Mandatory declaration of temporary activities

Foreign employees, self-employed people and trainees must declare their activities in Belgium to the government in advance. This mandatory declaration is part of a larger project, Limosa, which is intended to create a better framework for the employment of foreign workers in Belgium. Actors and crew members, however, are exempt from this declaration if their stay in Belgium doesn’t exceed a total of 21 days per quarter.

For more information on mandatory declarations, please contact the Limosa Contact Centre:

P.O. Box 224 1050 Brussels l Belgium
Tel: + 32 (0) 2 788 51 57
Fax: + 32 (0) 2 788 51 58
Email: limosa@eranova.fgov.be
Website: www.limosa.be

Work permits

Nationals of countries belonging to the European Economic Area are not obliged to obtain a work permit for their activities in Belgium and neither are employees of companies situated within the European Economic Area. Actors and crew members of other nationalities are also exempt if their stay doesn’t exceed three consecutive months.

For more information on employment authorizations, contact the Employment Division of the Ministry of the Flemish Community:

Koning Albert II laan 35 b21 1030 Brussels l Belgium
Tel: + 32 (0) 2 553 43 92
Website: www.werk.be (in Dutch)

A summary of other additional administrative formalities and/or financial contributions can be seen at www.socialsecurity.be and www.socialezekerheid.fgov.be.

Working with volunteers

When working with unpaid volunteers, one has to reckon with the law governing volunteer labor, which came into force from 1 August 2006.

For information on this statute, please contact the Kunstenloket/Contact point for practical advice:

Sainctelettesquare 19 (7th floor) 1000 Brussels
Tel: + 32 (0) 2 204 08 00  
Fax: + 32 (0) 2 204 08 09  
Email: info@kunstenloket.be

Working with artists

If you’re paying an artist for his/her commissioned artwork, you'll have to take the law governing artists into account. Among other things, this stipulates that anyone…

• who puts on a performance or produces an artistic work (both creative and performing activities, eg, a concert, the editing of films, the making a work for an exposition etc)
• by order of a natural or legal person (for example, a company)
• in payment of a wage (NB: this is not the same as a small compensation such as a reimbursement of expenses)

… is seen as an employee. The frequency of performance is irrelevant. A single artistic performance is also subject to the artistic statute.

Although basically the artist is seen as an employee, he or she can opt for the autonomous statute. In this case the artist has to prove that he or she is socio-economically independent.

For more information, please contact the Kunstenloket/Contact point for practical advice (details as above)

Working with other artistic employees

When working with other employees, who are not putting on an artistic performance or work, the usual regulation concerning social security is applicable.

This can be done in only two ways:

• As an employee: you make a fixed-term or permanent employment contract
• As an independent: you make a building contract

For more information, please contact the Kunstenloket/Contact point for practical advice (details as above)