The last administrative step before you leave Belgium
The town hall takes you off its register and, if you are a foreign resident, keeps your residence card. Without a report you are removed automatically and your identity card or residence permit is cancelled. Keep the proof of removal you are given, because Belgians who register with a Belgian embassy abroad are usually asked for it.
How it works
Deregister your address when you leave the country for good.
Before you move abroad, you may need to tell the authorities that you are leaving so they can remove you from the population register. This is often possible online, by post or at the town hall, usually shortly before or after you leave. Keep the confirmation: the tax office, your pension fund or your new country may ask for proof of the date you left. Benefits, health insurance and residence permits may need to be cancelled separately.
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At a glance
Your current municipality takes it, not the country you are moving to
Where you hand in the report decides how it works: a walk-in counter in one town, a signed form sent by email in another, a phone call followed by a visit in a third. Before you travel, confirm opening times and booking rules.
Guides
Related services
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.
A paper or digital certificate showing where you are registered, with versions for address history or household. Find the municipal office that issues it.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Other countries
Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.
Most offices in Bielefeld, Hanover, and Leipzig
Most offices in Warsaw, Kraków, and Lublin
Most offices in The Hague, 's-Hertogenbosch, and Alkmaar
Most offices in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Terrassa, and Almería
Where to next
Municipal offices that take your departure report and what they ask you to hand in, such as a foreign resident’s residence card.
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