Official letters from Belgium, explained in English

Belgian offices write in Dutch, French or German, depending on where you live. Briefly reads Dutch and French letters. Many letters can also arrive in your eBox or MyMinfin online, and deadlines often start on the third working day after the letter was sent.

Offices that write to you

FOD Financiën / SPF Finances — Federal tax office. The federal tax office. It handles personal income tax, and in Wallonia also the yearly property tax.
Vlaamse Belastingdienst / Brussel Fiscaliteit / SPW Fiscalité — Regional tax office. The tax office of your region. It handles regional taxes such as property tax (onroerende voorheffing / précompte immobilier) in Flanders and Brussels, inheritance and registration duties.
Gemeente / Commune — Town hall. Your local town hall. It handles your registration (domicile), identity card, residence cards for foreigners, local taxes and local fines.
OCMW / CPAS — Social welfare office. The local public social welfare centre. It gives the living wage (leefloon / revenu d’intégration), emergency help and debt help.
RVA / ONEM — Unemployment office. The national employment office. It decides on unemployment benefits. The money is usually paid by your union or by the HVW / CAPAC.
VDAB / Actiris / Le Forem — Job centre. The regional job service: VDAB in Flanders, Actiris in Brussels, Le Forem in Wallonia. It helps you find work and checks your job search.
Ziekenfonds / Mutualité — Health insurance fund. Your health insurance fund. It pays back part of medical costs and pays sickness benefits when you can’t work.
Groeipakket / Allocations familiales — Child benefit office. Pays child benefit. In Flanders it is called Groeipakket, in Brussels Famiris, in Wallonia it is paid by the family allowance funds.
Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken / Office des Étrangers — Immigration office. The federal immigration office. It decides on residence rights, visas and orders to leave the country.
Gerechtsdeurwaarder / Huissier de justice — Bailiff. A legal officer who delivers court papers and collects debts after a judgment. He or she can also start amicable debt collection before court.
Vredegerecht / Rechtbank — Justice de paix / Tribunal — Court. A court. The justice of the peace (vredegerecht / justice de paix) handles rent, small debts and neighbour problems.
Politie / Police — Parket / Parquet — Police and traffic fines. Sends traffic fines and other police letters. Unpaid fines go to the public prosecutor (parket / parquet).
Incassobureau / Bureau de recouvrement — Debt collector. A company that collects debts for others. In Belgium it must be registered and may not charge you extra costs that aren’t in your contract.
Energieleverancier / Fournisseur d’énergie — Energy supplier. The company that sells you electricity or gas, for example Engie, Luminus or TotalEnergies.
Verhuurder / Bailleur — Landlord. The owner of your home, or the agency that manages it.

Common kinds of letters

Bevel tot betalen / beslag — Commandement de payer / saisie — Enforcement by a bailiff. A bailiff (gerechtsdeurwaarder / huissier) will collect a debt after a judgment or tax bill. Goods or money can be seized, and costs go up at every step.
Dagvaarding / Citation — Court summons. Someone is taking you to court. The paper says when and where the hearing is.
Ingebrekestelling / Mise en demeure — Formal demand to pay. The last official warning before court or a bailiff. It often adds interest or a fixed fee.
Aanmaning / herinnering — Rappel — Payment reminder. A payment is late. Reminders often add costs or interest if you wait longer.
Terugvordering / Récupération de l’indu — Request to pay money back. They say they paid you too much, for example unemployment, sickness or child benefits, and want the money back.
Verkeersboete — Onmiddellijke inning / Perception immédiate — Traffic fine. A fine for a traffic offence, often from a speed camera. Pay by the date in the letter to close the case.
GAS-boete / Amende administrative (SAC) — Town hall fine. A fine from the town hall for things like parking, litter or noise (municipal administrative sanction).
Aanslagbiljet / Avertissement-extrait de rôle — Tax bill. Your tax bill for one year. It shows if you must pay, or get money back.
Beslissing / Décision — Decision. A decision about your benefits, residence or another request — for example what you get, a change or a sanction.
Bevel om het grondgebied te verlaten / Ordre de quitter le territoire — Order to leave the country. The immigration office says you must leave Belgium by a set date. You can usually appeal, but the deadline is short.
Weigering / Refus — Refusal. Your request was refused. The letter says if and how you can challenge it, and by when.
Toekenning / Octroi — Approval. Your request was approved. Check that the amounts and dates are right.
Uitnodiging / Convocation — Appointment. They want you to come to an appointment, for example at the town hall, the job centre or a doctor. Missing it can cut your benefits or delay your case.
Vraag om documenten / Demande de documents — Request for documents. They need papers or information before they can decide, or to keep paying you.
Opzegging / Congé — End of contract. Someone ends a contract with you — for example your landlord ends the rental contract.
Afrekening / Décompte — Energy or water bill. A bill for electricity, gas or water. The yearly bill compares what you used with your advance payments.

Dutch and French office words

aanslagbiljet, bezwaarschrift, aanslagjaar, personenbelasting, onroerende voorheffing, gestructureerde mededeling, rijksregisternummer, OCMW, leefloon, werkloosheidsuitkering, arbeidsrechtbank, ziekenfonds, Groeipakket, terugvordering, gerechtsdeurwaarder, bevel tot betalen, beslag, dagvaarding — see all 50 words.

Reply templates in Dutch and French

Questions

How long do I have to answer an official letter in Belgium?

It depends on the letter. Look for words like “termijn”, “uiterlijk op”, “délai”, “au plus tard le” — they mark the deadline. In Belgium, a letter sent by post is usually treated as received on the third working day after the date it was sent. Many deadlines, for example 6 months to object to a tax bill, start from that day. To object, the letter usually names the way to do it (“bezwaarschrift”, “beroep”, “verzet”, “bezwaar”).

Can I understand a Dutch or French letter without speaking Dutch or French?

Yes. Take a photo of the letter with Briefly. It reads the Dutch or French text on your device, explains it in plain English, finds deadlines and amounts, and can translate the whole letter.

Is my letter uploaded anywhere?

No. Briefly runs completely in your browser. The letter never leaves your device, there is no account, and it works offline after the first visit.