The information on this page was collected from public resources.

Is there cash assistance available? Who is eligible? How does someone apply?

As a Ukrainian refugee with a temporary protection status and an application for an annex 15 and subsequently an A card, you can claim a living allowance if you meet all the requirements.

The amount of financial aid in Belgium depends on the composition of the family, the number of children and their age.

The amount of payments is:

  • โ‚ฌ1,100 per person living alone;
  • family members will receive โ‚ฌ750 each;
  • for each child, depending on their number, additionally from 100 to โ‚ฌ200.

However, the total monthly payment cannot exceed โ‚ฌ1,560 per family.

It is worth noting that in order to receive social assistance in Belgium, a number of conditions must be met:

  • it is forbidden to leave the country for more than 28 days a year;
  • you must notify your social inspector about every trip outside Belgium.

Failure to comply with the conditions may result in the loss of social support, and in some cases you may be required to return previously received money.

To apply, go to the nearest OCMW/CPAS social security center with your passport and a certificate of protection (card A or certificate Annexe 15/ Bijlage 15).

How do I set up a bank account?

For recognised refugees, asylum seekers and other temporarily protected persons, there is a so called basic bankung service in place. With the basic banking service, you can open a current account at a Belgian bank. You can perform basic transactions with this current account: withdraw money, pay by transfer or debit card, and create standing orders and direct debits.

Consult this pdf for more information .

How do I withdraw cash or exchange my currencies?

According to the agreement between the national banks of Belgium and Ukraine, Ukrainians in Belgium will be able to exchange cash hryvnia for euros. The service will be available at the National Bank of Belgium or private banks Belfius, Beobank, BNP Paribas Fortis, CBC, ING, KBC and KBC Brussels. The maximum exchange amount per person is 10,000 hryvnia (316 euros). There will be no fees or commissions charged. You need to have identification documents with you.

How do I pay taxes in a country?

How much you'll need to pay in Belgium depends on whether you're a resident or non-resident. If you live in Belgium for at least six months (183 days) of the year and are registered with your local commune, then you are a resident for tax purposes. As a result, you must pay Belgian income tax on your worldwide income.

Your taxable income is the income left after deductions for the likes of social security contributions, personal allowance, and professional costs.

If you live in Belgium for fewer than six months (183 days) per year, you are only taxed on income youโ€™ve earned in the country, including rents and capital gains.

Expatriates working in Belgium temporarily may be able to apply for a special taxation regime and only pay Belgian income tax on their income in Belgium (rather than their worldwide income), even if theyโ€™re classified as a Belgian resident. Find out more about filing your taxes in Belgium .

The Ministry of Finance (Service Public Fรฉdรฉral Finances) provides information on all aspects of taxation, most of which is available in Dutch and French, or you can call +32 (0)2 572 5757 (8:00 to 17:00).

If I already work remotely, how should I pay my taxes?

In this case, individual consultation with a professional lawyer is necessary.

The Ministry of Finance (Service Public Fรฉdรฉral Finances) provides information on all aspects of taxation, most of which is available in Dutch and French, or you can call +32 (0)2 572 5757 (8:00 to 17:00).

How to avoid double taxation?

There is an ingenious, but not perfect, solution โ€” to prove to the tax authority of the state in which the citizen does not plan to pay taxes that he is a resident of another country where he fulfills this duty.

A natural person has such a right, as Ukraine has valid conventions and treaties on the avoidance of double taxation with 73 countries of the world. Among them are almost all European countries, as well as the USA and Canada. According to these conventions, Ukrainians who pay taxes in Ukraine have the right to avoid taxation in the country of residence.

If such a situation arises in which a citizen falls under the criteria of a tax resident of Ukraine and at the same time another state defines him as its resident, he has the right to contact the tax authorities of the country of residence and make a request to the Ukrainian tax authorities to confirm that he pays taxes.

That is, in order to prevent double taxation, it is necessary to determine the resident status of an individual and, if necessary, obtain a document that will confirm it. But this may require the help of specialists - tax consultants or lawyers. Specialists advise in advance to collect evidence of the presence of a center of economic interests in Ukraine (if you plan to pay taxes only in Ukraine).

Among them may be:

  • certificate of payment of taxes in Ukraine;
  • certificate of tax resident of Ukraine (soon to be available in electronic form);
  • actual place of registration in Ukraine;
  • evidence of the presence of an individual entrepreneur registered in Ukraine (registration documents and tax declarations);
  • certificates of current accounts in Ukrainian banks;
  • certificates about the child's attendance at educational institutions in Ukraine;
  • receipts for the payment of utility bills.

If a citizen of Ukraine is recognized as a resident of Ukraine, but paid taxes in another country, the taxes paid can be credited in Ukraine. But if a person does not meet the criteria of a resident of Ukraine, it allows to change the tax resident status and consider another country as the place of tax payment.

It is important to check the registration of a natural person as a subject of entrepreneurial activity in the Unified State Register. Even if the activity has not been carried out for a long time, but the registration has not been terminated, this is a criterion for recognizing a person as a resident of Ukraine, which is accompanied by the obligation to pay taxes on income received abroad in Ukraine.

Being a citizen of Ukraine, but a tax NON-resident, you will still have to pay taxes in Ukraine for some types of income:

  • when receiving inheritance and gifts from persons who are not relatives of the 1st and 2nd degrees of kinship;
  • when receiving an investment profit;
  • when selling/leasing immovable and movable property to a natural person.

Source .

How can I send money back to Ukraine?

You can transfer money from Belgium to Ukraine via an international transfer or money transfer at a corresponding provider or a bank.

For an international transfer at the bank you have to fill out a special form and usually pay fees. Other special money transfer providers (e.g. Western Union, Moneygram, Wise, Revolut, Paypal) are often a cheaper and faster alternative.