Hi SH, sorry to hear that. One can terminate a legal cohabitation agreement in a commune and the cost is between €190 to €225. You will have to leave the country in 30 days. If the relationship is more than 3 years, and you have a stable job in Belgium, you can appeal to the decision to continue staying in Belgium. Otherwise, you will have to leave the country as your right to stay is tied to your relationship with your Belgian girlfriend.

Do you know the process when the cohabitation ends? I am American and my Belgian girlfriend is breaking it off. What is the timeline for me to leave the country? What are my options?

Hi Al Taf, you are welcome! One word of advice. You do not need to have all the documents ready before proceeding because you will have a lot of time to do that later. The procedure has lengthened now. You may need to go through one or two interviews even before signing the legal cohabitation contract. Therefore, go as quickly as you can.

Hi Al Taf,

You can only apply for your legal cohabitation in the city where you live because the Town Hall needs to know the population count in the city. You cannot choose to go to other cities for the application.

After you sign the cohabitation paper and get the approval, your submitted documents will be forwarded to the Brussels Immigration Office to take a decision. So, it does not matter which city you live because only one centralised body is making the decision.

You and your girlfriend have to register your names under the same address. It would be ideal that the rental contract has both your names on it. If you move house someday in the midst of the application, you have to inform the current and the new Town Hall on the change of address.

Mouscron is the French-speaking region of Wallonie. Therefore, you do not need Dutch at all. Interviews will be conducted in French. If you cannot speak French well, they may arrange for a translator. You will be informed later if a translator is needed before the interviews.

Hi, thank you for your reply.

Is it ok to apply for cohabitation in a city like Mouscron which is a small city near the French border or better in big cities like Brussels or Antwerp? I need advice on this.

Secondary, regarding the language in Mouscron they speak French which I know very basic as I don’t speak Dutch at all. Will this be an issue?

Hugely grateful for your help and advice. Looking forward to your reply.

Many thanks
Regards

Hi Al Taf,

1) I guess it should not be a problem as long as you have all the required documents especially those needed on the day of declaring a cohabitation which is your first step at the municipal office.

2) Check with the commune if they can accept salary slips from someone working in France. Also, there might be other consideration such as whether she already has a long-term Belgian residence permit before declaring a legal cohabitation.

I would not see your questions as a deterrence to declare a legal cohabitation but it is still better to confirm with the commune or the Belgian immigration office.

1) Can I apply for cohabitation while staying on visit visa as I have 1-year long visit visa?

2) My girlfriend is working in France, but we are planning to rent a house in Belgium near the French border. So can we apply for cohabitation while she is working in France and we are living in Belgium?

Prompt reply will be highly appreciated.

Regards

Hi Parminder, you may like to read this article on handling an interview during a Police Visit. Also, check out the link in the last paragraph of the page “35 questions for a European Family Reunion Visa” as a guideline. In short, you have to know each other very well including intimate detail. Just relax and answer accordingly. Good luck to you! 🙂