In Belgium, civil servants working for a European or international organization, and in certain cases seconded national experts, have the right to ‘simplified residence’, which amounts to the issue of a ‘special identity card’ (SIC) issued by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and not by the municipal authority. The members of their family can also take advantage of this system unless they are working in Belgium. Indeed it is forbidden to work for a belgian employer with a special If card! Holders of these special cards must not register in the commune where they live. They are however included in a separate local authority register and receive a national number (though this does not appear on their special identity card).
Important to know when you have a SIC :
It is also always possible to give back the SIC and decide to go at the municipality to obtain the Belgian residence permit. This is for instance useful for children being nearly 18 years old. How to proceed ?
Concretely civil servants can chose from the start to get a special ID card via their own institution or to register directly at the commune.
Seconded National Experts (SNEs) are officials or members of staff of a national, regional or local government administrative body in a country, called the ‘sending state’, who are made available to an international organisation either based in Belgium or officially recognised here by what is called a ‘headquarter agreement’.
If you are an EU citizen you can either register with your local authority or submit an application for a special identity card to the Protocol Department at the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs of the Federal Government.