Family Reunification
EU CITIZEN FAMILY ASSOCIATION
Do you want to bring your family over? Here you can read how that is possible.
General conditions:
- You reside legally in Belgium:
You have a valid residence permit:
For EU labor migrants this is an EU card or an EU+ card.
For non-EU labor migrants an A card or an H card. - You have sufficient and stable own income:
Your income must be high enough to support your family. This means you must have at least 110% of the minimum income (GMMI) + 10% per additional family member. - You have a home (rented or owned):
Your home must be large enough for your family and meet the legal criteria regarding safety and hygiene. - You are registered with the health insurance fund:
You have health insurance that protects you and your family.
The rules for family reunification differ depending on the situation and are complex. Visit the immigration law website for the correct information.
More information: vreemdelingenrecht.be/family-reunification
Do you want to bring your family to Belgium?
Then you can read here how that is possible:
Your spouse or legal partner: when they are 21 years or older and when you can demonstrate a durable and stable partner relationship (living together for at least 1 year prior to the application and proving that you have maintained regular contact for at least 2 years).
Unmarried children:
For Union citizens: ≤ 21 years or older when dependent on you.
For non-Union citizens: ≤ 18 years. In some cases, also adult children with a disability when they are ‘Dependent’ means that these persons are financially dependent on you and cannot cover their basic needs without your support. You need to be able to prove this. dependent" data-tooltip-title="‘Dependent’ means that these persons are financially dependent on you and cannot cover their basic needs without your support. You need to be able to prove this. " data-tooltip-content="dependent" data-tooltip-placeholder-is-selection="true" data-tooltip-placeholder-is-selection-text="dependent" data-tooltip-data="%5B%7B%22tooltipTitle%22%3A%22%E2%80%98Dependent%E2%80%99%20means%20that%20these%20persons%20are%20financially%20dependent%20on%20you%20and%20cannot%20cover%20their%20basic%20needs%20without%20your%20support.%20You%20need%20to%20be%20able%20to%20prove%20this.%20%22%2C%22tooltipContent%22%3A%22dependent%22%2C%22placeholderIsSelection%22%3A%22true%22%2C%22placeholderIsSelectionText%22%3A%22dependent%22%7D%5D">dependent on you.
Your parents or grandparents: but only when they are dependent on you.
The rules around family reunification differ depending on the situation. If you do not find enough information on this page, take a look at vreemdelingenrecht.be/family-reunification for more detailed explanations.
NON-EU CITIZEN
If you are not an EU citizen, there are additional conditions:
You must be able to prove that you have been legally and continuously residing in Belgium for at least 12 months.
Your marriage or partnership must be recognized in Belgium. Both of you must be 21 years or older (sometimes 18 years is sufficient if the marriage was already contracted before arrival in Belgium)
Family reunification with (grand)parents is stricter than for EU citizens.
Your family member who wants to come to Belgium must submit the application at the Belgian embassy or consulate in their home country. The application usually cannot be submitted directly in Belgium and must be processed through this embassy or consulate. After the application is approved, your family member will receive a ‘type D visa’ to travel to Belgium.
NON-UNION CITIZEN Family reunification: rules for visa application
As of November 2025, the rules for family reunification of labor migrants in Belgium have changed. In some cases, an embassy can now directly issue a visa to your family members, without the Immigration Office (DVZ) having to investigate everything first. But that is only if you meet all the conditions.
Who does this apply to?
Your family members (partner and minor children who are not EU members) can get a visa faster if you work in Belgium with a residence permit based on work and belong to one of these groups:
- Highly skilled worker
- European Blue Card
- Intra-corporate transferee
- Researcher (with or without a hosting agreement)
- Postdoctoral researcher
- Professional athlete or trainer
- Employee under an international agreement
- If you work as a self-employed person with a professional card? Then this arrangement does not apply.
What must you earn?
Your income must be high enough. You must earn at least €2,323.08 net per month. For each additional family member, 10% is added.
Other conditions
Your family members can only get a visa through the embassy if:
- You were already married or had children before you came to Belgium.
- The visa application is made at the same time or within 6 months after your application.
- You meet all the conditions: sufficient income, housing, and health insurance.
- Your family members do not come from Afghanistan, Palestine, or Syria.
- They are not on a list of flagged persons.
Your residence document (appendix 46 or 47) indicates whether this arrangement applies to you.
What if you don’t meet all the conditions?
Then the embassy forwards your application to the Immigration Office (DVZ). They will process your case through the regular procedure. This can take up to 9 months, but DVZ tries to handle these cases quickly.
Sufficient and stable income
As a family reunifier, you must demonstrate that you have sufficient and regular income to support yourself and your family members. This means you must be financially independent and not rely on government assistance (such as social welfare or benefits).
You must have at least a net income of €2,131.28 per month. In addition, your income must be stable and predictable.
You must be able to provide evidence preferably covering a period of 12 consecutive months. This shows that you are capable of financially supporting your family.
Examples of evidence:
Pay slips
Declarations of self-employment activity
Bank statements
Translation of documents
All documents you submit to the municipality must be written in Dutch, French, or German . For official documents drawn up in another language, you need a sworn translation into Dutch.
An alternative to a sworn translation is to apply for an ‘An apostille is a type of stamp that certifies an official document (such as a birth certificate or marriage certificate) as genuine and valid. You need an apostille if you want to use a document from another country in Belgium (or vice versa). But only if that country participates in the Apostille Convention. Additionally, all documents must be written in Dutch, French, or German. If this is not the case, you need a sworn translation into one of these three languages." data-tooltip-title="An apostille is a type of stamp that certifies an official document (such as a birth certificate or marriage certificate) as genuine and valid. You need an apostille if you want to use a document from another country in Belgium (or vice versa). But only if that country participates in the Apostille Convention. Additionally, all documents must be written in Dutch, French, or German. If this is not the case, you need a sworn translation into one of these three languages." data-tooltip-content="apostille" data-tooltip-placeholder-is-selection="true" data-tooltip-placeholder-is-selection-text="apostille" data-tooltip-data="%5B%7B%22tooltipTitle%22%3A%22An%20apostille%20is%20a%20type%20of%20stamp%20that%20certifies%20an%20official%20document%20(such%20as%20a%20birth%20certificate%20or%20marriage%20certificate)%20as%20genuine%20and%20valid.%20You%20need%20an%20apostille%20if%20you%20want%20to%20use%20a%20document%20from%20another%20country%20in%20Belgium%20(or%20vice%20versa).%20But%20only%20if%20that%20country%20participates%20in%20the%20Apostille%20Convention.%20%20Additionally%2C%20all%20documents%20must%20be%20written%20in%20Dutch%2C%20French%2C%20or%20German.%20%20If%20this%20is%20not%20the%20case%2C%20you%20need%20a%20sworn%20translation%20into%20one%20of%20these%20three%20languages.%22%2C%22tooltipContent%22%3A%22apostille%22%2C%22placeholderIsSelection%22%3A%22true%22%2C%22placeholderIsSelectionText%22%3A%22apostille%22%7D%5D">apostille’. An apostille is a type of stamp that certifies an official document (such as a birth certificate or marriage certificate) as genuine and valid.
Want to know more about the procedure in Genk?
For family reunification with an EU citizen More info
For family reunification with a non-EU citizen More info
Family reunification legislation
FAMILY REUNION Want to know more about your specific situation?
Can't find enough information on this page? Then we are happy to refer you to the website of the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration (www.vreemdelingenrecht.be).
