r/belgium 12h ago

❓ Ask Belgium [FAQ] Use /r/askbelgium for common questions

0 Upvotes

If you have questions about common topics like student choices, travel recommendations, deliveries, please try to use the search function of otherwise ask them here.

Also try to contact the company, the companies' websites, rental companies, ... before asking your question as they have more up to date info.

Some common examples and replies:


r/belgium 16h ago

🐌 Slowchat Blijterkes Tuesday

46 Upvotes

I cried so hard today, traffic was horrible. All the passive agressive drivers have returned aswel.

Red lights are optional, right of way doesn't exist, cutting people off seems to be a sport.of its own.


r/belgium 1h ago

❓ Ask Belgium Anyone know a place to go bungee jumping in Belgium, preferably between Ghent and Antwerp?

Upvotes

I'm assembling a group of friends who want to go bungee jumping. We'd like to know some price ranges, excellent places to go bungee jumping and one person also asked about the height of the jump we'd be making so I'm adding that to the list of questions we have too.

If anyone has good recommendations, be sure to let me know, thanks in advance!


r/belgium 3h ago

❓ Ask Belgium Social integration course - Wallonia vs Flanders

8 Upvotes

Hi

I am a recent immigrant who started my social integration course in Flanders. One of the first modules is a lesson on Belgian history which I learned a lot from.

Question - are all social integration courses in Belgium standardized? The one I am taking talks a lot about Dutch speaking people and language being oppressed and sidelined by the French speaking elites (historically, no mention of current times). Does the social integration course in Wallonia also emphasize this point at the same level ?

Edit: I’m asking because I did hear that language is a sensitive topic in Belgium. And as someone committed to being in Belgium, I genuinely am very curious and want to understand the different perspectives across Belgium.


r/belgium 3h ago

📰 News "Winter is coming": Europa dreigt af te stevenen op nieuwe gascrisis

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36 Upvotes

r/belgium 4h ago

📰 News ABVV-voorzitter Bert Engelaar:‘De samenleving is in sneltempo aan het verrauwen, en de politiek is in veel gevallen de brandversneller’

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49 Upvotes

r/belgium 5h ago

🎻 Opinion Is Xavier Tavererine nu echt volledig wereldvreemd?

108 Upvotes

Gaming (lees: het spelen van computerspelletjes) wordt in de WinWin van deze avond beschreven als een verslaving aan een hard drug zoals heroïne. Is de VRT/DPG Media nu volledig op zijn kop gestuikt?


r/belgium 5h ago

🎨 Culture Waar is BDW?

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16 Upvotes

r/belgium 7h ago

🧠 Satire Honteux

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45 Upvotes

r/belgium 7h ago

💰 Politics Waarom ons onderwijs ongelijkheid niet doorbreekt, maar organiseert

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0 Upvotes

r/belgium 9h ago

❓ Ask Belgium Doing my best to move with my partner to Ghent

1 Upvotes

Hello people!

I'm portuguese and my partner is now moving to Ghent to do her Master's Degree which is expected to last 2 years.

I'm trying to figure out a path for me to move there aswell, not only because of my relationship (which I value VERY much) but also because earlier this year I spent some vacations there and it was wonderful, I went to Brussels, Ghent, Brugge and Antwerp. Being in Ghent was specially great, the city has a great vibe and has the perfect combination of enough activities/things to do and not to busy, looks good, has great transportation and etc.

Right now I work as a Software Developer in Lisbon, I have +2 years of experience but no Bachelor's Degree.

I don't have an oficial english certification but I am quite used to speaking english both professionally and casually. I am trying my best to learn dutch/flemish and this month I'll start having lessons but I do know it might take a while for me to actually be able to integrate myself in conversations.

I have been trying to find specialized work in IT in Belgium for 2 months now but I have not been successful and have received few feedback (some including lack of education standards, not being a resident and not speaking dutch).

I have now started the plan B, which consists of certifying myself as an HVAC technician here in Portugal before moving to Ghent and looking for an apprenticeship.

As I understand it if I want to move there ASAP it is best for me to find some kind of blue collar job that does not require much education n'or certification like warehouse or delivering while I look for a job as an technician and learn dutch.

Do you have any recommendations of jobs/companies that I should look into in the Flanders region?

By the way, how do people in Flanders usually see immigrants? Is it hard to integrate as an immigrant?

[Please let me know if this post should go into the FAQ thread, if so I'll move it there]


r/belgium 11h ago

❓ Ask Belgium Advise on renting out property

5 Upvotes

Hello,

I am looking into moving in together with my boyfriend but for reasons we will not move into the appartment I own but rather find a new place (in another location).

I own an appartment in Antwerp and am thinking about renting it out with most of my furniture still there. Reason for this is that the appartment is on the back-side (2nd floor) of the building and moving furniture with the elevator is not allowed by the syndic. Since there is no street side on my appartment windows, it's not possible to get an external ladder lift so moving the old furniture out and new furniture in is a big challenge. Also, the furniture I bought/moved in fits perfectly and my boyfriend also has plenty of furniture items so we will probably mainly use his anyways.

I rented out my place once on a 'short-term' contract of 4 months but I am wondering if renting my place out for a longer term by yourself is also possible?

What are the pro's and cons of working with a 'rental agency' and is it worth it? I suspect the demand for places is rather high so demand won't be an issue but can it be problematic to 'vet' all the people or does anyone have experience with this?

Also, in terms of pricing I do not know the 'surplus' people are willing to pay for the furnished part? Like most of the items are not 'high' end but there is some antiques from my grandma, some new furniture and some second hand, I was thinking about €50 a month would be a reasonable price given that the total value of all the furniture together is about €1500-€2000 and I would like to find someone that would rent at least a year at a time... But at the same time I hope to include some extra kind of insurance on the renters part to ensure damages will be covered. Is there also a possibility to 'demand' some kind of insurance of the renters in case they damage the furniture or is this not an option legally?

In any case, I am just looking for information know so that, when the time comes I do not have to stress too much about these issues.

So anybody with experience on this topic or advice on how to keep it manageable (or has a good recommendation for a rental agency) is welcome to share! Thanks already and have a nice day


r/belgium 13h ago

😡Rant Police call scam

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29 Upvotes

Call from this number, in English, claiming to be from the Belgian police, saying there's an arrest warrant out, an obvious scam. I noticed immediately as they never mentioned the ID number or my name.

If you get one just hang up and report.

https://safeonweb.be/en/news/suspicious-call-claiming-be-federal-police-hang-immediately


r/belgium 13h ago

❓ Ask Belgium Is moving out to Belgium hard?

0 Upvotes

I’m not European and one of my goals is to move out to Belgium 🥹 specifically the Flemish region, is it too difficult?


r/belgium 14h ago

😡Rant Circus.be

0 Upvotes

Circus.be ( oplichting??) Krijg bij zogenaamde combokaart 1 volle kaart 15000€ en 1 volle kaart 5000€, dat wordt een mooie prijs zou je zeggen

Bij 15000€ GROTE PRIJS 9,03 €

Bij 5000€ GROTE PRIJS 1,23 € .

Daar vind ik wat van en wat is de oplossing van dit (geweldige professionele) bedrijf u bent GESCHORST

Kortom niet reclameren, gewoon bij ons geld brengen en niet zagen. Welkom bij circus.be.


r/belgium 15h ago

📜 History Not to one-up anyone's first-day-of-school fit pics, but ours came with a matching helmet and looks like it could take a few hits.

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188 Upvotes

r/belgium 17h ago

📜 History Stukje onbekende Belgische geschiedenis: Het hitteonweer waardoor de Tweede Wereldoorlog al mensenlevens kostte nog voor hij begon

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71 Upvotes

Samenvatting:

  • Op 31 augustus 1939 verwoestten 2 explosies de Val-Benoît-brug over de Maas in Luik: bliksem trof de kabels van preventief geplaatste mijnen van het Belgisch leger, waardoor de brug instortte en 17 mensen omkwamen.
  • Een trein met 28 passagiers reed op het moment van de explosie over de brug, maar de wagon bleef hangen aan een metalen boog – er vielen geen doden onder de reizigers.
  • Het nieuws verdween snel van de voorpagina's: op 1 september 1939 viel Nazi-Duitsland Polen binnen en brak de Tweede Wereldoorlog uit.

Eigenlijk, Belgischer kan dit verhaal bijna niet worden: Het leger neemt voorzorgsmaatregelen die dramatisch uitpakken, neemt voorzorgsmaatregelen om dit te voorkomen waardoor de situatie enkele maanden later totaal verkeerd uitpakt, op strategische plaatsen vallen de ondermijnde bruggen vallen onbeschadigd in Duitse handen . De Luikse brug die bijna herbouwd is moet in mei '40 terug opgeblazen worden ...

Een onbekend stukje geschiedenis dat ik niet kende. Zeer interessant om te lezen.


r/belgium 21h ago

❓ Ask Belgium Belgian Nationality - Absent days limit?

0 Upvotes

Hello! I’ve been living in Belgium for 5 years via the F card and plan to apply for Belgian nationality. I’m fairly confident I meet all of the requirements but I’m concerned about the limit of absent days from Belgium.

I read that you cannot be absent for more than:
- 6months at once
- 1/5 of your total stay in Belgium (I assume this is 365 days over 5 years?)

I have maintained my Belgian residency the whole 5 years but I have traveled a lot for work and to visit family. Can anyone confirm if this was a question/issue during their nationality application process? For reference I’ll be applying in Brussels 1000.

I haven’t seen anyone mention it when talking about their personal experience with the process but I do see it’s an official requirement.

Thanks in advance for any tips and advice!


r/belgium 23h ago

❓ Ask Belgium Urgent. What is this sound😭

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0 Upvotes

We live in an apartment and we woke up because of a sound from the kitchen. We don't know what it is and we can't find where it's from. There is a fridge here so we moved it and checked behind the wall but there is nothing. It's not our fire alarm. We have just changed the battery of it and It's on the ceiling. We hear this sound from the wall..Do anyone have idea? We can't sleep...


r/belgium 1d ago

❓ Ask Belgium Politie Opleiding

0 Upvotes

Iemand hier die bij de politie zit of nog in de opleiding? Ik zou graag willen weten hoe het is om die opleiding te doen. Is het 12 maanden dagelijks les en dan 6 maanden stage met agent meerijden? Iemand die hier ervaring mee heeft? Ik ben op zoek naar mensen met persoonlijke ervaring die me misschien een beetje verder zouden kunnen helpen!


r/belgium 1d ago

😡Rant Colruyt going to shit

151 Upvotes

List of colruyt products that changed recipe and have become a shadow of it's former self:

1kg lasagne

1 euro pizza (rip olive)

American cookies (aka the goat, luckily still available in aldi)

Red salsa dip

All I have endured with great remorse.

And when i saw the rocket popsicles were out of stock i knew their time had come. The packaging has become clear plastic, which is fine. But the red top taste has gone to shit. I don't even understand why they change it.

When will this end!


r/belgium 1d ago

💰 Politics Van Kapellen tot Londen: het schimmige geld achter de opmars van uiterst rechts

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59 Upvotes

r/belgium 1d ago

📰 News Moeder getuigt na klacht van zoontje (3) over misbruik in kinderopvang in Peer: "Communicatie moest sneller" | VRT NWS Nieuws

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21 Upvotes

Ik denk dat niet alleen communicatie sneller moet.

Zolang kinderopvang zo stiefmoederlijk wordt behandeld gaan we problemen blijven krijgen


r/belgium 1d ago

🎻 Opinion Iedereen zal besparingen voelen

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4 Upvotes

r/belgium 1d ago

💰 Politics Het échte probleem van de pensioenen: Sire, er zijn geen kinderen meer!

462 Upvotes

Om de bevolking op peil te houden, moet het geboortecijfer 2,1 per vrouw zijn.

We halen vandaag het historisch lage 1,4!

Simpel gezegd: er zullen gewoon geen werkenden genoeg zijn om de pensioenen te betalen. Daar kan geen enkele maatregel tegenop.

En wat doen onze regeringen: de jonge mensen onophoudelijk koeioneren in plaats van ze te helpen. Ze doen compleet niks aan de evidente oorzaken: kinderopvang, vastgoedprijzen,.... Dat de jonge "hardwerkende" Vlaming het zelf maar oplost.

Steeds meer singles, steeds meer jonge gezinnen met weinig of geen kinderen, steeds meer uitval wegens ziekte: de dertigers van vandaag kijken tegen een redelijk armzalige oude dag aan.

Je hoort werkelijk niet één politicus over het meest prangende demografische probleem van allemaal; als er vandaag nog politieke taboes bestaan: dit is er één van formaat!