Applying B or L card after 5 Years stay in Belgium

@hpuxankit Hi! thanks for sharing the timeline, would you mind sharing the exact dates of application and approval from commune? I am wondering if it took 5 months to receive the approval (as written on the Annexe 16 bis). Thanks!

@Aneesh

So I applied for my L card earlier this week. The required 5 years residency starts from the first date you registered at the commune (Annex 15) and not the first issue date on your first Belgian ID. I registered at the commune in mid-March 2019, but the date of issue on my first card was May 28th, 2019.

So I was able to submit my L card application and received the Annex 16bis document as prove

    @eshwarraj09 - No. The time is calculated from 1st RP issue date. But you can always apply few weeks before
   

    -@Arun Kanojia So I applied for my L card earlier this week. The required 5 years residency starts from the first date you registered at the commune (Annex 15) and not the first issue date on your first Belgian ID. I registered at the commune in mid-March 2019, but the date of issue on my first card was May 28th, 2019.

So I was able to submit my L card application and received the Annex 16bis document as prove

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding the L card.

On the website, it states:

"The 5-year period is not interrupted by absences of less than six consecutive months, provided that the total duration of such absences does not exceed 10 months over the entire 5-year period."

During these five years, I traveled outside the Schengen Area for about 3 months per year in total (spread over several trips, with no single trip lasting more than 6 consecutive months).

However, I have been continuously employed in Belgium since my first day here, with no interruption to my employment, and my social security record is fully up to date.

Could these absences affect my application for an L card? Also, when I submit my application, do the authorities automatically verify my periods of absence from Belgium?

Thank you!

@Mahmoud Manai

I have no prior exprience, so can’t tell for sure. But I do know it depends on your current status here, for example the absence limit for highly skilled workers (single permit) is higher than the 10 months total over the 5 years.

Absence refers to the period during which you have no address in Belgium and therefore no valid residence permit. The municipality expects you to inform them of your temporary leaves (the time that you have no associated address). If that is the case, then your L card/B card request might be affected.

I hope it helps.