Belgium Intra-Corporate Transferee Permit
Belgium
Residency
At a glance
Belgium's ICT permit is for a manager, specialist, or trainee employee temporarily transferred within the same company group to a Belgian entity. It is not an ordinary local-hire permit.
- Roles
- Managers, specialists, and trainee employees
- Employer
- Transfer must be within the same company group
- Duration
- Up to 3 years, or 1 year for trainee employees
- Mobility
- EU mobility rules for intra-company transfers may matter after an assignment in another member state
- What it gives
- Temporary Belgian residence and work authorization for an approved transfer within the same company group.
- Main limit
- This is not a local Belgian hire, an open work permit, a consulting assignment between unrelated companies, or a route that transfers the employment contract to Belgium.
Summary
Belgium's intra-corporate transferee, or ICT, permit is for a temporary transfer from a company outside the EU to a Belgian entity in the same company or corporate group. It covers managers, specialists, and paid trainee employees. The worker stays employed by the non-EU company throughout the transfer.
For a direct transfer to Belgium, the worker must reside and be outside the EU when the application is made. The Belgian host and foreign employer must be genuinely linked, and the Belgian entity must not have been created mainly to facilitate ICT admissions.
The maximum total transfer is three years for a manager or specialist and one year for a trainee employee. This is an intentional temporary limit, not a normal renewable career permit.
Eligibility
A direct ICT case generally requires:
- A non-EU national residing outside the EU at filing.
- Continuing employment with a company established outside the EU.
- A transfer to a Belgian entity in the same undertaking or corporate group.
- A role as manager, specialist, or paid trainee employee.
- The required prior group employment, qualifications, experience, assignment letter, and remuneration under the competent region's rules.
- Federal residence documents, including passport, fee, police record where required, medical certificate, and insurance.
A trainee employee must have a university degree and be transferred for career development or training in business techniques or methods. A specialist must show the specific group knowledge and high-level qualifications or professional experience required by the rules.
Regional salary thresholds differ. For example, Brussels publishes 2026 gross monthly minima of €5,460.20 for an ICT manager, €4,510.60 for an ICT expert, and €2,611.40 for an ICT trainee. These are Brussels figures, not national amounts.
What This Route Allows
The ICT permit authorizes temporary Belgian residence and work for the approved intra-group assignment. A direct transferee receives an I card after the visa and commune registration process.
An ICT permit issued by another participating Member State can support short-term mobility in Belgium of up to 90 days under the applicable rules, or long-term mobility of more than 90 days through a Belgian application and J card. The worker may work only for an entity within the same group.
What This Route Is Not
This is not a local Belgian hire, an open work permit, a consulting assignment between unrelated companies, or a route that transfers the employment contract to Belgium. The worker must remain bound to the non-EU employer.
It is not designed for settlement: the three-year or one-year total cap applies. A person moving into ordinary Belgian employment generally needs the employer to secure a different Single Permit or Blue Card before that work begins.
Next Steps
- Confirm that the foreign employer and Belgian host are legally within the same undertaking or group.
- Classify the worker as manager, specialist, or paid trainee and gather evidence meeting that definition.
- Identify the competent region and verify prior-employment, pay, qualification, and document requirements.
- Keep the worker outside the EU for a direct Belgian ICT filing; do not enter early expecting to convert in Belgium.
- Have the host submit the combined application and wait for authorization before the assignment starts.
- After approval, obtain the D visa and register with the commune within eight working days.
- Track the EU-wide maximum transfer duration and plan either departure or an independently approved new status before it is reached.
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