Since 1 September 2026, every Single Permit application filed in the Flemish Region carries a new €180 administrative fee, charged by the Flemish authorities on top of the existing federal contribution paid to Belgium's Immigration Office. Unlike the federal fee, which applies only to initial filings, the new Flemish charge is due on both first-time applications and renewals, turning what used to be a one-off cost into a recurring line item for every employer sponsoring foreign talent into Flanders.
What has changed
- Federal administrative contribution: approx. €152, initial Single Permit applications only, paid to Belgium's Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken / Office des Étrangers).
- New Flemish administrative fee: €180, every Single Permit application (initial and renewal), paid to Flemish authorities via the Single Permit Portal (Uniek Loket).
Proof of payment for the federal fee still has to be uploaded as part of the file. The Flemish fee is paid separately through the Single Permit Portal at the time the application is lodged, and it is scheduled to rise through annual indexation starting in 2027. Flanders also tightened a document requirement alongside the fee: since June 2026, applications must include a copy of every page of the employee's passport, not just the identification page.
What this means for HR and mobility teams
Because the Flemish fee applies to renewals as well as new filings, it is not a one-time cost employers can budget for once and forget. Any Flanders-based role tied to a Single Permit now generates a new government charge every time that permit comes up for renewal, on top of whatever the federal contribution costs at the time. For a mobility team managing more than a handful of Flanders-based sponsorships, that is a recurring cost that belongs in the assignment budget cycle, not just the initial hiring budget.
Employers relying on a passport identification-page copy from a filing made before June 2026 will also need to refresh that document before submitting a renewal, since the update requires all passport pages.
Action steps
- Flag every Flanders Single Permit renewal due in the next 12 months and add the €180 fee to its budget line.
- Confirm the passport documentation on file for each Flanders case includes every page, not just the ID page, before the next renewal is filed.
- Route the €180 payment through the Single Permit Portal (Uniek Loket) at submission, separate from the federal contribution payment.
- Review Flanders-based offer letters issued before 1 September 2026 to confirm the new fee was not missed in the total cost of sponsorship.
xpath.global's work permit and visa advisory team tracks fee schedules and document requirements for every Single Permit jurisdiction in real time, including regional charges like Flanders' new €180 fee, so the cost in an assignment budget matches what the government actually charges at filing. [Speak to our team.](https://xpath.global)
"Sources: RSM Belgium — July 9, 2026; Agoria; Fragomen."
