How to Hire Fish Processing Workers from Abroad in Belgium (2026)

7 min

The Labour Market Reality in Belgian Fish Processing

Finding manual line workers for fish and seafood processing in Belgium is an ongoing operational challenge. Processing facilities are heavily concentrated in Coastal Flanders, around the ports of Zeebrugge and Oostende, with additional processing and distribution hubs located near Ghent, Antwerp, and the North Sea Port area. These facilities process flatfish, whitefish, imported salmon, and shellfish under strict hygiene and temperature controls.

Belgian job seekers rarely remain in entry-level processing roles long-term. Working environments kept between 2 and 7 degrees Celsius, wet conditions, early morning or night shifts, and physically demanding tasks like gutting, filleting, portioning, and packing contribute to high turnover. Regional public employment services, particularly the VDAB in Flanders, consistently highlight various food processing operational roles as hard-to-fill positions.

Historically, Belgian plants relied heavily on local staffing and cross-border recruitment from EU member states such as Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. However, as wage gaps across Europe narrow, the pool of EU workers willing to relocate for line work has shrunk. As a result, Belgian employers are increasingly looking outside the European Union to secure stable personnel.

Hiring non-EU workers for manual roles in Belgium is possible, but it is not a quick solution for immediate, short-term labor spikes. The immigration framework requires direct employer commitment, compliance with rigid sector-level collective bargaining agreements, and strict adherence to administrative filing procedures.

The Single Permit Route: Permits and Regional Authorities

In Belgium, immigration authority is split between regional governments, which grant work authorization, and the federal government, which handles residence rights. For a non-EU citizen to live and work in Belgium for more than 90 days, the employer must obtain a Single Permit (Gecombineerde vergunning / Permis unique).

Because the vast majority of fish processing plants operate in Flanders, employers will usually deal with the Flemish Department of Work and Social Economy (Departement Werk en Sociale Economie). If your plant is in Wallonia or Brussels, the application goes to SPW Économie, Emploi, Recherche or Bruxelles Économie et Emploi, respectively.

To obtain approval for a non-EU fish processing worker, you must navigate several legal steps:

The Employer Application: The candidate cannot apply independently. You, as the Belgian employer, must submit the Single Permit application online through the official Working in Belgium digital portal (Woon-Werk loket).
Labour Market Testing: Because manual fish processing is typically classified as low-to-medium skilled labor, you must prove that no suitable candidate could be found in the Belgian or EU labour market within a reasonable timeframe. This usually requires advertising the vacant post with the VDAB (or FOREM/Actiris) for several weeks before submitting the permit application.
Submitting Current Documentation: You must provide a valid employment contract, proof of local vacancy publication, a medical certificate issued by an approved doctor, a clear criminal record certificate for the worker, and proof that administrative processing fees have been paid.

Always verify current procedural requirements and fee schedules with the Flemish Department of Work and Social Economy or the Federal Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken / Office des Étrangers) before commencing filings.

Realistic Timelines: From Job Offer to First Day

Employers considering foreign hiring must plan far ahead. Bringing a non-EU worker to Belgium on a Single Permit typically takes between 3 and 6 months from the moment you offer the candidate a contract.

A realistic breakdown of the timeline follows:

Weeks 1 to 4 (Labour Market Test): Post the vacancy with the regional employment agency (e.g., VDAB) and gather required candidate personal documents, including translated criminal background checks and medical clearances.
Weeks 5 to 6 (Application Submission): Compile and submit the file through the digital portal. The regional authority verifies document completeness and checks employment conditions against Belgian standards.
Weeks 7 to 18 (Regional and Federal Review): The regional authority assesses the labour market context and approves the work authorization component. The file is then routed to the Federal Immigration Office (DVZ) for security and residency review. Statutorily, authorities have up to 120 days to make a decision, though straightforward applications often take 8 to 12 weeks.
Weeks 19 to 22 (Visa D Issuance): Once the Single Permit approval decision (Annex 46) is issued, the candidate applies for a long-stay Visa D at the Belgian embassy or consulate in their home country. Visa stamping generally takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Weeks 23 to 24 (Arrival and Registration): The worker travels to Belgium, registers with the local municipality (commune / gemeente) to receive their residency card, undergoes occupational health assessments, and starts work.

Because of this multi-month timeline, non-EU recruitment cannot resolve unexpected, immediate surges such as sudden pre-holiday processing volume. It is a long-term strategy designed to stabilize core operational teams.

Pay, Collective Agreements, and Mandatory Benefits

Working conditions and remuneration for fish processing in Belgium are governed strictly by sector-wide collective bargaining agreements (Collectieve Arbeidsovereenkomst / Convention Collective de Travail). The relevant authority for food processing operational workers is Joint Committee 118 (Paritair Comité voor de Voedingsnijverheid / PC 118).

You must ensure full legal compliance on the following points:

Wage Floors: Non-EU workers must be paid strictly according to the pay scales established in PC 118 for their specific job category. Gross hourly rates for manual operational staff typically range between 16.00 EUR and 19.50 EUR per hour, depending on experience, night work, and specific duties. This equates to roughly 2,600 EUR to 3,200 EUR gross per month for a standard 38-hour workweek.
Sector Supplements: PC 118 dictates mandatory premiums. Line staff working in refrigerated rooms are entitled to a cold-room allowance (koudetoeslag). Night shifts, early morning starts, and weekend work trigger mandatory percentage markups over the base hourly wage.
Automatic Wage Indexation: In Belgium, wages are subject to statutory indexation tied to inflation. You must adjust the worker's salary whenever sector indexation thresholds are met.
Health and Safety Compliance: Before starting on the line, workers must pass a pre-employment medical examination conducted by an accredited External Service for Prevention and Protection at Work (such as Idewe, Cohezio, or Mensura) to confirm fitness for food processing and cold-store environments.
Housing Obligations: Unlike specific temporary seasonal schemes, standard Single Permit holders are expected to reside independently. However, given tight Belgian housing markets, employers who assist new arrivals with initial accommodation secure significantly higher retention. If you provide or arrange housing, the rent charged must be fair, supported by a formal lease, and compliant with Flemish housing regulations (Vlaamse Wooncode). You cannot deduct housing costs directly from wages unless explicit statutory exceptions apply.

What Hiring from Abroad Costs You

Below is a realistic range of direct employer costs associated with bringing one non-EU worker to Belgium on a Single Permit. These figures exclude general HR internal overhead and ongoing gross wages.

Regional administrative fee: 130 EUR to 150 EUR (mandatory state fee for processing the permit application).
Federal visa processing fee: 180 EUR to 350 EUR (paid during Visa D submission).
Document translation and legalisation: 150 EUR to 400 EUR (sworn translation of foreign police checks and certificates).
Pre-employment occupational health medical check: 100 EUR to 200 EUR (paid to your external prevention service).
Inbound travel allowance: 300 EUR to 800 EUR (flight or bus transit to Belgium).
Initial housing setup or temporary lease deposit: 600 EUR to 1,500 EUR (optional, but practically required to assist initial settlement).

Total estimated direct cost per worker typically falls between 1,460 EUR and 3,400 EUR.

Worker Protection and Legal Liability Regarding Fees

Under Belgian regional employment regulations, charging job seekers recruitment fees, placement charges, or administrative processing costs is strictly illegal. Foreign workers recruited for Belgian plants must never be made to pay for their job placement or visa application processing.

Legitimate Belgian employers absorb all application fees and recruitment expenses as normal operating costs. If a foreign agency, recruiter, or broker charges a job candidate money upfront or deducts recruitment costs from their wage, that practice constitutes worker exploitation and fraud.

Belgian law enforces joint liability for employers who utilize illegal recruitment supply chains. Using secondary agencies that extort fees from foreign workers exposes your business to severe criminal penalties, back-pay orders, and reputational damage under legislation combating illegal employment and human trafficking. You must ensure that your recruitment process is completely transparent and free of candidate-paid fees.

Sourcing Candidates Through the Workuro Registry

Workuro operates as a direct worker registry designed to help European businesses locate non-EU operational staff without recruitment intermediaries. Workers from around the world create profiles on Workuro, listing their practical skills, past experience in food processing, language abilities, and willingness to move to Belgium.

Employers use Workuro to search the registry directly. You can filter candidates based on experience in primary fish processing, filleting skill levels, cold-store experience, and target destination. Once you identify candidates who match your plant's operational profile, you contact them directly to conduct interviews and assess suitability.

Workuro is not a recruitment agency. We do not place candidates, conduct hiring on your behalf, or charge any per-hire fees or success commissions. You retain complete control over your selection process, employment contracts, and Single Permit filings with the Flemish Department of Work and Social Economy.

Please note that the Workuro registry is young and continuously growing. Candidate volume in specialized trades like fish processing varies over time. However, for Belgian employers seeking an honest, direct path to candidates who genuinely want to relocate and work, the registry provides an accessible, cost-effective talent pool.