L card application in Antwerp

the response on the part of the immigration is rude. anyway, you still go to municipality since no decision still entitles you an L card.

Hello everyone,I applied for permanent residency (L card) and received Annex 16 + 16bis on 28 October 2025. The Antwerp city hall scheduled an appointment for 28 March 2026 to inform me of the Immigration Office’s - @Valoche328

In my case there was no reply from IBZ, hence Antwerp municipality issued it after waiting time is over.

@Valoche328

How did you contact the Loket migratie? By email?

What they are saying makes no sense.

@Josefine23

I contacted IBZ (Immigration Office) and Loket migratie both by phone and email.

@Psarkar21

Loket migratie from Antwerp said they will deliver the L card if there is no decision yet after 5 months of waiting. But the immigration office can revoke the L card if the immigration office gives a rejection after 5 months. So it is also not very secured.

@Valoche328 this is not true at all. After 5 months of waiting, if there is no answer, city hall needs to give you the L card. After the 5 months, no refusal decision from IBZ is valid. Their refusal decision needs to be made before the 5 months. If they refuse it after 5 months, ask the commune the decision letter of IBZ, or internal decision, and look at the date, if the date is after the 5 months, then they can’t revoke the L card. It already happened to my friend. He waited for 5 months, then got the L card, and went to order the card at the commune. When he went back to take the card, commune told him that they received a refusal decision, but they can’t consider it as the 5 months was already passed. Law is law !

Just out of curiosity, Is there a way, we can confirm that the IBZ has approved the L card request before the appointment date provided by the commune for 5 months ? I believe you can check whether IBZ has checked your information on Mijn Dossier. But did anyone has any luck going to the commune after seeing something like that ? or Did anyone get a new invitation letter early from the commune ?

I also submitted my application on October 28 and I have not received any response yet. I have a friend who submitted his application on December 10, and the commune contacted him to come and order the card because they received a response from IBZ (Brussels commune). So I have the impression that it is random.

@Siju Raju

I submitted my application on October 28, and IBZ consulted my file on November 5. Since then, there have been no further checks. My appointment at the commune is scheduled for March 29.

Update: There was no decision made by IBZ after 5 months of waiting. I successfully applied for the L card on my appointment! Yay!

@Valoche328

Congratulations ! Next step Belgian nationality …

Hello, I have the same timeline, I applied Oct 27th and was given an annexe that says I can come in after March 28th, no appointment necessary (molenbeek commune). I just went to the commune to check the status of my L-card application and they told me to send an email.  It's already been 5 months and now I have to wait longer

Does anyone have any tips on how I can move this along faster?

UPDATE !!!

Arrival in Belgium: 20 October 2018

Application Date: 28 Oct 2025

L card approval: 30 March 2026

@Akshaya Ayp

Hello,

Why is the commune asking you to send an email? Do they operate by appointment? If so, then you probably need to send an email to book an appointment (but normally, you should have scheduled it when you submitted your L-card application).

If your commune works without appointments, they are obliged to order your L-card after 5 months of waiting. If they refuse, ask them for written proof, not just a verbal response. They should send you an email stating that you still have to wait despite the 5-month deadline having passed.

With that email, you can go to a lawyer and file a complaint against them. Communes like Molenbeek, Ixelles, Anderlecht, etc. often do not respect the law.

@Junjun2022

Congrats to you as well!!

@junjun2022

Hello I got my L card!!

Thank you for the advice! the commune was delaying it for no reason. I went again today and said I had to travel for work in a week and they issued my L card bc there was no decision from the immigration offfice.

@Akshaya Ayp

Congrats !