• meal vouchers
• health insurance, life insurance, dental insurance
• pension plan
• childcare benefits
• company car
• extra vacatio

1.Termination of the fixed term contract. Fixed-term
contracts expire automatically on the date agreed upon by the
parties; consequently, no notice of termination needs to be
given nor does indemnity need to be offered in lieu of notice. If
the parties continue performances after the employment
contract term has expired, the contract will be subject to the
same rules as employment for unlimited duration. A fixed-term
contract can also be terminated unilaterally before the agreed
upon term by either party or even during a period of incapacity
to work.

2. Immediate termination. The employment contract may be
terminated immediately without any notice or indemnity
(payment) in lieu thereof if the other party is liable for an act or
omission considered by law as constituting a ‘serious cause’.
Serious cause is defined as any act or behaviour “which
immediately and permanently precludes the continuation of a
working relationship between the employer and the employee”.

3. By the employer’s initiative. An employer may give notice to
or dismiss an employee on any grounds, as long as the grounds
are not prohibited by law (eg, discrimination).

4. By mutual agreement. At any time, employee and employer
can mutually decide to terminate the contract. In that case, both
parties determine the conditions for termination in mutual
consultation. Even though there is no requirement to do so in
writing, however it is recommended to document everything.

5. By employee’s initiative. Employees in Belgium must provide
notice before leaving a job, and the length of this increases with
their tenure at the company. Once they are hired, an employee
must provide one week’s notice. However, when they reach the two-year mark, they must provide six weeks’ notice before leaving

The parties have the choice of giving notice during which the employment contract is still carried out (notice period) or of immediately terminating it, with payment of a termination fee (immediate termination).
To be valid, notification of the notice period has to be provided in writing and mention the start and length of the notice.
The notice period starts on the Monday following the week during which notice was given.
The length of the notice varies according to the worker’s length of service and as a function of the party behind the termination
(employer or worker)

An employer can choose to either terminate an employment contract
with the granting of a notice period or to terminate the employment
contract immediately with the payment of an indemnity in lieu of
notice. A combination of both, where the serving of a notice period
is followed by the payment of an indemnity for the remainder of the
notice period is also possible. The indemnity in lieu of notice is
calculated on the basis of the annual salary of the employee at the
time of termination, including statutory and contractual fringe
benefits. If the employment contract is terminated with the payment
of an indemnity in lieu of notice, no formalities need to be complied
with; this is contrary to a termination through serving a notice
period.

Different entry conditions apply for EU and non-EU nationals; the latter will need a visa to remain in the country and, for employees,
the employer is the one who will need to apply for a work permit.

• EU/EEA Citizen
EU/EEA and Switzerland citizens do not need a Belgian visa to enter
Belgium. EU/EEA citizens can enter Belgium freely by only using
their national ID or passport. They may stay in the country for a
maximum of three months after arrival, provided they register their
presence there as soon as they arrive.
Suppose candidate plan to stay longer than three months. In that
case, he/she must register at the local town hall (maison
communale/gemeentehuis) and provide proof of adequate insurance
and financial support. Moreover, he/she must acquire a foreigner’s
identity card.

• non-EU/EEA Citizen
non-EU/EEA citizen can apply to stay and work in Belgium as a
highly qualified worker if he/she holds a degree of higher education
(or equivalent), has concluded an employment contract for at least 1
year and earns at least 100% of the average gross annual salary.
If candidate fulfil the conditions, he/she will be issued a single
permit for residence and work and a long stay visa type D.

Please note that it is also possible to apply for a single permit as an
executive provided that candidate fulfil the required criteria.

If candidate is a skilled worker with the right qualifications to work
in Belgium, he/she can apply for an EU Blue Card. Belgium’s EU Blue
Card has a standard validity period of one to three years, depending
on the length of the employment contract