Foreign national employees that come to Belgium to participate in training (not exceeding three subsequent calendar months) at the Belgian seat of the multinational group that their employer belongs to are exempt from the work permit requirement within the framework of a training agreement between the respective companies of the multinational group. The authorized scope of training is restrictive and may not result in productive work.

In the Brussels-Capital Region, the company organizing the training must inform the local immigration authorities of the employee's stay in Belgium by the start of the training.

This specific work permit exemption is limited to the following three categories of employees:

• Employees who are employed with an associated company located within the EEA, irrespective of their citizenship
• Employees who are employed with an associated company located outside the EEA and who are citizens of an OECD member state
• Employees who are citizens of countries with which Belgium has entered into a bilateral employment agreement (e.g., Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, Macedonia, Morocco, Tunisia and Türkiye)

Employees working for a foreign company belonging to an international group that has a seat in Belgium who cannot call upon the aforementioned work permit exemption are eligible to obtain a work permit (or a single permit), regardless of their regular place of employment abroad and nationality. Such training may not include any productive work or be an on-the-job type of training. The duration of such training is not limited.

Within the framework of the Single Permit Directive, different authorities implemented Directive (EU) 2016/801 regarding the entry and residence of foreign nationals for the purpose of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes, educational projects and working as an au pair.

A trainee can be granted a work authorization in the following circumstances (if all other conditions are met):

• The trainee is bound to the employer by an internship contract of a maximum duration of six months.
• The trainee provides proof of higher professional qualifications through a higher education diploma obtained within the two years preceding the application or provide proof that they are undergoing training for the aforementioned diploma.
• The traineeship relates to the same level of qualification and covers the same field as the diploma or studies referred to in the previous condition.

The work authorization is valid for a maximum of six months but can be extended on a one-off basis in the Flemish Region and in the Brussels Capital Region.

The aforementioned provisions relate to any work authorization application for individuals undergoing a temporary intragroup transfer or long-term mobility. They are subject to specific conditions in an implementing cooperation agreement from 6 December 2018 and only enter into force when this implementing cooperation agreement entered into force.

In the meantime, the following prior provisions remain applicable:

• The trainee must be between 18 and 30 years old
• The trainee cannot work in Belgium during the training period
• The training must be full time
• The training may not exceed 12 months
• A training agreement must be signed and translated into the mother tongue of the employee-trainee (or a language the trainee understands) and must indicate the number of hours of training and salary (which cannot be lower than the legal minimum of the applicable business sector)
• A training program must be presented together with a legalized copy of the diploma or degree