hi there! when i registered to live i belgium i was told i HAD to find a job within 5months or the town hall could not update my residency. is this allowed? i'm 6 months pregnant, and every place ive applied have said its not a good idea to employ a heavily pregnant woman, and to come back after ive had the baby and theyd happily see if there was anything available. i told this to the woman at the town hall but she still says i have to find a job, pregnant or not and i have until end august/september to find one (my baby is due 6th sep!) my partner has said he will support me but hey still dont want to know. any one else had this problem or know what i can do about it?

Hi,

Guess this is a bit late for you (hope you managed to sort it)... but in case it helps anyone else...

Yes it is true if you don't get a job within 5 months then they can and will tell you to leave the country.

What you need to do is apply for concubinage (yes really!) which is basically saying that your partner will support you to live in Belgium. You may need to talk to a different department at your commune than the one you use for the standard foreigner's ID card application so check at the reception of your town hall where to go. They should give you a paper listing what documents you will have to provide which should be something along the lines of:

You will need the following for both you and your partner:
Passport
Birth Certificate
Good Conduct Certificate
Certificate of Celibacy
Testimonials from friends to confirm that you are together in a stable relationship
Sign a legal cohabitation form

And your partner needs to provide
Proof of Earnings (payslips for the last few months)
A letter to the mayor asking to let you support your partner
A letter confirming that you will support your partner financially

oh yes... and there was something about photos showing you and your partner together (how very 'Green Card').

We didn't bother with this bit though...

I'm pretty sure you are talking about the Cohabitation visa! I was a little shocked when you said concubinage!

Are you kidding me?

Actually, I am positive she is serious! Because I've already had to fill out all that paperwork!

Okay... What exactly does the paperwork for a Certificate of Celibacy require.

I'm moving to Mons with my significant other but don't have a job. I am hoping to get one when I'm in Belgium but with the economy going like it is... who knows... whoever thought that an engineer would be hard-up for work!!! My sigfig has already said he would support me if I decided to go back to school and get my masters... so please tell me more about this Certifcant of cohabitation.

Do you have to be married? Any other help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advanced.

Yes I was serious!

The cohabitation agreement is something that you can do with the commune - they actually give you a document to sign etc. and you can usually give it to your employer etc. as it can affect your tax.

The concubinage is another process (for which your cohabitation form can come in handy) which you need to do to get your residence permit without having a job - the cohabitation agreement is not enough on its own.

I really did go through all of this as per my previous post when I first arrived in Belgium. I had also made a normal application (as initially they had told me the wrong process) so on the basis of that and the fact I didn't have a job within 5 months (I had broken my arm which apparently made no difference) I received a letter from the Police telling me that I had not fulfilled the conditions of my temporary 5 month permit so I would have to leave the country!

A panicked phone call to the commune and they actually admitted that since I'm from the UK (so actually I'm supposed to be entitiled to freedom of movement in the EU) the Police were probably not going to haul me away and put me on the next plane home. Fortunately I found a job just after that letter and went straight to the commune and they instantly gave me 5-year ID card.

It's all good fun....

As for the certificate of celibacy and record of good conduct, there's no such thing in the UK so I couldn't provide that. I went to the British Embassy and they were able to type up a document where I declared these things witnessed by them and they gave it a seal of approval. Cost 50 euros or something I think.....

And no, you don't need to be married, the cohabitation form is for people who are not married but living together. That's why you need the certificate of celibacy - to prove that you are NOT married. Only in Belgium do you need to prove to the world that you're not married... nice!

Hope this helps...

Z.

No no no! There are many countries where you have to prove that you are "celibate" ( Célibataire in French, Ongehuwd in Dutch) when you plan to marry! You don't have to travel far: The Netherlands ask this document as well.