applying for or renewing a Belgian residence permit
For non-EU residents, students and permit holders, plus EU citizens seeking permanent residence. See the steps and find the municipal desk to contact.
49 offices · 29 cities
Reporting your departure from Belgium
For residents leaving Belgium permanently. See why you report the move, what changes for your cards and which municipal office takes the report.
47 offices · 30 cities
Renewing or replacing a driving licence in Belgium
Find out which cases can be handled online and which need a visit, then see the municipal offices that deal with renewals and replacements.
47 offices · 30 cities
Fingerprints and residence card collection
How the card is ordered at your municipality, what happens with your fingerprints and photo, and how the handover works once your stay in Belgium is approved.
42 offices · 26 cities
Foreign driving licence exchange in Belgium
Where your licence was issued decides whether it is registered, exchanged or checked more closely, and your municipal driving licence desk takes care of the first steps.
41 offices · 30 cities
Registering your home address in Belgium
For newcomers, returning Belgians, EU citizens and international students. See what registration involves, then find the municipal office that handles it.
36 offices · 30 cities
EU, EEA and Swiss registration
Register with your municipality as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, matching your documents to whether you work, study, look for work or join family.
36 offices · 28 cities
Legal cohabitation certificate
A certificate showing that you and your partner declared legal cohabitation in Belgium, available online with eID or itsme in many towns and at the counter elsewhere.
36 offices · 13 cities
Registering a birth or marriage that happened abroad
For births, marriages and divorces from abroad. See what the municipality checks, which translations it expects and which offices handle the file.
30 offices · 27 cities
Registering as a jobseeker
Sign up with the regional employment service to get help with your search, training and language courses, and to prepare for any unemployment benefit later.
30 offices · 29 cities
Public health insurance in Belgium
How residents and workers sign up with a health insurance fund so that part of their medical costs is reimbursed, including the public fund option.
27 offices · 26 cities
Unemployment benefit claims
For anyone who has lost a job in Belgium: the claim runs through the public fund or a union, with jobseeker registration as the first step.
24 offices · 24 cities
Integration certificates
Followed an integration course in Belgium? See which regional agency issues the certificate and how to get it or a copy.
23 offices · 23 cities
Social security for the self-employed
If you are about to start your own activity in Belgium, this explains the fund you must join, your free choice between funds and where you can visit one.
15 offices · 15 cities
Registering or transferring a vehicle in Belgium
For new, used and imported cars. See the usual route, what changes when a car comes from abroad and which DIV counters can help.
11 offices · 10 cities
BIS number for non-residents
Frontier workers, short-stay students and others who deal with Belgian authorities from abroad may need one. See how a request usually starts.
5 offices · 5 cities
Cities
Offices in each city
Choose your city to see its offices and how to arrange a visit.
Guides
Guides that help with this
Other countries
Everyday services in other countries
Services in Spain
Most offices in Barcelona, Murcia, and Zaragoza
Offices1132 offices47 cities25 everyday tasksServices in Poland
Most offices in Warsaw, Kraków, and Wrocław
Offices694 offices42 cities24 everyday tasksServices in Germany
Most offices in Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg
Offices665 offices40 cities24 everyday tasksNetherlands services
Most offices in Eindhoven, Amsterdam, and Groningen
Offices430 offices83 cities20 everyday tasksPublic services in Iceland
Most offices in Reykjavík, Akureyri, and Egilsstaðir
Offices123 offices20 cities12 everyday tasks
Where to next
Local offices in Belgium
Town halls and national counters for registration, identity documents and driving licences, with a note on whether visits are by appointment or at the counter.
Explore more
Jump straight to another part of the manual.
- Explore Belgium Guides
- Search Belgium
- Belgium guides
- Belgium Topics
- Belgian glossary
- Belgium local offices
- Register your address in Belgium
- Change of address in Belgium
- Report a move abroad from Belgium
- Proof of address in Belgium
- Civil status certificates in Belgium
- Register a foreign birth or marriage in Belgium
- Belgium permanent residence guide
- Belgium Sick Leave Guide
- Belgium relocation guide
- Pharmacies in Belgium