For decades Belgium was the rare European country where you could sell your shares tax-free and leave without an exit bill. That changed in 2026. The new capital gains tax on financial assets comes with its own departure rule, so leaving now needs a little more planning than handing in your eID at the commune.
This guide covers how Belgian tax residency ends, the new capital gains tax and its exit mechanism, what stays taxable after you leave and a practical 12-month plan. It’s general information as of September 2026, not tax advice.
Who this guide is for#
Anyone who lives in Belgium and is moving abroad for good – employees, self-employed people, company owners, retirees and the many expats who came for a job in Brussels or Antwerp. It matters most if you hold investments, own a company or keep Belgian property. Leaving Germany or the Netherlands instead? See leaving Germany or leaving the Netherlands.
How Belgian residency ends#
Under Article 2 of the Income Tax Code 1992 (CIR 92 / WIB 92), you’re a Belgian inhabitant if you’ve established your domicile or the seat of your wealth (siège de la fortune / zetel van het fortuin) in Belgium. Residents pay personal income tax on worldwide income; non-residents only pay non-resident tax on Belgian income. Nationality plays no role.
Domicile and seat of wealth#
- Domicile is a factual test: where you actually live, with your family and your everyday life.
- Seat of wealth is where your assets are managed from. Keep running your portfolio and your company from a Belgian desk, and the tax office may argue your wealth never left, even if you did.
Two presumptions#
- National Register. If you’re registered in the National Register, you’re presumed to be a Belgian inhabitant unless you prove otherwise. Deregistration isn’t the legal test, but staying registered makes your life much harder.
- Married couples. For married people, the tax domicile is where the household is established. The tax administration treats this as a presumption you can’t rebut. Case law has nuanced it, but if your spouse and children stay in Belgium while you move to Portugal, plan for a fight.
Deregistration: the declaration of departure and Model 8#
You declare your departure at your commune, at the latest the day before you leave. The commune removes you from the population register and gives you a Model 8 certificate (certificate of removal from the population registers). Belgians need it to register with the Belgian embassy or consulate abroad. Foreign residents also hand back their residence card.
Watch out for the “temporary absence” option. It keeps you in the register while you’re away, which is handy for a sabbatical, but it keeps the residence presumption alive too.
The departure year#
In the year you leave, you’re a resident until the move and a non-resident afterwards. In practice that means a resident return for the months before departure and a non-resident return (INR/BNI) for any Belgian income after it.
Treaty tie-breaker#
If you keep a Belgian home and become resident in, say, Portugal, both countries claim you. The double tax treaty then decides: permanent home, centre of vital interests, habitual abode, nationality. Belgium has treaties with most popular destinations, including Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, Switzerland and the UAE. How the tests work elsewhere: tax residency explained.
Exit tax: the new capital gains tax follows you to the door#
Belgium still has no classic German-style exit tax on private shareholdings. But the Law of 6 April 2026 introducing a tax on capital gains on financial assets (published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 21 April 2026) changes the picture, with effect from 1 January 2026. As of September 2026:
| Regime | What’s caught | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| General regime | Gains on shares, bonds, funds, ETFs, crypto, derivatives, certain investment insurance | 10%, first €10,000 of gains per year exempt (indexed) |
| Substantial interest | Shares where you hold at least 20% | 0% on the first €1 million per five years, then 1.25%, 2.5%, 5% and 10% above €10 million |
| Internal gains | Selling shares to a company you control | 33% |
Gains built up until 31 December 2025 stay tax-free: the value at that date becomes your starting point. If your actual acquisition cost was higher, you can use it instead if you can prove it, for disposals until the end of 2030. Unused exemption can be carried forward at up to €1,000 a year for five years.
What happens when you emigrate#
Moving your domicile or the seat of your wealth abroad counts as a disposal of your financial assets (art. 92 CIR as amended). The gain is the value on departure minus the 31 December 2025 value (or higher proven cost).
| You move to | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| An EU/EEA state, or a country whose treaty with Belgium provides for information exchange and assistance with tax collection | Payment is deferred automatically. If you don’t sell or pledge the assets for 24 months and stay in a qualifying country, the tax lapses | Art. 413/1 § 6 CIR |
| Anywhere else | Deferral only if you provide sufficient security (e.g. a bank guarantee) | Art. 413/1 § 6 CIR |
| Back to Belgium within the 24 months, without selling | Your original acquisition values continue to apply | Law of 6 April 2026 |
You have to confirm each year that the conditions are still met. Whether your specific destination’s treaty has the required collection-assistance clause is worth checking before you book the movers.
Compare Germany: § 6 AStG catches stakes of 1% or more and offers seven annual instalments; the tax only goes away if you move back. Details in our German exit tax guide. Belgium’s version is broader in scope but far more forgiving in practice.
Company owners and the company exit tax#
Belgium has had an exit tax for companies for years: a Belgian company that moves its effective management or assets abroad is treated as if it were liquidated, and pays corporate tax on its hidden reserves, with instalments possible within the EU/EEA. Since mid-2025, shareholders of an emigrating company can also be treated as receiving a deemed liquidation dividend. Running your Belgian company from your new home abroad can trigger exactly that, so read place of management before you go.
What stays taxable in Belgium#
As a non-resident you file a non-resident tax return (INR/BNI) for Belgian-source income, such as:
- Belgian property. Belgian real estate stays taxable in Belgium, and the regional property tax (précompte immobilier / onroerende voorheffing) keeps arriving.
- Belgian employment and director fees. Work physically done in Belgium, and fees from Belgian companies, remain taxable there.
- Belgian business income through a Belgian permanent establishment.
- Dividends and interest. Belgian withholding tax (précompte mobilier / roerende voorheffing) is 30% as standard. Treaties usually cap the dividend rate, and you reclaim the difference.
- Securities account tax. The annual tax on securities accounts applies to non-residents on accounts held with Belgian financial institutions, unless a treaty gives the right to tax to your new country. A programme law published on 1 June 2026 doubled the rate from 0.15% to 0.30% for reference periods ending on or after that date, on accounts with an average value above €1 million.
The new capital gains tax generally doesn’t apply to non-residents on their portfolio gains. Belgian pensions can be paid abroad; the treaty decides who taxes them.
If you die as a non-resident, Belgian inheritance tax only reaches your Belgian real estate, which makes the long tail much shorter than Germany’s.
Social security and health insurance#
- Employees (ONSS/RSZ). Within the EU/EEA and Switzerland, Regulation 883/2004 decides which country insures you, usually the one where you work. Your Belgian periods count towards your pension.
- Self-employed. Tell your social insurance fund (caisse d’assurances sociales / sociaal verzekeringsfonds) that you’re stopping your Belgian activity, so contributions end.
- Health insurance (mutualité / ziekenfonds). Your mutual insurance is tied to Belgian social insurance. Inform it when you leave; inside the EU, forms such as the S1 may keep cover for pensioners and cross-border workers.
- Working outside Europe. If you work outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK, the voluntary Overseas Social Security scheme run by the ONSS can keep pension and health cover going. Everyone else plans international private cover from day one.
Banks, brokers and accounts#
- Belgian accounts can usually stay open. Tell the bank your new address and tax residency. Under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS), it then reports your account to your new country.
- Withholding for the new capital gains tax. Belgian banks withhold the 10% on gains unless you opted out. Once you’re a non-resident, update your status so the bank stops treating you as a resident.
- Securities account tax. A Belgian account above €1 million keeps being taxed at 0.30% unless your treaty says otherwise. Moving the account abroad changes that, but check the anti-abuse rules first.
- Some brokers drop non-residents, especially outside the EU. Check the terms before you move. More: offshore banking.
Your exit, step by step
Map your assets and 2025 values
List every share, fund, ETF, crypto holding and company stake with its 31 December 2025 value and, if higher, its acquisition cost. That’s your exit tax base.
Pick the destination with the treaty in mind
EU/EEA or a treaty with information exchange and collection assistance means automatic deferral. Compare destinations with our Jurisdiction Finder.
Move the household and the seat of your wealth
Home, family and the place you manage your money from should all leave. Keep a record of your days with our day tracker.
Declare your departure
At the commune, by the day before you leave. Keep the Model 8 and register with the consulate if you’re Belgian.
File both returns
A resident return for the months before departure, a non-resident return for Belgian income afterwards, and the annual confirmations for the exit deferral.
Traps we see all the time
The family stays in Brussels.
For married couples, the tax domicile follows the household. You in Lisbon, spouse in Uccle: Belgium says you’re still here.
Staying in the National Register.
“Temporary absence” is handy, but it keeps the presumption of residence alive.
Managing everything from Belgium.
Your portfolio run from a Belgian office can keep the seat of your wealth in Belgium.
Selling in month 18.
Sell or pledge within 24 months and the deferred exit tax becomes due.
The company moves with you.
Running your Belgian company from abroad can trigger the company exit tax and a deemed dividend for you.
The €1 million Belgian depot.
The securities account tax doubled to 0.30% and doesn’t stop just because you moved.
Worked example: same portfolio, two destinations#
Illustrative numbers only. Pieter, a Belgian engineer, holds an ETF portfolio that cost €300,000 in 2019, was worth €450,000 on 31 December 2025 and is worth €520,000 when he leaves on 1 November 2026. He has no substantial interest.
| Pieter moves to Portugal | Pieter moves to a country without a qualifying treaty | |
|---|---|---|
| Taxable exit gain | €70,000 (not €220,000: pre-2026 gains are exempt) | €70,000 |
| Tax at 10% | €7,000 (before any annual exemption) | €7,000 (before any annual exemption) |
| Payment | Deferred automatically | Deferred only with a guarantee |
| After 24 months without selling or pledging | Tax lapses | Depends on the guarantee arrangement, check with the tax office |
| Belgian tax status from November | Non-resident | Non-resident |
A small bill compared with most European exit taxes, and one that disappears if Pieter is patient. Want to compare the ongoing tax side too? Try our tax calculator.
Leaving Belgium: from 12 months to day zero
Tick them off – your progress is saved in this browser only.
List financial assets with their 31 December 2025 values, Belgian property, pensions and future income. Check whether any stake reaches 20%.
Compare tax, residency rules and life in the country guides. Check the treaty with Belgium for information exchange and collection assistance.
If you own a company, decide who runs it after the move and from where. Look at company formation options for a new structure.
Apply for your residence permit, secure a long-term lease and open a local bank account.
Tell your employer or social insurance fund, arrange health cover abroad and inform your mutualité.
Update your tax status, review the capital gains withholding and plan liquidity for the first 24 months.
Sell, end the lease or let it long-term. Cancel utilities, insurance and subscriptions.
Declare your departure by the day before you leave and keep the Model 8 forever. Belgians register with the consulate.
Register with your new tax authority and request a certificate of tax residence for banks and treaty refunds.
File the resident return up to departure, the non-resident return for Belgian income and the annual confirmation for the exit deferral.
FAQ#
Does deregistering at the commune end my Belgian tax residency?
Not on its own. Registration in the National Register only creates a rebuttable presumption; the legal tests are domicile and seat of wealth. Deregistering removes the presumption, but you still have to actually move your life and your wealth management.
Does Belgium have an exit tax for individuals?
Since 2026, yes, through the new capital gains tax: emigrating counts as a disposal of your financial assets, but only gains since 31 December 2025 are taxed. Within the EU/EEA and qualifying treaty countries, the tax is deferred and lapses after 24 months if you don’t sell or pledge.
My spouse stays in Belgium for a year. Am I still resident?
Very likely. For married people, the tax domicile is where the household is established. Plan the family move together, or get advice on the treaty position first.
Do I still pay tax on Belgian dividends after I leave?
Yes, Belgian withholding tax of 30% applies. Your treaty usually reduces the rate on dividends, and you reclaim the excess from the Belgian tax authority.
Does the securities account tax apply to non-residents?
Yes, for accounts held with Belgian institutions, unless your treaty assigns the right to tax to your new country. As of September 2026 the rate is 0.30% on accounts above €1 million.
The fine print#
Everything here is general information, not tax or legal advice. The capital gains tax is brand new, and the administration’s guidance on details is still evolving. Want your exit plan checked before you go? Book a strategy session.
Sources#
- Law of 6 April 2026 introducing a tax on capital gains on financial assets, Belgian Official Gazette, 21 April 2026 (eJustice)
- FPS Finance – capital gains tax (meerwaardebelasting)
- FPS Finance – non-resident tax return
- FPS Finance – annual tax on securities accounts
- FPS Finance – withholding tax on movable income
- FPS Finance – refund of Belgian withholding tax
- Belgium.be – declaring your departure abroad
- FPS Home Affairs – removal to abroad
- FPS Foreign Affairs – Model 8 certificate
- ONSS – social security for expats
- Overseas Social Security (ONSS)
- Socialsecurity.be – leaving Belgium
- Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 – coordination of social security systems
