Permanent Residence card - Type D (documents and when to apply)

Hello All,

I am an Indian national and working in Belgium on WP. I will be completing 5 years in Belgium in October 2019.  (Counting since the date of getting my first residence permit). My current WP is valid till July 2019 and RP till Oct 2019. I checked with my commune in Deurne (Antwerp) and they say that I can apply long term residence permit during next renewal of RP. I wish to apply for type -D card.

1. What is the best time to apply? Can I apply 5 months before expiry of my RP i.e. in May 2019? (since ministry can take max. 5 months to decide)
2. what all documents will be required? I can show insurance, work contract, all WP and form 281 of all years, but the payslips for some months are missing as I changed jobs and waited for new WP in the meantime.
3. any inputs on recent experiences with Antwerp commune are welcome! (in terms of documents required and time taken for the process, be it type B or D)

Thanks in advance.

1. You can apply permanent residence permit as long as 5-year-working condition is met. No need to wait for the expiration of the current RP.

2. Based on my own experience with card B, you won't need to hand over any document. They have all your detail in system already.