Golden years: Download a free guide in English to enjoying retirement in Belgium

Many expats choose to stay in Belgium after they retire, deciding to enjoy the widely recognised benefits that Belgium has to offer in retirement. Expats needing to make choices in a wide range of areas such as housing, pensions or health can find pointers in the hands-on guide Golden years in Belgium: an expat guide to life after retirement, produced by the King Baudouin Foundation and the Federation of Notaries.

Retirement in the heart of Europe is an opportunity to really get to know the country expats have adopted. With its international atmosphere, excellent healthcare, great cuisine and wide-ranging events and activities, Belgium offers an excellent way of life in retirement.

The guide offers tips on how to enjoy retirement in Belgium, covering every area from meeting people and buying property to healthcare and welfare. It takes expats through their pension and inheritance rights and informs them how to get in touch and maintain links with their new community, while retaining a sense of wellbeing and purpose.

Is your home suitable for when you are no longer able to get about so easily? Do you want to carry on working after your 65th birthday, or continue to do small jobs after you retire, and how can you do that without getting your taxes in a tangle? How can you prevent doctors from starting medical treatments you don’t want, at a time when you can no longer make your wishes clearly known? What will happen if you are no longer able to manage your own affairs? What arrangements are you making for your will? The guide offers practical advice and useful addresses, while encouraging you to take action at an early stage.

"Golden years in Belgium" is one of a series of practical guides that have been published jointly by the King Baudouin Foundation and the Federation of Notaries (Fednot). It can be downloaded free of charge here.