Pension question, Belgium
How do I apply for a Belgian pension from abroad?
Belgium does start some pensions with no application, but only on a three-part test a former worker abroad fails. The Federal Pensions Service requires all three: retiring at statutory age, having worked as an employee or self-employed person in Belgium, and having lived in Belgium since at least thirteen months before that age.
- Source: sfpd.fgov.be, mypension.be, mybelgianid.be, read 3 October 2026
What to do next
- Choose the date you want your Belgian pension to start and mark the twelve months before it.
- Find your Belgian national register number on old payslips or letters.
- Run our free check to see which other countries set a clock on your pension.
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Tell us where you worked. The free check shows which countries may hold a pension for you, and which can be ruled out and why. No sign in, no charge.
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When can the application be filed?
A Belgian pension application can only be filed inside a fixed window: no earlier than 12 months before, and no later than the month before, the date the pension is to start.
Do you give advice on what to do?
No. We identify where a pension is likely held and the official route to it, and we name each source with the date we read it. We do not give financial, tax or legal advice.