The municipality where you will live is your first stop
If you are staying longer than a short visit, you sign up at the town hall of the municipality where you will live, known as the commune in French or the gemeente in Dutch. Newcomers from abroad usually go to its foreigners’ desk, while Belgians coming home use the population service. A police officer checks that you really live at the address, and this registration is what leads to your residence card or identity card.
How it works
Find where to register your new home address after arriving from another country.
Most countries expect you to register your address soon after you move in, often within a few days or weeks. You usually book an appointment at the town hall or citizens’ office and bring your passport or ID card, your rental contract or a confirmation from your landlord, and birth or marriage certificates for family members moving with you. Registering often unlocks other steps, such as getting a local identification number, opening a bank account or seeing a doctor. If you are not an EU citizen, you may also need a residence permit, which is a separate application.
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At a glance
Every municipality has its own way of working
Some towns want an online form before they give you an appointment, others ask you to phone or email the foreigners’ team first, and some separate EU arrivals from non-EU arrivals. Returning Belgians usually go to a different counter, the population service.
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 Elche, Córdoba, and Valencia
Most offices in Bielefeld, Hanover, and Leipzig
Most offices in Rotterdam, The Hague, and 's-Hertogenbosch
Most offices in Warsaw, Rzeszów, and Gdynia
Most offices in Kópavogur and Reykjavík
Where to next
The municipal office that registers you after arrival, with notes on how each one arranges first visits.
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