---
title: "Belgium Innovation & Startup permit 2026: €2,457+/mo needed"
url: https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/innovation-startup-permit/
lang: en
updated: 2026-10-12
---

Belgium · Business / Startup

# Belgium Innovation & Startup permit

**Income needed:** €2,457+ a month ≈ $2,740

Innovation & Startup Permit (fast-track professional card, Flanders)

Checked against official sources on 12 Oct 2026 [Record corrected 12 Oct 2026](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/corrections/#change-be-innovation-startup-permit) [Change log](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/)

- **Income needed:** €2,457+ a month ≈ $2,740 (Income of at least EUR 2,456.96 a month (≈ $2,740) · Stable, sufficient and regular net means of subsistence from the day the card is granted: at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income set by collective labour agreement no. 43, EUR 2,456.96 a month from July 2026 (Flanders, Dutch-language page). The English version of the page still shows older figures (EUR 26,086.66 as of 1 March 2026 and EUR 2,408.79 from April 2026). A fee of EUR 90 a year (≈ $100) · Fee for issuing the professional card, EUR90 for each year of validity (Flanders). A fee of EUR 140 (≈ $160) · Application fee for the first professional card, paid when the file is submitted (Flanders). A fee of EUR 242 (≈ $270) · Administrative fee to the Immigration Office for a D visa for professional card holders, for applications from 1 January 2026. A fee of EUR 250 (≈ $280) · Visa handling fee for a long-stay (D) visa, from 1 July 2026.)
- **First stay:** 3 yrs (Professional card valid for one to three years.)
- **Who can apply:** Most passports (Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals.)

## Key facts

Innovation & Startup permit is a business / startup route for Belgium. Applicants need income of €2,457+ a month ≈ $2,740. You can stay 3 yrs, renewable. Checked 2026-10-12 against the official source.

- **Money needed:** €2,457+ a month ≈ $2,740
- **Government fees:** €90/yr ≈ $100 · +3 more
- **First stay:** 3 yrs

## Cost, time and long term

To apply: 4 government fees listed below; income to show €2,457+/mo ≈ $2,740. No lawyer or agent fee is included.

**Government fees: €90/yr ≈ $100 · +3 more**

- EUR 90 a year (≈ $100) Fee for issuing the professional card, EUR90 (≈ $100) for each year of validity (Flanders).
- EUR 140 (≈ $160) Application fee for the first professional card, paid when the file is submitted (Flanders).
- EUR 242 (≈ $270) Administrative fee to the Immigration Office for a D visa for professional card holders, for applications from 1 January 2026.
- EUR 250 (≈ $280) Visa handling fee for a long-stay (D) visa, from 1 July 2026.

**Shown, not spent: €2,457+/mo ≈ $2,740**

- EUR 2,456.96 a month (≈ $2,740) Stable, sufficient and regular net means of subsistence from the day the card is granted: at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income set by collective labour agreement no. 43, EUR (≈ $48) 2,456.96 a month from July 2026 (Flanders, Dutch-language page). The English version of the page still shows older figures (EUR 26,086.66 (≈ $29,100) as of 1 March 2026 and EUR 2,408.79 (≈ $2,690) from April 2026).

**Renewal: Renewal rules**

The professional card is valid for one to three years.

[Government of Flanders](https://www.vlaanderen.be/en/working-enterprise-and-investment/working/professional-card-for-foreign-entrepreneurs)

**Permanent residence: After 5 years of residence**

Long-term resident status after 5 years of legal, uninterrupted stay in Belgium with stable means and health insurance. Temporary-purpose stays do not count and study time counts at half.

[Moniteur belge](https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&table_name=loi&cn=1980121530)

**Citizenship: After 5 years of residence**

Belgian nationality by declaration needs 5 years of legal main residence, proof of a national language, social integration and economic participation.

[Belgian Official Gazette](https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&table_name=loi&cn=1984062835)

## Why this route may not fit

Check this before you apply.

- Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports

### What you'll need

#### Who can apply

- The applicant is a non-EU self-employed person.
- The applicant is an innovative entrepreneur or start-up founder in Flanders.
- The professional-card conditions stay unchanged.
- The file shows innovative added value: new products, services or processes, new technologies applied, or collaboration with an incubator, accelerator or research body.

#### What you must show

- Flanders: stable, sufficient and regular net means of subsistence of at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income, EUR 2,456.96 (≈ $2,740) a month from July 2026.
- Fee: EUR90 (≈ $100) for each year of validity of the professional card.
- The professional card application fee is EUR140, (≈ $160) the D visa administrative fee EUR242 (≈ $270) and the visa handling fee EUR250 (≈ $280).

#### Documents

- A signed letter confirming mentoring by, or collaboration with, an innovator, incubator or knowledge institution in Flanders.

#### Steps

1. An application that includes the signed letter may be eligible for fast-track processing.

## When you become tax resident

How Belgium decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.

- **Stay on this route:** **Up to 3 years at first, renewable**
- **Tax residence:** Domicile means the place where a person effectively and permanently resides; for married persons or legal cohabitants it is the place where the household is established.
- **Foreign-source income:** Belgian tax residents declare income received worldwide, including foreign-source income, taxed in progressive brackets of 25%, 40%, 45% and 50% (income year 2026: 25% up to EUR 16,720, (≈ $18,700) 50% above EUR 51,070 (≈ $57,100)).

[All tax rules for Belgium](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/tax/) Tax records checked 12 Oct 2026

**Full official text**

From 1 September 2026 Flanders uses the name Innovation & Startup Permit for the professional-card procedure for innovative entrepreneurs and start-ups. Non-EU self-employed applicants can get fast-track processing if the file includes a signed letter confirming they are mentored by or collaborating with an innovator, incubator or knowledge institution in Flanders; the professional-card conditions stay unchanged. (sources 1, 2, 3)

#### What you must show and pay

- Income of at least EUR 2,456.96 a month (≈ $2,740) · Stable, sufficient and regular net means of subsistence from the day the card is granted: at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income set by collective labour agreement no. 43, EUR (≈ $48) 2,456.96 a month from July 2026 (Flanders, Dutch-language page). The English version of the page still shows older figures (EUR 26,086.66 (≈ $29,100) as of 1 March 2026 and EUR 2,408.79 (≈ $2,690) from April 2026). (sources 3, 2)
- A fee of EUR 90 a year (≈ $100) · Fee for issuing the professional card, EUR90 (≈ $100) for each year of validity (Flanders). (source 2)
- A fee of EUR 140 (≈ $160) · Application fee for the first professional card, paid when the file is submitted (Flanders). (source 2)
- A fee of EUR 242 (≈ $270) · Administrative fee to the Immigration Office for a D visa for professional card holders, for applications from 1 January 2026. (source 4)
- A fee of EUR 250 (≈ $280) · Visa handling fee for a long-stay (D) visa, from 1 July 2026. (source 5)

#### Requirements

- The applicant is a non-EU self-employed person. (sources 1, 2)
- The applicant is an innovative entrepreneur or start-up founder in Flanders. (sources 1, 2)
- The professional-card conditions stay unchanged. (sources 1, 2)
- The file shows innovative added value: new products, services or processes, new technologies applied, or collaboration with an incubator, accelerator or research body. (source 2)
- Flanders: stable, sufficient and regular net means of subsistence of at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income, EUR 2,456.96 (≈ $2,740) a month from July 2026. (source 3)
- Fee: EUR90 (≈ $100) for each year of validity of the professional card. (source 2)
- The professional card application fee is EUR140, (≈ $160) the D visa administrative fee EUR242 (≈ $270) and the visa handling fee EUR250 (≈ $280). (sources 2, 4, 5)
- A signed letter confirming mentoring by, or collaboration with, an innovator, incubator or knowledge institution in Flanders. (sources 1, 2)
- An application that includes the signed letter may be eligible for fast-track processing. (sources 1, 2)

#### Stay

- Professional card valid for one to three years.
- First stay: 12 to 36 months, decided case by case.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.

#### Nationality

Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.

#### Work

Self-employed activity in the Flemish Region.

#### Fine print

The English version of the Flemish page still shows older means figures (EUR 26,086.66 (≈ $29,100) and EUR 2,408.79 (≈ $2,690)); the Dutch version, checked on 12 October 2026, gives EUR 2,456.96 (≈ $2,740) a month from July 2026.

Checked 2026-10-12

## Official sources

1. [Professional card for foreign entrepreneurs (Flanders)](https://www.vlaanderen.be/en/working-enterprise-and-investment/working/professional-card-for-foreign-entrepreneurs) · Government of Flanders · checked 2026-10-10
2. [Applying for your first professional card (Flanders)](https://www.vlaanderen.be/en/working-enterprise-and-investment/working/professional-card-for-foreign-entrepreneurs/applying-for-your-first-professional-card) · Government of Flanders · checked 2026-10-10
3. [Voor het eerst een beroepskaart aanvragen (Dutch version of "Applying for your first professional card", Flanders)](https://www.vlaanderen.be/werken/in-vlaanderen-komen-werken/beroepskaart-voor-buitenlandse-ondernemers/voor-het-eerst-beroepskaart-aanvragen) · Government of Flanders · checked 2026-10-12
4. [Administrative fee for long-stay (D) visa applications, amounts from 1 January 2026](https://japan.diplomatie.belgium.be/sites/default/files/2026-01/Administrative%20fee.pdf) · Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs · checked 2026-10-11
5. [Visa fees: handling fee for long-stay visas from 1 July 2026](https://unitedarabemirates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/travel-belgium/visa-belgium/visa-fees) · Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs · checked 2026-10-11
6. [Law of 15 December 1980 on access, residence, settlement and removal of foreigners, Articles 10, 10bis and 40ter](https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&table_name=loi&cn=1980121530) · Moniteur belge (Justel) · checked 2026-10-11
7. [Code of Belgian nationality (Art. 12bis: acquisition by declaration after 5 years of legal residence)](https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&table_name=loi&cn=1984062835) · Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge / Federal Public Service Justice) · checked 2026-10-11

## Innovation & Startup permit and its alternatives

| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Innovation & Startup permit | Needs income of €2,457+ a month ≈ $2,740 | 3 yr, renewable | – |
| [Self-employed professional card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/professional-card/) | Needs savings of €23k+ ≈ $26k | 3 yr, renewable | – |
| [Startup Visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/portugal/startup-visa-89-4/) Portugal | Needs savings of €6,446+ ≈ $7,200 | 2 yr, renewable | – |
| [Entrepreneur visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/spain/entrepreneur-visa/) Spain | – | 3 yr, renewable | – |
| [Startup Visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/italy/startup-visa/) Italy | Needs savings of €50k+ ≈ $56k | 1 yr, renewable | – |

## Questions people ask

### How much money do I need for the Innovation & Startup permit?

Income of at least EUR 2,456.96 a month (≈ $2,740). Stable, sufficient and regular net means of subsistence from the day the card is granted: at least 110% of the guaranteed average minimum monthly income set by collective labour agreement no. A fee of EUR 90 a year (≈ $100). Fee for issuing the professional card, EUR90 (≈ $100) for each year of validity (Flanders). A fee of EUR 140 (≈ $160). Application fee for the first professional card, paid when the file is submitted (Flanders). A fee of EUR 242 (≈ $270). Administrative fee to the Immigration Office for a D visa for professional card holders, for applications from 1 January 2026.

### How long can I stay on the Innovation & Startup permit?

Professional card valid for one to three years.

### Can I work on the Innovation & Startup permit?

Self-employed activity in the Flemish Region.

### Who can apply for the Innovation & Startup permit?

Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.

### Does the Innovation & Startup permit lead to permanent residence in Belgium?

Time on the Innovation & Startup permit counts toward permanent residence in Belgium, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence. Time on the Innovation & Startup permit counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence.

### How are Innovation & Startup permit holders taxed in Belgium?

No special regime in our records is tied to the Innovation & Startup permit. The standard rules apply: Belgian tax residents declare income received worldwide, including foreign-source income, taxed in progressive brackets of 25%, 40%, 45% and 50% (income year 2026: 25% up to EUR 16,720, (≈ $18,700) 50% above EUR 51,070 (≈ $57,100)). Non-residents are taxed only on Belgian-source income.

## More in Belgium

[Working Holiday](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/working-holiday/) [Blue Card](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/eu-blue-card/) [Researcher permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/researcher-hosting-agreement/) [Highly qualified work permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/single-permit-employment/) [Intra-company transfer permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/ict-single-permit/) [Student visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/belgium/student-visa/)

## Business / startup visas elsewhere

[🇬🇷 Business investor permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/greece/business-investment-b2/) [🇩🇪 Self-employed permit](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/germany/self-employment-21/) [🇫🇷 Entrepreneur / freelancer](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/france/entrepreneur-liberal/) [🇬🇧 Innovator Founder](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/united-kingdom/innovator-founder/) [🇳🇱 DAFT self-employed](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/netherlands/daft-self-employed/) [🇨🇾 Startup visa](https://settleanywhere.com/countries/cyprus/startup-visa/)

≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.

## How this was checked

**Checked on 2026-10-12 against 7 official sources.** Status: verified against the official sources.

Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.

1. [Professional card for foreign entrepreneurs (Flanders)](https://www.vlaanderen.be/en/working-enterprise-and-investment/working/professional-card-for-foreign-entrepreneurs) · Government of Flanders · checked 2026-10-10
2. [Applying for your first professional card (Flanders)](https://www.vlaanderen.be/en/working-enterprise-and-investment/working/professional-card-for-foreign-entrepreneurs/applying-for-your-first-professional-card) · Government of Flanders · checked 2026-10-10
3. [Voor het eerst een beroepskaart aanvragen (Dutch version of "Applying for your first professional card", Flanders)](https://www.vlaanderen.be/werken/in-vlaanderen-komen-werken/beroepskaart-voor-buitenlandse-ondernemers/voor-het-eerst-beroepskaart-aanvragen) · Government of Flanders · checked 2026-10-12
4. [Administrative fee for long-stay (D) visa applications, amounts from 1 January 2026](https://japan.diplomatie.belgium.be/sites/default/files/2026-01/Administrative%20fee.pdf) · Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs · checked 2026-10-11
5. [Visa fees: handling fee for long-stay visas from 1 July 2026](https://unitedarabemirates.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/travel-belgium/visa-belgium/visa-fees) · Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs · checked 2026-10-11
6. [Law of 15 December 1980 on access, residence, settlement and removal of foreigners, Articles 10, 10bis and 40ter](https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&table_name=loi&cn=1980121530) · Moniteur belge (Justel) · checked 2026-10-11
7. [Code of Belgian nationality (Art. 12bis: acquisition by declaration after 5 years of legal residence)](https://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&table_name=loi&cn=1984062835) · Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge / Federal Public Service Justice) · checked 2026-10-11

Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the [changes page](https://settleanywhere.com/changes/), and the [methodology page](https://settleanywhere.com/methodology/) explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email [contact@stayglobe.app](mailto:contact@stayglobe.app?subject=Correction) with a link to the official source.