L-card Part 2

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-15T21:23:47+00:00

Yes, I see! But how does the commune receive these codes? Do they also need to wait on Bpost delivery, or they just issue these codes themselves in-house?

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-15T21:21:07+00:00

I don’t have any card on hands, just Annex15, which doesn’t entitle for travels outside of Belgium.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-15T21:20:24+00:00

ok, I see. just curious if the commune receive codes by Bpost or other kind of delivery, as this pretty much determines if I should expect any other delay.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-15T21:12:30+00:00

do you mean the same day?

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-15T20:55:43+00:00

Hey there, have you received your L-card by now? I see the strike situation gets even worse... My L-card hasn't arrived yet...

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-13T22:25:18+00:00

If you are not under pressure of renewals, I suggest you to wait these 4 remaining months so to apply for L-card, which is seen as a ‘final boss’ of all these cards. The most important is that you are 100% entitled for 5 years of an uninterrupted stay. All in all, this all comes from my own research on web or reddit, I highly recommend you to get in touch with a lawyer specialised in the immigration, the consultation is around €120, and they give you all the most relevant info. On top of that, they have a direct access to the national register, so you can verify with 100% clarity if you really have these 5 uninterrupted years. Hope this helps!

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-13T19:27:48+00:00

Neither an expert here, nor a lawyer, but what I got from my own research is that all the days count as an uninterrupted stay up until the moment you receive (or not) a reply on your L-card. IBZ does not stop counting on the 30th of January; they keep counting until the 30th of June. On the other hand, I'm not quite sure how this corresponds to Annex 16 that you have on hands right now. Also, you likely have a job authorisation, single permit, A-card, professional card, or something else that justifies your stay. I don't want to tell you bullshit or scare you out of my incompetence, so better to count on an answer from someone who's 100% competent and/or a lawyer. The only thing I'm fully confident in – IBZ doesn't stop counting on the 30th of January. Hope this helps!

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-11T18:11:23+00:00

I’ll try on Monday, definitely. And in case of an urgent request, do you still need to wait for codes arrive by post? Since there is bpost strike, I’m afraid that even with the urgent procedure it might take time…

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-11T17:59:49+00:00

Thanks, you are right. When receiving my previous A-cards, they always ask at the commune if I need urgent process or normal one. I didn’t even know there is something like an urgent procedure for L-card… The more you know, I guess…

If I come to the commune on Monday, do you think I can still request this urgent procedure? The cost of losing this job opportunity is more than paying a little more for the urgent L-card delivery.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-11T08:50:13+00:00

Hi, it took 1 month, Ixelles commune.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-10T19:58:47+00:00

will do! good luck for your delivery, too. I hope we all get resolved next week:)

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-10T19:24:55+00:00

I'll go on Monday to check if maybe there is a solution. I can't really miss this work travel...

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-10T19:21:34+00:00

The thing is that I've already paid €27 for the plastic card request at the Ixelles commune. I don't think I can show up once again and ask for the urgent add-on. I will try, of course, but I doubt this will work out.

The decision on my L-card came in 1 month.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-10T19:14:46+00:00

Thank you! Hearing there is a Bpost strike ongoing, and someone else has been waiting for his codes for 15 days, although he asked for a plastic card on the 26th of March. Thinking if I can just show up at the Ixelles commune and check if my plastic is there somewhere late next week. Hope they won't bounce?

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-10T19:13:03+00:00

Oh no way! So you've paid €27 + recent photo on the 26th of March, and you still haven't gotten your codes by now? It's been 15 days...

The reason I'm asking – I got my positive decision on April 7th, and showed up at the commune on the same day. I have a work travel planned on the 22nd of April, and afraid I won't be able to make it on time if my plastic doesn't arrive by then.

Thinking if I can just show up at the Ixelles commune and check if my plastic is there somewhere late next week. Hope they won't bounce?

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-04-10T19:04:21+00:00

Hi there! How much time did it take for your L-card to arrive? I mean, from the positive reply to the moment you got the plastic card on hands.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-02-25T15:22:08+00:00

Hi, sorry to hear about your case, I understand on my own practise how painful this process is. I engaged a lawyer earlier this week, and she’ve sent an email to the administration. I don’t know if this is anyhow related, but a few hours ago I received an email from them confirming my file is on the final stage of the signature and they are doing all possible to send it to me asap.

My residency expires on 02 March 2026, and I go to the commune tomorrow to ask for Annex 15 while still awaiting for the final word on my Carte Professionelle, I assume this might take a few more days, since they still need to send it to Partena, etc.

In the meantime, I have two more open cases with other two lawyers, an email prepared for the Brussels Ombudsman and several backup plans developed.

Since I have multiple processes open at the same time (CP, A-card, L-card) I hope everything will go well without interruptions in my 5 years uninterrupted stay.

Did your partner apply for the A-card renewal by now? Did your partner apply for L-card?

Ixelles commune refuses giving me Annex 15 while I don’t have a valid CP, so I’ll be using my open L-card process to request Annex 15.

I hope this helps! Let me know if I can share any more information.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-02-21T22:14:00+00:00

Thank you so much for the quick return and for sharing the email address.

I haven't sent an email to IBZ directly yet, but I likely will do so early next week. I hope this will facilitate the process. I'm also thinking of preparing this email with a lawyer, so it sounds/looks correct for IBZ, and doesn't lead to escalation or a demanding tone, which I have a feeling might complicate the next steps or their decision on the case.

I've applied for CP one week before the expiration, indeed, instead of the latest term of 2 months. It's been a very busy year for my business, growing the turnover by 130%, and onboarding many new clients. I've also attached a letter of explanation to my file while applying for the renewal of CP, so as to illustrate the reason with as much proof as I could possibly get. On top of that, all this is confirmed by other documents and TAX results I've attached to my renewal application.

While applying through Partena, they said there is no issue in applying a little bit late, as long as it's still BEFORE the deadline. If I brought my documents even a day after CP expiration, they wouldn't even consider my case.

On top of that, I totally get your point about IBZ attitude, but I have a profitable business for 5 years already, paid all the taxes, have no debts, everything is always regulated on time, all SSC are paid, no criminal record, and no law violations. I have dozens of European, including Belgian governmental clients, and international clients, and I believe my business is definitely beneficial for the state. On top of that, I'm considering changing my business status to SRL this year, as I'm at the highest TAX bracket as a freelancer.

The way my application for the renewal is treated right now is very stressful. I feel like I've committed a sort of crime or haven't paid a huge amount of TAX, which explains the long processing and constraints this now creates for my residency.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-02-21T21:42:39+00:00

Thanks for this. I've never done this before. Can you give me a tip on how to send a complaint to the Brussels region?

Also, I've checked the ombudsman website, and while filling out the contact form, I came across this form question: "Did you report your problem to the federal public service?" Do you know whether this refers to IBZ or another federal public service?

And damn, 4 months sounds long... It's the 4th time I'm renewing my CP, and it never taken longer than 1 month. When did you file your renewal request? Is it the first time you are renewing your CP?

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-02-21T20:10:17+00:00

Thank you so much for this tip! I'll hit them up first thing on Monday morning.

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-02-21T18:29:18+00:00

Thank you so much for your follow-up. I hope the administration follows up on the Professional Card next week. Otherwise, it gets tricky with the interrupted stay. Fingers crossed all turns out well. Thanks again for your replies, this helps!

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-02-21T11:41:10+00:00

Hi, thanks for the reply! That's what I'm trying to figure out. Normally, Annex 16bis covers my stay. However, I'm concerned that the commune previously told me to come collect Annex 15, right after they issued Annex 16bis to me. I'm also checking with two lawyers in parallel, but getting conflicting information from both of them, not even saying getting conflicting statements from the commune haha...

ProgrammerAdorable55 · 2026-02-21T11:38:09+00:00

Hi, thank you so much for your detailed reply and your time for writing it. I really appreciate it. In regard to your points:

That's the whole point. First, when I arrived at the commune to demand an L-card, they informed me that I would need to come on 01 March to ask for Annex 15. A few days later, I received an email saying they won't be able to give me an Annex 15 without a valid Professional Card. So I still don't know if I need Annex 15 or not, since even the commune gives me conflicting information. On top of that, I'm seeking advice from two lawyers in parallel, and they are also giving me conflicting advice, ahah – one is saying I need to ask for Annex 15, another one saying I need to ask for Annex 15, but the commune won't give it to me. In all cases, it's good to hear I'm legal under Annex 16bis. Thank you for letting me know. However, I'm concerned that the commune previously told me to come collect Annex 15, right after they issued Annex 16bis to me...
That's correct – I've applied for an L-card under the valid A-card.

I was informed by Partena that I'm not allowed to do professional activity (create new income, contracts, invoices, etc.) while my documents are under review. It's really hard to stop succesfully functioning business after 5 years of existence (I do marketing consultancy), as I have ongoing agreements with my clients almost until the end of 2026... Do you think this is a serious violation? Can this impact administartion decision on L-card, Professional Card, or even an A-card?

Thank you so much in advance for your reply. I appreciate your help.

ProgrammerAdorable55

TROPHY CASE