You’ve obtained all of your administrative documents, discovered the beautiful city of Ghent, found a new home and new colleagues, and have settled in comfortably. It’s an ideal time to familiarise yourself with important administrative and financial topics that will impact your stay.

Welcome meeting

After your arrival in Belgium you will be invited to a meeting with the Welcome Team from the HR Department. The team will assist you to get started. A staff card and access tag will also be created during this meeting.

Read more

Your salary

Depending on your staff employment category, different regulations covering salary, holiday pay, bonuses and insurance packages apply.

Information for university payroll staff

Salaries are paid on the last working day on the month, forwarded to the next business day if this day is falls on the weekend or a bank holiday. Your bank details are needed for payment, and delays or additional expenses may apply for foreign transfers.

Bonus amounts depend on your pay grade and employment rate. Holiday pay for staff can amount to 92% of the employee’s gross salary (based on April or June). End-of-year bonuses usually amount to between 53% and 70% of the November salary.

See your payslips via the Ghent University HR platform, Apollo.

More salary-related resources

• Review salary scales at Ghent University
• Find out more about the reimbursement of work-related travel costs

Generous holiday and leave policies

As a full-time employee of Ghent University, you are entitled to 37 days of vacation, supplemented by statutory holidays and holidays set by decree. You also receive days off between Christmas and New Year to replace bank holidays that fall on Saturdays or Sundays. Some holiday periods are fixed, such as the week of the ‘Gentse Feesten’, the city’s annual festival, and a few other days. Read more about holidays and leave.

University faculties and facilities in a nutshell

Over 44,000 students and 15,000 staff study and work at Ghent University. We have 11 faculties divided into 86 departments, and activities take place mainly in and around Ghent – although we cave campuses in West Flanders and South Korea.

The facilities of Ghent University include a library, convention centre, archive, language centre, hospital, support services, hall hiring services and an official gift shop.

The university is governed by councils and committees and policies are implemented by 9 administrative departments. Discover more about Ghent University management and Central Administration.

Residence procedures

Declaring your presence

All staff – even from within the EEA – need to register at the city hall of their place of residence in Belgium. There are strict deadlines that need to be met. These deadlines differ according to the period of your stay in Belgium (less than 90 days or more than 90 days) and according to the expat’s nationality.

The DPO Welcome Team will handle the administration once you have provided the correct documents; if you are settling outside of Ghent, you can rely on the Welcome Team for advice.

Read more about the general procedure.

Read more about staying and registering within Ghent.

Extending your residence permit

To live and work in Belgium for a longer period, your Single Permit and residence card must be extended.

Read more about the procedure to extend your residence permit

Administrative to-do list on arrival

Open a bank account

Shortly after arriving in Ghent, we recommend opening a bank account at a Belgian bank of your choice – a simple process that requires basic identification and a bank form. 

Keep our information current

Ensure that the DPO Team has the most up-to-date information possible regarding your family situation, employment, personal information, bank account information and dependents. 

Exchange your driver’s license

Non-EU nationals will need to exchange their current license for a Belgian driver’s license immediately upon arrival. Find out more about this process.

Health and well-being at home and at work

Mandatory health insurance

Legally, you and all members of your family must have health insurance during your stay in Belgium. Ghent University offers an insurance package for international staff.

When staying more than 90 days, a registration with a mutual healthcare fund is also mandatory. Membership at the Public health insurance is free. Private health insurances charge a small premium for additional coverage and reimbursements.

Hospitalisation coverage

Hospitalisation costs are covered by a hospitalisation insurance policy, which you can register for via your insurance fund or Ghent University.

All members of personnel belonging to the category of Administrative and Technical Staff (ATP) are subscribed automatically to the policy. Other members of personnel can subscribe optionally to the policy.

Staying safe and healthy

Find out more about health and safety in Belgium and Ghent.

Taxation

Double taxation and treaties

In some circumstances, people employed internationally may be taxed on the same income in different countries, depending on tax sovereignty status and arrangements between countries. 

A Belgian resident is taxed on all of their Belgian and foreign income. A resident of another country is generally taxed in that country on their worldwide income, while income from Belgian sources is also subject to tax in Belgium (non-residents’ tax).

Belgium often has treaties with other countries to avoid international employees being taxed on the same income twice.

Keep DPO up to date

Always ensure that DPO has complete information about your family situation, changes in employment outside of Ghent University and personal data to verify tax implications.

More information about taxes in Belgium

• Taxes and other payments requests
• Learn about the Belgian tax system
• Find out how cross-border work impacts taxes

Social security and insurance

As a full-time employee of Ghent University, you are required by law to be covered under Belgian social security. Social security provides health insurance, retirement rest and survivor pension, unemployment benefits, occupational accident insurance, occupational health insurance, family benefits and annual leave.

If you are working in a fellowship status and come from a country that doesn’t have a bilateral agreement with Belgium, you are only partially subject to social security, without rights to pension and unemployment benefits. 

You may also work simultaneously for Ghent University and another foreign entity, or solely for the university while residing abroad.

Within the EEA

An employee can only be subject to social security in one EEA member state or Switzerland. The regulation that applies is (EC) 883/2004.

Outside the EEA

Your social security status and rights depend on bilateral treaties that Belgium has concluded with other countries.

Find out more about social security in Belgium

• See an overview of the system
• Read the ‘Everything you always wanted to know about social security’ brochure from the FPS
• See a list of countries with social security treaties with Belgium and review your social security rights

Changing your address

If you move – even within Ghent, you must report your new address to the authorities. Read more about the procedure.

Contact

Welcome Team

welcome.dpo@ugent.be
+32 (0)9 264 95 00

Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 25, 9000 Gent - Rectoraat, 1st floor, office 016

Opening hours: 8.30 - 12.00, 13.00 - 16.30