am & pm: the bright side of relocation

am&pm provides procedural information and coordinates the collection of all necessary documents. As soon as all the paperwork is ready, am&pm represents the employer in the preparation and filing of the application. Upon approval of the application, am&pm also picks up the work permit and delivers it to your Belgian office.

Applying for a Belgian visa needs to be done while still abroad and in most countries it also requires a personal visit to the Belgian Embassy/Consulate. am&pm can help you on your way by providing procedural information, contacting the Embassy to obtain further information and helping with the application preparation.

Furthermore, am&pm can also assist with obtaining a visa at a foreign Embassy in Belgium

All foreigners staying in Belgium for more than 90 days need a residence permit (electronic chip card for foreigners introduced in 2008). am&pm provides procedural information and coordinates the collection of all necessary documents. am&pm makes an appointment for the first town hall visit (if possible) and accompanies you to the town hall. Follow-up visits are scheduled to suit the requirements of each town hall, until you can collect your residence permit/electronic ID card.

Depending on the purpose of the orientation tour (pre-decision versus familiarization) am&pm tailors the orientation tour to suit your needs. We guide you through the main residential areas and provide information on the local rental/buying market, allowing you to compare location and prices. am&pm lets you experience the distances between home, school and work, and indicates the main points of interest in terms of shopping, sports and leisure.

Based on the family’s preferences and exploratory discussions, am&pm selects the appropriate schools and sets up appointments for accompanied visits. If a selection is made, am&pm follows up on the admission and enrollment procedure.

am&pm obtains various quotes from removal companies and selects the offer that matches the relocating family’s requirements. We follow-up with the local agents and track the shipment and delivery of your household goods.

am&pm obtains various quotes from furniture rental companies and selects the offer that matches the relocating family’s requirements. We set an appointment for the delivery of the rental furniture to your new home.

am&pm helps you to determine whether you can exchange your original driving license for a Belgian one or not. If an exchange is possible, and depending on your town hall, am&pm collects the necessary documents and exchanges your driving license with either the police office or the town hall. If an exchange is not possible you need to take a theoretical or practical exam. am&pm provides you with an English instruction book and registers you for the theoretical exam with simultaneous translation and afterwards sets up an appointment for the practical driving test at a recognized exam center.

By way of a questionnaire and a follow up phone call, we ask that the relocating family communicate its requirements for a new home. Consequently, am&pm searches and selects a number of properties and prepares an itinerary for an accompanied viewing day(s).

am&pm assists with the negotiation of the terms of your rental contract (within the parameters of the Belgian law), the signing of the lease and (if applicable) the setting up of the rental guarantee. We furthermore point out the responsibilities of both tenant and owner.

am&pm prepares the documents for the connection/transfer of the utilities (electricity, heating, water, phone, internet, cable TV) to the new tenant’s name and initiates the transfer procedure.

am&pm makes an appointment with your landlord and with an independent surveyor to carry out the legally mandatory ingoing/outgoing inventory check and our consultant is present on the day of the actual survey.

am&pm accompanies the expat to various shops (furniture, flooring, carpets, upholstery, appliances, paints,…) based on the requirements determined beforehand and assists/translates with making enquiries, obtaining price quotes and placing orders.

All employees in Belgium must contribute to a health insurance fund as part of the normal social security enrolment process. am&pm assists you with completing all documents required and submits them to the relevant official bodies.

Home insurance (i.e. liability cover) is obligatory under Belgian law, whether you own or rent the property you live in. Furthermore, you may want to take additional insurance (family, contents, theft, 2nd car,…). am&pm obtains 3 quotes for you to choose from and assists you with the paperwork required.

am&pm helps you in finding a bank with an agency at a convenient location and accompanies you to the bank to open the account.

am&pm takes the necessary steps to terminate your lease agreement and insurance policies, and to close/transfer the contract for your utilities. If required, am&pm obtains quotes from cleaning companies and sets up the appointment for the outgoing survey. Furthermore, am&pm arranges your de-registration at the municipality, recovers your foreign driver’s license, returns your number plates and sets up forwarding of postal mail.

am&pm assists you with the development of an international mobility policy, tapping into its many years of experience working with blue chips all over the world.

Unmarried couples need a notarized cohabitation contract in order to obtain a Belgian residence permit/electronic ID for the trailing partner. am&pm sets up the appointment with a notary and accompanies you and your partner to the appointment.

am&pm provides procedural information, checks the necessary documents and procedures (technical clearance), and assists you with obtaining Belgian license plates.

am&pm directs you to experienced career coaches, helps you to understand the Belgian labour market and the various channels for receiving job offers, and offers assistance in writing or updating your curriculum.

am&pm collaborates with experienced cultural trainers, offering programs ranging from group sessions to tailor made individual trainings.

Similar to a house hunt, am&pm will pre-select a number of properties to rent or to buy following your requirements, prepare a viewing itinerary and accompany you during the visits.

As an add-on to searching for office space, am&pm can also take care of all related items, such as checking of the lease, arranging the survey, connecting the utilities, arranging for furniture to be delivered, … but am&pm also can assist you in finding supporting staff, an IT-service company, a cleaning company,…

From a broken light fixture to rebuilding your kitchen, am&pm can help you to obtain quotes and to supervise the works in progress.