What is a Limosa declaration, and when do posted workers in Belgium need one?

You are sending engineers, fitters or a maintenance crew to a job in Belgium, perhaps in the Antwerp port or at Doel. Before the first shift, Belgium wants to know who is coming, for whom and where they will work. This guide covers the official rules in plain words.

Who must file a Limosa declaration?

A Limosa declaration is required for employees who work in Belgium temporarily or part-time and who usually work abroad or were hired abroad. Their foreign employer, or a representative, files it online. Self-employed workers must declare only in the high-risk sectors: construction, meat processing and cleaning.

The official Limosa page on Working in Belgium sets out the main points:

• Every posting counts. You make a declaration each time a worker is sent to Belgium.
• Before work starts. The proof of the declaration must be presented before the work in Belgium begins.
• The proof. After filing, you get a receipt called the proof of the Limosa-1 declaration, with a QR code.
• The Belgian client checks it. The posted worker shows that proof to the Belgian client. If there is no proof, the client must report it to the authorities.

Limosa sits alongside the other questions a company faces when sending people to Antwerp. Our guide on where to stay in Antwerp for work covers the practical side of a business stay.

Which details does a Limosa declaration need?

A Limosa declaration needs the places of work in Belgium, the Belgian client, the start and end dates and each worker’s identity. It also asks for the work schedule and the VAT number of the employer or self-employed person. One declaration can list up to 20 places of work, 10 clients and 10 workers, for at most 24 months.

For employees, the declaration also asks for the following.

• the employer’s details;
• a liaison person with contact details;
• the nature of the services, from a list of sectors;
• the accreditation number, if a foreign temporary work agency is involved;
• for construction (Joint Committee 124), whether the employer pays something comparable to Belgian fidelity stamps.

The place of work, not the accommodation. The official pages ask where the work happens. They do not ask where the worker sleeps. The place of work page offers four levels: a company address, teleworking, a site or a region. In construction and temporary agency work, a region cannot be the place of work.

Note

If someone does part of the job remotely from Belgium, for example reports from their apartment, the declaration has a teleworking option. It asks whether that location is a private address.

Which exemptions from the Limosa declaration exist for short assignments?

Exemptions from the Limosa declaration depend on the reason for the stay and its length. For technical crews, two matter most. Installation and assembly of delivered goods is exempt up to 8 days, never in construction. Urgent repair or maintenance is exempt up to 5 days per month. Anything longer, or any construction work, needs a declaration.

Limosa exemptions listed on the official site

A planned shutdown or turnaround is not urgent repair. It is scheduled weeks ahead and usually lasts longer than 5 days, so plan for a declaration.

What happens without a Limosa declaration?

Without a Limosa declaration, the employer risks criminal or administrative sanctions. The official site says sanctions can hit the employer, its agents and posted self-employed workers. The Belgian client can be pursued too, if it does not report a missing proof. So the Belgian client has its own reason to ask for the Limosa-1 before work starts.

The FPS Employment page on posting formalities adds a few related duties:

• Liaison person. The employer gives the Labour Inspectorate the details of a liaison person.
• Social documents. After a Limosa declaration, the employer is exempt from drawing up certain Belgian social documents for 12 months.
• Construction works. A declaration of works and presence registration (checkinatwork) may be required, depending on the estimated amount of the works.
• Road transport. Drivers in road transport follow separate formalities.
• Stay. The page also lists registration at the municipal administration of the place where the worker stays.

This guide summarises the official pages. It is not legal advice, so check the current rules with the authorities or a social secretariat.

How do you house a posted crew in Antwerp?

Housing a posted crew in Antwerp works best when the accommodation matches the job. Think of a short road to the site, one bed per person and a kitchen. For small teams, furnished apartments often beat hotel rooms on a stay of several weeks. Hoost has four apartments in one building in Antwerp South, next to the Kennedytunnel.

What a crew gets at Hoost:

• Bedrooms. Up to 7 people with their own bedroom across the building, or up to 14 if people share a double bed.
• Everyday kit. A kitchen, bed linen, towels, Wi-Fi and heating in every apartment, plus a shared washer and dryer in the building.
• Work. A dedicated workspace with Ethernet in every apartment, handy for site leads with reports.
• Paperwork. Company invoicing, and self check-in with a lockbox from 15:00.
• Length. From 2 nights to 6 months per booking.

Distances matter for port work. The Kennedytunnel is about 3.2 km by road, while Doel and BASF are about 30 km. Our guide to contractor and shutdown crew accommodation has the full distance table.

Tip

Send us the crew size, the dates and the site. Ask us about van parking, crew changes within a booking and shift-time arrivals, and we will tell you what works.

When Hoost is not the right choice

Hoost is not the right choice if your crew needs address registration (domicile) in Belgium. That is not possible during a stay. It also does not suit crews of more than 14 people or stays over 6 months in one booking. There is no parking on site, and there is no daily housekeeping.

If your crew works at Doel or BASF every day, a base further north saves driving. For a broader view of the options, see our overview of business accommodation in Antwerp.