Country guide

Belgium,
decoded.

There's no retirement visa — but there is a discretionary route for people with passive income. A median row house costs €285,000. Income tax tops out at 50%, yet US Social Security stays untaxed in Belgium. Here's the whole picture — from official sources, checked and dated.

Belgium quick facts · verified 9 July 2026
11.87MPopulation, of which 13.8% are foreign nationals (Statbel, 1 Jan 2026)
€1,340/moLiving-wage benchmark behind the rentier residence route (from 1 Mar 2026)
€242Immigration Office contribution fee for the long-stay D visa, per adult (2026)
€285,000Median attached/semi-detached house, Q1 2026 (apartments: €257,000) — Statbel
25–50%2026 income tax brackets, plus a ~7% average communal surcharge
10%New capital-gains tax on financial assets from 1 Jan 2026 (first €10,000/yr exempt)
#9Worldwide English proficiency ranking (EF EPI 2025)
5 yrsLegal residence required for Belgian citizenship — half Portugal's new wait
The Belgium guide

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2026 rule changes

Three things that changed recently — and matter

Belgium now taxes capital gains. From 1 January 2026, realised gains on financial assets — shares, funds, crypto, even physical gold — are taxed at 10%, with the first €10,000 per person per year exempt. Gains accrued up to 31 December 2025 are grandfathered. There's also an exit tax if you later leave. This is the biggest Belgian tax change in decades.
Buying your home in Flanders got stricter — but stayed cheap. The 2% registration duty on a sole owner-occupied home survived into 2026, but from 1 January the conditions tightened: full ownership only, and you must live at the address for at least one uninterrupted year. The standard rate for other purchases is 12%.
Immigration fees were indexed on 1 January 2026. The Immigration Office contribution fee for a consular long-stay application (Article 9, including the rentier route) is now €242 per adult — unpaid or underpaid files are declared inadmissible and not processed.
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