Under the Withdrawal Agreement, after 31 December 2020, British nationals and their family members residing in Luxembourg or Belgium are no longer considered EU citizens but retain, however, their right of residence after the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020.

Luxembourg – Launch of the procedure for issuing residence documents to British nationals following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU

Although entitlement to residence and the associated rights of the persons concerned will remain similar to those they currently enjoy as EU citizens, they will be required to obtain a new residence document attesting that they are beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement, which replaces their current residence document.

To this end, the persons concerned need to submit an application for the issuance of this new document. The applications must be submitted by 30 June 2021 at the latest and can be submitted as from 1 July 2020.

Applicants must fill in and sign a residence document application form and send it by post to the Immigration Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

Expat Management Group can assist with these applications.

Belgium – Invitation letter to collect new residence permits

All beneficiaries of the withdrawal agreement will receive a letter asking them to go to the municipality where they reside to apply for their new residence card. Mid-2021 at the latest all beneficiaries of the withdrawal agreement will have received their new residence card. The letter with the invitation to go to the municipality to apply for the residence card will not be sent before the new residence cards are available.

As of this moment, it is not yet clear when the letters will start to be sent, but we are monitoring the situation and will confirm once this is communicated.

In case of questions, please do not hesitate to contact Massimo Maesen at maesen@expatmanagmentgroup.com