How do you hire a Belgian employee in 2026?
Belgium requires an online Dimona declaration to the NSSO before your new hire's first working hour. Miss that registration and you face a risk of sanctions. The employer notice period now scales up to 52 weeks and is capped there from 1 July 2026.
· Belgium guide
Illustration · Brussels, Belgium
The Belgium hire process has five steps. Offer letter, Dimona registration, written employment contract, NSSO onboarding admin, first payday.
Dimona is Belgium's mandatory online worker-registration system. You must file it before the employee's first working hour, not just on day one.
There is no current probation period in Belgian law. A draft law to reintroduce a six-month trial period was proposed in February 2026 but had not been enacted as of June 2026. Employer notice starts at 1 week and is capped at 52 weeks from 1 July 2026.
What does the end-to-end Belgium hire process look like?
Five steps from accepted offer to first payslip: offer letter, Dimona registration, written employment contract, NSSO onboarding admin, first payday.
The hard deadline is Dimona. It must be filed before the employee's first working hour.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Offer letter | Written offer with role, salary, start date, and key terms | Client / Teamed drafts | Same day after verbal accept |
| 2. Dimona registration | Online work-authorisation and worker-registration declaration to the NSSO | Teamed | Before the first working hour |
| 3. Written employment contract | Written particulars of employment signed by both parties | Teamed (legal employer) | Before or on day one |
| 4. NSSO onboarding admin | Social-security registration, tax withholding setup, IBAN collection, and benefits setup | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued, wage withholding tax (BV/PP) filed with the FPS Finance | Teamed | End of first pay period |
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Issue the offer letter
Send a written offer the same day as verbal acceptance. Include role, salary, start date, working hours, work region and language, and any conditions such as work-authorisation or references. Minimum employer notice by law starts at 1 week for new hires.
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Complete work-authorisation and file Dimona
Check the right to work (EU passport, national ID card, or combined permit for non-EU nationals) and file the Dimona declaration with the NSSO before the employee's first working hour. This step cannot happen after the employee starts.
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Issue the written employment contract
Sign the written contract before or on day one. The contract must be in the language of the employee's work region. Teamed's standard Belgian contract covers all legal requirements. Clients choose commercial terms; Teamed signs as the legal employer.
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Complete onboarding admin
Confirm the NISS/INSZ national registry number, collect the IBAN, set up wage withholding tax with FPS Finance, and enrol the employee in applicable sector benefits and group insurance. This runs across days one to seven.
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Issue the first payslip and file wage return
Run the first payroll at the end of the first pay period. File the wage withholding (BV/PP) return with FPS Finance by the 15th of the following month. The employee receives their payslip and is on the NSSO payroll record.
What must a Belgian offer letter include?
An offer letter is not the binding contract. It is the document the candidate decides against.
Include role title, reporting line, start date, gross monthly salary, working hours of 38 hours per week, work location, and any conditions such as work-authorisation or references.
Three traps to avoid in Belgian offer letters:
- Language region mismatch. Belgium has three official language communities. An offer letter in the wrong language for the employee's work region (Brussels: bilingual French/Dutch; Flanders: Dutch; Wallonia: French; German-speaking area: German) can be challenged or invalidated. Teamed issues documents in the correct language for the region.
- Quoting net salary. Belgian employees often expect a net figure, but Belgium's layered tax and social security deductions make net commitments a problem. Quote gross only, and note the Belgian wage norm ceiling where applicable.
- Overstating benefits. Belgium has sector-specific joint committee rules (paritaire comites/comites paritaires) that set minimum pay and benefit floors in many industries. Commitments in the offer letter must not contradict joint committee obligations. Teamed checks joint committee coverage before drafting.
Teamed's standard Belgian offer letter template covers all required ground. Clients choose commercial elements; Teamed holds the legal-employer position and issues documents in the correct regional language.
Belgium work-authorisation and Dimona checks
Every employer must file a Dimona declaration before the employee's first working hour. Dimona is Belgium's online worker-registration system run by the NSSO.
EU and EEA citizens can work in Belgium without a separate work permit. Non-EU nationals need a work permit (arbeidsvergunning/permis de travail) and, in most cases, a combined permit (gecombineerde vergunning/permis unique) before they can start.
Dimona: the mandatory pre-start declaration
Dimona (Declaration Immediate/Onmiddellijke Aangifte) is Belgium's electronic worker-registration system. Every employer must submit a Dimona declaration to the National Social Security Office (NSSO/ONSS) before the employee begins work. There is no grace period. The declaration records the start date, the expected end date for fixed-term contracts, and the type of employment.
Teamed files the Dimona declaration as the legal employer. The employer record, not the employee, carries the compliance liability.
EU and EEA nationals
Citizens of EU and EEA member states can work in Belgium without a separate work permit. The employer checks the identity document and retains a copy. Dimona registration still applies.
Non-EU nationals
Third-country nationals must hold a valid work permit before they start. For most categories, Belgium now issues a combined permit that covers both the right of residence and the right to work. The combined permit is applied for by the employer through the relevant regional authority (VDAB in Flanders, Actiris/Brussels Economy and Employment in Brussels, and SPW in Wallonia). Processing times vary by region and permit type.
Every employer in Belgium must register a worker with the NSSO via Dimona before the worker's first day of employment. For non-EEA nationals, a valid work permit or combined permit is also required before work begins. Failure to comply exposes the employer to administrative sanctions.
Ongoing checks for time-limited permits
For employees on combined or single permits with an expiry date, the employer must ensure a renewal is in place before the current permit expires. Teamed tracks permit expiry dates and triggers renewal reminders ahead of each deadline.
The Belgian written contract: what must it contain?
Most Belgian employment contracts must be in writing and signed by both parties before or on the start date.
The Law of 3 July 1978 on employment contracts sets out the required content. The language of the contract must match the official language of the employee's work region.
What a Belgian written employment contract must include:
- Names and addresses of both parties
- Start date of employment
- Place of work and any mobility clause
- Job title or description of the work
- Gross salary and all remuneration components (base salary, sector supplements, meal vouchers, eco-vouchers, group insurance, company car where applicable)
- Working hours per week (standard is 38 hours)
- Annual paid leave entitlement (20 days per year for full-time employees)
- Notice periods: employer minimum 1 week at the start of the contract, rising with seniority to a cap of 52 weeks from 1 July 2026; employee maximum 13 weeks
- Reference to the applicable joint committee (paritair comite/comite paritaire) and any collective bargaining agreements that apply
- Details of any occupational pension or group insurance scheme
- Language of the contract (must match the work region: Dutch for Flanders, French for Wallonia, bilingual for Brussels, German for the German-speaking area)
Belgium has no statutory trial period in current law. A draft proposal to reintroduce a trial period of up to six months is before parliament as of June 2026 but had not been enacted. Until enacted, the contract does not include a probation clause.
Teamed's standard Belgian employment contract satisfies current requirements and is issued in the correct regional language. Key source: Federal Public Service Employment: employment contracts and notice periods.
Onboarding admin in the first week
Days 1 to 7: Dimona filed, written contract signed, social-security (NSSO/ONSS) registration confirmed, tax-withholding (BV/PP) setup completed, IBAN collected.
Teamed handles the payroll and compliance side. The client handles the cultural and operational side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Dimona declaration filed with NSSO | Teamed | Before first working hour |
| Written employment contract signed | Employee and Teamed | Day 0 or 1 |
| Work-authorisation check completed (for non-EU nationals) | Teamed | Day 0 (before start) |
| National registry number (NISS/INSZ) verified | Employee provides; Teamed verifies | Day 1 |
| Bank details (IBAN) collected for SEPA payment | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Wage withholding tax (BV/PP) setup with FPS Finance | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Meal vouchers and sector benefits enrolled (where applicable) | Teamed (admin) and Client (decision) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Group insurance or pension scheme enrolment | Teamed (admin) and Client (decision) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Days 0 to 1 |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 0 to 7 |
| 30-60-90 day plan documented | Client (manager) | Days 1 to 14 |
How does Teamed handle Belgian employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in Belgium for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Dimona registration, NSSO social-security contributions, the Belgian employment contract, and the full Belgian employment law stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your Belgian hires, from the first Dimona filing through every monthly wage withholding return. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A Belgian contractor who converts to full employment keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your Belgian hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the Belgium hiring overview; each guide here takes one layer of Belgian employment law.
Key sources: FPS Employment: employment contracts, Settling in Belgium: termination conditions, and Settling in Belgium: social security contributions.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to hire someone in Belgium through Teamed?
Teamed can onboard a Belgian employee within a few business days for EU or EEA nationals. The critical path is the Dimona declaration, which must be filed before the employee's first working hour, and the written employment contract, which must be signed on or before day one. For non-EU nationals who need a combined permit, the process takes longer because the permit must be in place before the start date. Processing times vary by region.
What is Dimona and when must it be filed?
Dimona is Belgium's mandatory online worker-registration system run by the National Social Security Office (NSSO/ONSS). Every employer must file a Dimona declaration before the employee's first working hour. There is no grace period. The declaration records the employment type, start date, and expected end date for fixed-term contracts. Teamed files the Dimona declaration as the legal employer.
Does Belgium have a probation period?
Belgium abolished the probation period in 2014. There is currently no statutory trial period in Belgian employment law. A draft law to reintroduce a trial period of up to six months was tabled in February 2026 but had not been enacted as of June 2026. Until enactment, new hires in Belgium have no contractual probation clause and the employer's notice period applies from the first day of employment.
What is the minimum annual leave entitlement for a Belgian employee?
The minimum paid annual leave is 20 days per year for full-time employees working a five-day week. Belgium also has 10 statutory public holidays per year. Leave is calculated based on the previous calendar year's worked days, which means new hires in their first year may have a reduced entitlement for the first leave year.
What notice period applies in Belgium?
Employer notice starts at 1 week for the first three months of employment and rises with seniority. From 1 July 2026, a new statutory cap means employer notice cannot exceed 52 weeks at any seniority level. Employee resignation notice starts at 7 days for the first three months and is capped at 13 weeks regardless of seniority.
Dimona is the step that surprises companies entering Belgium. You cannot start someone and register afterwards. The declaration has to be in the NSSO system before the first working hour, and you need the right contract language for the right region. We run both checks before anyone sets foot in the office.
Belgium requires Dimona before the first working hour. Not before the end of day one. Before the first hour.
The contract language must match the region. Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia, and the German-speaking area each have their own rule.
Get those two things right on day one and the rest of Belgian onboarding follows cleanly.
