The leaving-Belgium checklist
These are the evidence categories FPS Finance weighs, in the order it will look for them. Download the same list as a one-page PDF — no email needed.
Download the free checklist (PDF) ↓
Your new country
- Lease or proof of housingNames, address, dates and the living arrangement.
- New driver's licenceIf issued and applicable to your situation.
- Residence or immigration documentThe visa or permit that applies to your status — and whether it is permanent.
- Local bank statementEvidence of an account in your new country.
Belgium
- Departure declaration at your commune (Model 8)Declare your move abroad in person at the latest the day before you leave; keep the 'Model 8' proof of removal from the population registers.
- Registration at the Belgian consulateOnce you have proof of residence abroad, register with the Belgian consulate for your area so you are in the consular population register.
- Mutuality and social securityTell your mutuality; check whether EU coordination, a bilateral agreement or Overseas Social Security applies to your destination, and keep the letters.
- Self-employed: your social insurance fundIf you were self-employed, notify your social insurance fund and INASTI/RSVZ so contributions stop at the right date.
- Pension, bank and portfolio updatesNotify the Federal Pensions Service in writing if you draw a pension, move your accounts to non-resident status, and fix the value of your financial assets on the day you leave.
Keeping a Belgian bank account does not by itself make you a resident — but a house your household still lives in does. See how FPS Finance frames it ↗
You prepare here.
You file with FPS Finance.
There is no departure form to lodge with FPS Finance — but there are four things it expects you to do, and they have deadlines. This app does not connect to MyMinfin.
1. Deregister at your commune
Declare your departure abroad in person at the latest the day before you leave. The commune removes you from the population registers and issues the Model 8 proof; this is what rebuts the National Register presumption.
2. Ask your tax office for the special return
Contact the tax office for your last Belgian address. The special return covers 1 January to your departure date and must be filed within three months of leaving.
3. Deal with the 2026 exit rule
Record the value of your financial assets on the day you leave. If you are moving inside the EEA or to a qualifying treaty country the deferral is automatic; otherwise request it and provide a guarantee. Keep the certification obligations in view during the 24-month window.
4. File as a non-resident if income stays behind
From the following year, file the non-resident income tax return if you still have Belgian-source income — for income year 2025 between 3 September and 20 November 2026 — and keep the file in case FPS Finance revisits your residency.
FPS Finance: leaving Belgium — tax return ↗
The checklist PDF is free. For $27 we compile your answers and documents into a structured report; for $497 a member of our team reviews it and writes an opinion memo.
Get my departure report — $27 → Free checklist ↓