Proof of income: salary or scholarship payment

Sufficient income to live in Belgium

When an researcher on secondment has his own funds for research in Belgium, it is important for the Belgian authorities that a sufficient income is proven to maintain a sufficient standard to live in Belgium. The conditions on the income can be found here.
The sufficient income needs to consist out of payments such as a salary or scholarships and must be on a frequent (= monthly; three monthly of yearly) basis. Vacation money can be added to salary calculation, if the amount is also mentioned in the documents. It is also possible to add a payment that covers the rent of an apartment to stay in Belgium as it can be seen as an benefit paid by the employer Occasional payments; cost of living allowances or expense reimbursements are not accepted by the Belgian government.

  1. A gross annual salary of at least 45.096 euros (per month gross = 3758 euro) must be proven if the purpose of the secondment is for research or teaching activities and if the person does not hold a PhD diploma.
  2. A netto annual salary of 22.107,36 euros (per month net = 1.842,28 euro) must be proven if the purpose of the secondment is mostly for research activities and if the person holds a PhD diploma.

The required amounts are calculated per month you would like to stay in Belgium.
Please note that, if the single permit must be extended (even unintended), the income must also be proven for the previous period. So if at that point the required income and the proof of obtaining it cannot be proven, the single permit cannot be extended.

The salary requirements are valid for 2021, and are indexed for stays for 2022 or later. We will update this information as soon as the new sufficiënt income number are published by the Belgian government.

What in case you cannot provide these amounts?

If you do not reach the required amount to proof your stay in Belgium, it advised to combine several options together to provide sufficient income. It is not possible to come to Belgium without the required income and the single permit application will not be approved.
If the income or grant or scholarship are not enough to proof the sufficient income to live in Belgium, you have the following additional options to proof the required income:

  • Add an additional salary or grant from your home country

Which kind of proof of income is required to provide?

If the details on the general income or salary that is paid by the employer are clearly mentioned in the secondment letter and confirmed in the employment contract; this will can be used as a proof of income.


Other options are:

  • Payslips (translated in English) can also be added to proof the salary level.
  • Overview of a bank account where the payments of the employer and the amounts are highlighted can also be added as proof of the salary payments. Please provide sufficient translation in English form the bank account details.
  • If additional payments are provided by the employer for the secondment to Belgium, it is advised to clearly mention these in a separate letter
  • If a scholarship or research grant is received from a local institute or government; the letter confirming the scholarship to you (in English) can be provided. If the amount foreseen for the secondment and research stay is not clearly mentioned or calculated in Euro’s, please request or add additional explanations.
  • If private savings are added to cover the stay in Belgium, an overview of the bank account can be added. A personal letter confirming the ability to use these amounts for the period in Belgium (with the available amounts mentioned in Euro) can be helpful.


If you combine several types of income, we are grateful that you also provide us an Excel document with an overview with the types of incomes, the applicable currency and the calculation that the required income is obtained for the entire period.