You apply through a payment body, and a national office decides
In Belgium a claim does not go to the employment service. You file it with a payment body of your choice, either the public fund (CAPAC in French, HVW in Dutch, HfA in German) or a trade union. The national employment office, ONEM or RVA, then decides whether you are entitled. Registering as a jobseeker is a separate step that you also need.
How it works
Claim unemployment benefit after losing your job.
If you lose your job, you may be entitled to unemployment benefit, usually if you have worked and paid contributions for long enough. Apply as soon as possible, because a late claim can cost you days of payment. You usually need your ID, your employment contract or dismissal letter, a certificate of employment from your employer and your bank details; work in other EU countries can count towards your entitlement. In many countries you must also register as a jobseeker. The benefit office decides whether you qualify and how much you receive.
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At a glance
Public fund offices work alongside the unions
These are the public fund’s offices, not the employment service branches where you register as a jobseeker. Some receive you on walk-in days, others by appointment, and an office may serve only certain postcodes.
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 Barcelona, Valencia, and Málaga
Most offices in Berlin, Bremen, and Aachen
Most offices in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Łódź, and Opole
Most offices in Amsterdam, Almelo, and Enschede
Most offices in Akranes, Akureyri, and Egilsstaðir
Where to next
Offices of the public payment body in Belgian cities, with who each one serves and how to get help with a first claim.
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