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Example 1: Master's + PhD (Switched to Single Permit)

Timeline:

01/09/2022 – Arrived in Belgium to start Master’s

20/09/2022 – Received Annex 15 (official start of counting)

31/10/2024 – Completed Master

02/11/2024 – Received Annex 15 for your Paid PhD (but still on student status, no single permit)

11/12/2024 - Received A-card for your PhD

You decided to change to signal permit for you PhD and you prof agreed.

April 2025 – Applied for single permit

24/05/2025 – Work permit part of the Single permit  approved → Switch to full-count residence

(= only from this date onward, your time counts 100%)

Counted Time:

Student Period (20/09/2022 to 23/05/2025) = 977 days

→ Student status → counts 50% → 488.5 days

Worker Status (24/05/2025 → future):

→ Since you already have 488.5 days

→ Need 1,336.5 more days

You reach 5 years (1825 days) on 19 January 2029.

Example 2: Master + Search year (Zoekjaar) + Single Permit

Timeline:

18/07/2022 – Arrived in Belgium for Master

08/08/2022 – received Annex 15 (official start of counting)

08/09/2023 – Finished Master

02/11/2023 – Received Annex 15 for your search year

16/12/2023 – Search year approved (= from this date onward, your time counts 100%)

12/01/2024 – A-card received (zoekjaar)

06/06/2024 – Employer applied for single permit

01/08/2024 – Work permit granted

Counted Time:

Student Period (08/08/2022 → 15/12/2023) = 495 days

→ Student time → counts 50% = 247.5 days

Search Year (16/12/2023 → 31/07/2024) = 228 days

→ Fully counted (it is a worker status) = 228 days

Single Permit (from 01/08/2024 → future):

→ Fully counted

→ still need 1,349.5 days

You reach 5 years on 12 March 2028.

@ashiseverywhere

Thank you for this informative post. I’d like to highlight the ongoing confusion around how the zoekjaar (search year) is counted toward the five-year legal residence requirement for the L card.

In my experience, Most gemeente staff assume it counts as 50%, and DVZ declined to clarify, referring applicants back to local authorities who often lack detailed guidance.

I have recently submitted the L CARD application, I based my calculation on the date I applied for the zoekjaar, not knowing that the 100% counting only begins from the official approval__ this the information that I have just acquired from your post. If the issue date of the A-card is considered the start of the 100% counting period, I would fall short of the five-year requirement by just 4 days, which could result in a denial of the L card application. I can only hope that the actual approval date — which likely came before the card was issued — will be taken into account, and that those 4 days won’t be decisive.

I strongly advise to carefully verify that the full five years of legal residence are completed before submitting the L card application. It may save you from an unfair rejection.

@Mu Jaycee

May i ask your L Card processing timeline included from where application has made please?

@maharaji1984

Thanks for your question!

I submitted my L Card application in early MAY 2025, based on the following legal residence durations in Belgium:

920 days of employment

299 days during the orientation period

1,200 days as a student, counted as half = 600 days

This brings the total to approximately 1,821 days ( around 4 to 5 days short)  of legal residence, calculated according to the guidelines from this post.

Please note:

My calculation considered the issue date of my search year A card as the start of the orientation period, and the last day counted was the day before I submitted my application.

I currently live in Flanders, in a small town with a population of around 30k people. Here there is not waiting time to get an appointment as it is the case in Bigger cities.

@Mu Jaycee

Hi, thanks.

Did they really counted the days one by one?

Did you recieved any feedback after application?

Good luck

@maharaji1984

No one helped me count the days, so I bet on myself and pushed for my application to be accepted.

@Mu Jaycee

Lucky you.

Wish you good luck with IBZ. Hopefully your calculation is correct and get your L card soon.

@Mu Jaycee

I noticed that the you might not count the time you held Annex 15 as part of the search year. It is count as student status so it counts as half. As long as you held the Annex 15 while applying search year for more than 10 days, you are fine

If you want, you can send me your exact dates, and I can help you recalculate everything to be sure.