Pension

Do you meet the requirements for entitlement to a pension in Belgium? If so, how should you apply for it and how can you collect your pension? Answers to all your questions are to be found on this page.

Have you worked in Belgium?

If you are an employee or a civil servant, you are entitled to a Belgian retirement pension from your first day of work.

If you are self-employed, you are entitled to a retirement pension once you have paid social contributions for your main occupation for one quarter.

To determine your pension (retirement or old age pension) as an employee or civil servant primarily the periods you have worked and the periods you have not worked (but are regarded as worked periods) are taken into account. More information about periods not worked but regarded as working periods can be found on the Federal Pension Service website (in French).

Self-employed persons can also request to have some of the periods they did not work to be taken into account for their pension (assimilation). More details on the page Which periods are counted for my pension of the INASTO website (in French).

More information about the calculation of the:

Has your spouse or former spouse worked in Belgium?

If so, you may also be entitled to a benefit based on your spouse's or former spouse’s career.

Survivor's pension

A survivor's pension is a benefit for a person’s spouse after their death. It does not matter whether the deceased was already retired or not.

The amount depends on several factors, including the number of persons entitled to the benefit and/or their own pension rights.

Was your partner a salaried employee? Find more information on:

Was your partner self-employed? More information can be found on the page about survivor's pension on the INASTI website (in French) and the page about transitional benefit for self-employed persons on the INASTI website (in French).

Pension for a divorced spouse

Under certain circumstances you are entitled to a retirement pension on the basis of your former spouse's career.

The calculation of the retirement pension for a divorced spouse happens on the basis of the proven professional career of his or her former partner.

For more information about the pension for a divorces spouse you can consult the page  Pension for a divorced spouse (for salaried employees) on the FPS website (in French).

For more information about the pension of a divorced spouse (for self-employed persons consult the page Pension for a divorced spouse (on the basis of a career as a self-employed person) on the INASTI website (in French).

Pension for a separated spouse (on the basis of a career as an employed or self-employed person only)

You may be entitled to a pension for a separated spouse if you do not have the same main residence as your spouse or if you are legally separated.

You are entitled to a maximum of half of the family pension.

More information about the pension of a seperated spouse (based on employed person) can be found on the page Pension for a separated spouse of an employed person on the SPF website (in French).

More information about the pension of a separated spouse (based on self-employed person) can be found on the page Pension on legal separation from a self-employed person on the INASTI website (in French).

Has one of your parents worked as a civil servant in Belgium?

Orphan’s pension (on the basis of a career as a civil servant only)

Orphans, whether legitimate or adopted children, may be entitled to a civil service survivor's pension.

The amount of the survivor's pension for orphans is derived from the survivor's pension. If there are children from another marriage who are also entitled to the survivor's pension, the pension is shared between both groups of entitled children.

for mpore information consult the Survivor's pension for orphans page of the FPS website (in French).

How to apply for your Belgian pension?

You have worked in Belgium, but now live in one of the following countries:

  • a country in the European Economic Area,
  • Switzerland,
  • a country with which Belgium has a bilateral agreement in matters of  social security.

Please consult the list of countries of the European Economic Area and the countries with which Belgium has a bilateral agreement on the page with addresses of the FPS website (in French).

You must submit your pension application:

  • in the country where you live, provided that you have also worked there;
  • in the country where you last worked, if you have never worked in your country of residence.

If you do not live in one of the above countries, you can apply for your pension directly:

  • via mypension.be (in French)
  • to the Federal Pension Service (Zuidertoren, Europaesplanade 1, Brussels): for the employed person’s or civil servant’s pension;
  • to the INASTI (National Institute for the Social Security of the Self-employed (Willebroekkaai 35, Brussels): for the self-employed person’s pension;
  • at a pension information point. Find a list of the nearest Pension points on the FPS website (in French).

How do I actually recieve my Belgian pension?

You can receive your pension in various ways.

Please note, you cannot receive your Belgian pension everywhere in the world if you are not Belgian.

You can find out everything you need to know about the Belgian pension abroad on the page Working and living abroad of the Federal Pension Service (in French).

Service fédéral des Pensions

  • Address: Tour du Midi - Esplanade de l'Europe, 1 - 1060 Bruxelles
  • Telephone:
    • Dedicated number for Pension, toll free Belgium: 1765
    • From abroad : +32 78 15 1765 (not toll free)
  • Website : www.sfpd.fgov.be (in French)