Non-EU students in Belgium: how many hours can you work in 2026?
In short
In Belgium in 2026, if you come from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland and hold a student residence permit, your residence card says ‘labour market limited’: you can work up to 20 hours a week during the school year, with no such limit during school holidays, and your work must stay compatible with your studies. You do not have to apply for a work permit: your residence permit is enough, anywhere in Belgium. On a student contract, your hours count towards the same 650 hours per calendar year at a 2.71% contribution as a Belgian student’s.
| Your situation | During the school year | During school holidays | 650-hour quota at 2.71% |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland | Same rules as a Belgian student | Same rules as a Belgian student | Yes |
| Other country, card ‘labour market unlimited’ | Same rules as a Belgian student | Same rules as a Belgian student | Yes |
| Other country, student residence, card ‘labour market limited’ | Up to 20 hours a week, compatible with your studies | No 20-hour limit | Yes |
Where do the 20 hours a week come from?
From a federal list of residence situations that allow you to work without a work authorisation (royal decree of 2 September 2018). Student residence is on it, “only for work performed: during school holidays; outside school holidays, provided that the work does not exceed twenty hours a week and that it is compatible with their studies”. The limit covers all your work in the week, not each job. Beyond it, that work is no longer covered by your residence permit.
The official pages speak of “school holidays” without giving dates. If you are unsure about a period (exams, study leave), check with your school or university before working more than 20 hours in a week.
Do you need a work permit?
No. With a student residence permit you are automatically allowed to work, within those limits: neither you nor your employer has to apply to the Region for a work authorisation. Your municipality (population or foreigners department) issues your residence card, and that card is what allows you to work.
Region, Community, federal: who decides what?
- Your residence: the federal level, that is the Immigration Office, through your municipality.
- Work authorisations: the Regions (Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders) and the German-speaking Community.
- The residence situations exempt from a work authorisation, including student residence and its 20 hours: a federal list, the same everywhere in Belgium, which Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders repeat on their websites.
- For any other way of working in Belgium when you come from outside the EEA, the regional services are the ones to ask.
The 650 hours apply to you too
On a student employment contract, you are a job student like the others: your hours count towards the 650-hour quota per calendar year at a 2.71% contribution, which Student@work tracks for you too. The two limits add up: 20 hours a week during the school year (your residence) and 650 hours a year at the reduced rate (your social security). Beyond 650 hours, you can keep working within the limits of your residence, with ordinary contributions. Example: 20 hours a week over 30 teaching weeks already makes 600 hours; that leaves only 50 hours at 2.71% for the summer.
Related questions
Do international students need a work permit in Belgium?
No, if you hold a student residence permit: your residence card allows you to work, up to 20 hours a week during the school year and without that limit during school holidays. If you come from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you work on the same terms as a Belgian student.
Student residence permit: what limit applies during the holidays?
During school holidays, the 20-hour weekly limit does not apply. Your 650-hour quota at 2.71% keeps running: beyond it, you pay ordinary contributions.
Is the 20 hours per job or in total?
In total: the limit covers your work for the week, all jobs combined. Two 12-hour jobs in the same teaching week make 24 hours, which is too many.
My card says ‘labour market unlimited’: which rules apply?
The same as for a Belgian student: no 20-hour limit from your residence, and the same 650-hour quota per calendar year at 2.71%.
And after I graduate?
After your studies, you may be granted a residence permit of up to 12 months; it is on the list of residence situations that allow work without a work authorisation, and that list does not attach the 20-hour limit to it. Ask your municipality or the Immigration Office.
Official sources
- Student@work (NSSO): for foreign students
- Student@work (NSSO): hours package and impact
- FPS Employment: foreign workers in a special residence situation
- Brussels Economy and Employment: work authorisation and exemptions
- Public Service of Wallonia: work authorisation for foreign workers (in French)
- Flanders.be: foreigners who do not need a work permit, foreign students
Trakko is not an official source: this guide sums up the rules as published by the authorities on the date shown. For an answer you can rely on, check Student@work, mycareer.be or the body quoted.
Read next
- Student jobs in Belgium 2026: how many of your 650 hours are left?
- Student minimum wage 2026 in Belgium: how much per hour at your age?
- Student jobs in Belgium 2026: tax, tax return and staying your parents’ dependant
- Tracking your student or flexi-job hours in Belgium in 2026: Student@work, a spreadsheet or an app?