Hello,

In January, my wife and I will be moving to Brussels. She will be starting a new job in the city, and we are very excited!

She is an EU citizen, but I am not. Because of this, we will be going through the Family Reunification process at the Brussels commune. We already have her employment contract, and we’ve also rented an apartment, so we have the rental contract as well.

Have you gone through the same process in Brussels? If so, could you share your experience and timeline? There's a lot of information on the internet, but it's a bit confusing. We are married, her income stated in the contract is sufficient to meet this requirement, and we will arrive with a housing guarantee.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I have been with Partenamut now for a while but this year I got a billing for 168e for Partenamut Advantages. They already direct debit the basic coverage which is what I agreed to from the start. Is this billing a mistake? Or have I been signed up to pay double? I'm quite irritated at this point.

Hi everyone,

We're thinking of buying a car. Not new, nothing fancy, just a car that can take us and our kid to see our families who live abroad.

My partner thinks it's cheaper to own, whereas I think it's cheaper to rent. There's a rental service for nearly every need, but it's less comfortable that owning your car. But when you have a car, there's all kinds of things to pay for: insurance, road tax, autokeuring.

I'm trying to wrap my head around car costs but so much depends on the year, type, etc. of the car so I thought I'd just ask. Maybe someone here has done the math previoulsy...

So, basically, how much does it cost to own a car in Brussels?

Thanks for reading/answering!

Hovering/circling. There shouldn't be any summits going on? Is there a protest?

In October 2024, the Brussels government voted to delay the enforcement of stricter low-emission zone (LEZ) standards, originally set for 1 January 2025, to 1 January 2027. This postponement affects vehicles such as Euro 5 diesel and Euro 2 petrol cars, which were to be banned under the new regulations.

While this postponement provides residents (approx. 30,000 cars in Brussels would have been affected) and businesses with additional time to adapt, it raises questions about the measures being implemented to ensure that the new 2027 deadline is met. What strategies are in place to support the transition to cleaner vehicles and infrastructure? How will the government address the economic and environmental challenges to prevent another extension?

How much is it?

Hello, I’m looking for an architect that would be available this Friday to visit a loft I’m thinking of buying. Pm if you want more information. Thank you!

So im renting an appartment and still have 6 months until the end of the contract. I have contacted multiples times my landlord cause i want to know what are the conditions if i leave the appartment before the end of contract (its not specified in the contract) and he just tells me that i cant leave. Is this a nornal thing here? In my country if we leave before the end of contract we just lose the deposit we payd moving in... Im I missing something? Am I forced to stay until the end of contract?

Greetings everybody,

Any advice on where to buy an electric scooter that wouldn't cost me a fortune in Brussels? I live in Uccle.

Also, is there a chance to find decent used electric scooters?

TIA!

I was wondering if anyone might have an opinion as to the "efficiency factor" when it comes to learning/studying French in Brussels vs. a typical city in France (say, Toulouse, Lyons, Bordeaux, etc). My understanding is that, given Brussels's role in the EU, English is very widely spoken, and there's a sizable population for whom French isn't their first language. Thus, at the slightest hint of an Anglophone accent (so I've been told) they'll try to steer the conversation to English (they're just being courteous!). But I'm not sure that's what I need.

I passed the DELF B1 this summer, and I'm pretty confident I speak at about the B2 level at this point. (Writing in the French language is a different story, as is my listening comprehension, at least when the Francophone speaker uses ample slang, or is speaking rapidly). So, I've plenty of work to do to improve! I'd like to get better in French and perhaps take the DELF B2 in the near future.

I think France would be my first choice for French study (duh)—I may enroll in an AF course—but I'll admit to being a bit intimidated when I peruse some of the subs on getting settled in France if one is an expat. Sounds like a morass of red tape, bureaucracy, impossible-to-secure housing, etc (I'm an EU/US national). Hence I'm giving consideration to Belgium.

tldr: All things equal, does France tend to provide a strongly more "immersive" Francophone environment — ie, a bit more of a "sink of swim" dynamic—compared to Brussels?

Or is this not much of factor?

Anyone knows why there is such an air quality drop today ?

Hi! I have been searching for sea urchins for some time but none of the fish markets I visited sell them. Does anyone know where I can find some? Thanks!

So the title is quite self-explanitory, but I want to know how the process goes before buying a used car. Which documents are obligatory, which document(s) should I sign? After signing said document, should I pay full in cash and just leave with the car? Do I immediatly have to start working on all the documents or can the car wait a little? If a car doesn't have CT (controle technique), does it mean that it didn't pass it or they didn't do it but can still pass it?

I just witnessed ten minutes of stopped traffic and deafening sirens because of a convoy of police horsetrucks. I know that complaining about sirens is common here, and that regularly, emergency vehicles drivers come and reply that they are needed and it is needed that they are so loud.

But I was just wondering: what kind of heist or terrorist attack warrants the emergency use of several dozens horses? Or have it been decided once and for all that police is above the common folks regulations, whatever the reason?
(Obviously, it cannot be for the horses' good, unless they were given earplugs. Besides, thanks to the number and size of the trucks, they were barely going faster than the normal traffic anyway.)

Hi folks,

Reaching out specifically to people working in European affairs here. As part of the many recent initiatives trying to make the work environment a bit healthier (A Better Brussels, Harassment Support Network, etc), we are launching the 1st European affairs-wide survey to try to get a big picture of wellbeing at work and job satisfaction.

If you work in EU affairs, have a look, fill it out and if you find the initiative worthy, share it around!

https://app.youform.com/forms/kpqyt01k

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a skilled masseur or masseuse in Brussels who can give high-quality massages. This is meant as a Christmas gift for my girlfriend, so I really want to make sure it’s a great experience for her. If you know someone who’s really good and offers great value for money, I’d really appreciate your recommendations!

On a less urgent note, I’ve been thinking about learning how to give massages myself at some point. Does anyone have tips on where I could learn, what courses or training to consider, and if it’s possible to do an internship in this field?

Thanks in advance!

Hello Belgians, I want to fix this patch of my house basement nicer with minimal investment. Can a fellow resident advise me on what products to buy and from which store to accomplish this task without breaking my bank.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been sick, and my doctor prescribed injections. I administer them myself, so I’ve accumulated quite a few used syringes over the past week.

How should I dispose of them? I checked the Brussels town hall website, but it only mentions how to dispose of expired medication.

Thanks and don’t get sick 😁

I recently moved to Brussels, i have a youtube channel and u want to record some old and new video game content, but since I dont know the region its hard for me to know where the best places are

PS: I'm Brazilian and I'm learning French

I’d like to meet people to play Dungeons & Dragons. I’ve already done two campaigns, but I still consider myself a newbie. ^^

I speak French and broken English. If any of you are interested, we can meet up over a beer to talk about it!

Hi everyone, I paid my bills and delete my account on UGC application. Is that all in order to delete my account? Thanks a lot

Near my house there is a bike parking (the bars idk what they’re called but i think you get the gist of it!). There is someone who keeps his motocycle parked there everyday. It doesnt allow me, or anyone else, to bike our bikes there. This also means that e-scooter park all around it (not pictured but it takes a whole lot of space). He also insulted me once while i was trying to park my bike there bc « he wouldnt br able to take out his motocycle » is there anything i can do about this? It’s annoying to have to park further away and to walk more as a result. Also he’s a meanie lol so i dont wanna just ignore it.

Hello Everyone,

Last week I got honked at by a bus at the following place : https://maps.app.goo.gl/YqQZ9Gi7PU6TCUfz5

Reason was that the bus light (the triangle/lines/circle type of light) was basically giving the right to the bus to go but the car light (red/orange/green) was still red.

Nothing really problematic, but I was wondering what I needed to do in this case. As far as I understand if I'm on the street or on a bike specific lane I need to respect the normal lights. In this case I was on the bike part in front which would tell me that I need to respect the normal lights. But on the other hand I was in front of the bus and thus clearly blocking him (even if it was only for a few seconds).

Should I have gone forward? Or should I have waited in this situation?

Hello folks, my lease ends on 31 December, and I had made a rental guarantee of 2 months' rent via e-DEPO. I’m confused about how the deposit will be released. I couldn’t find any clear information online, and the e-DEPO interface doesn’t show an option to request the release. Does the landlord have to initiate the release from their interface?

Can anyone explain the procedure? I’d really appreciate any help. Thanks!

I'm hosting a party and I kinda promised that I'm going to treat my guests to some oysters.

None of us a connoisseurs and I'm expecting 30ish people so I'm open to going a bit further out to get a good deal. I've seen fishmongers in my area (Ixelles/St. Gilles) that have some choice of oysters but judging by the price of the fish they sell - there might be cheaper options out there.

My main ask is to point me to a place to buy them and I think I can educate myself on how to serve them on my own - but feel free to drop any pointers on serving too, if you think they won't be included in the articles I'm finding on google (e.g. like this one How to Serve Raw Oysters at Home).

Hello, I am an Italian expat who recently moved to Brussels, I am currently seeking a job, mainly in HoReCa.

Recently, I was offered a contract (referred to as MMR Contract) with a gross hourly wage of 15,95 € . I was told that my net pay depends on my "personal situation and how I am taxed". I tried searching online and using various tax simulators, but I found different results.

I would be grateful for any help with this matter.