Working for the Belgian government: nationality, language roles and certificates

Who can work for Belgium's federal, Flemish, Brussels and Walloon governments, how language roles and the former Selor certificates work, what bilingualism pays, and how selection runs.

Updated October 3, 2026 · 5 min read

Belgium has several public employers — the federal State, the Flemish government, the Brussels-Capital Region, Wallonia and the communities, provinces and communes — and a language law that shapes all of them. This guide explains who can apply, how the language roles and language certificates work, and what each level of government expects.

Who recruits — and what happened to Selor

The federal selection bureau Selor no longer exists under that name: since 1 March 2023 federal recruitment is done by the FPS BOSA under the brand [Travaillerpour.be / Werkenvoor.be](https://travaillerpour.be) (BOSA), which also issues the legally required language certificates. The regions recruit separately: the Flemish government on Werken voor Vlaanderen, the Brussels-Capital Region on [talent.brussels](https://www.talent.brussels), and Wallonia through Talents Wallonie (wallonie.be).

Can foreigners work for the Belgian government?

• Federal statutory posts are open to Belgians, EEA and Swiss nationals (and UK and Turkish nationals under certain conditions); Belgian nationality is required for posts involving public authority, such as diplomatic and customs posts (Travaillerpour.be).
• Contractual posts have generally no nationality condition, except public-authority roles such as tax controllers and customs officers (FPS Finance recruitment).
• Brussels-Capital Region: Belgian nationality for public-authority posts; EU/EEA citizens for other posts; non-EU citizens only for posts without any public authority (talent.brussels).
• Flemish government: its staff statute lists a nationality requirement among the admission conditions without defining it for every job — check each vacancy.

Languages: language roles, certificates and bilingualism

Belgium's laws on the use of languages in administrative matters decide which language you must know:

• In the regions, a local service works in the language of the region: Dutch in Flanders, French in Wallonia, German in the German-speaking area.
• In federal central services, each official belongs to the French or Dutch language role — and you sit the admission exam in the language of your required diploma.
• Diploma in another language? You need an article 7 certificate from Werkenvoor.be in the language of the post, at the level of your diploma (A, B, C or D) (Werkenvoor.be).
• Brussels local services test elementary knowledge of the second language, which the article 8 certificate proves (Werkenvoor.be).
• A bilingual cadre holds 20% of the posts at rank 13 and above in federal central services, for which knowledge of the second language must be proved.

BOSA tests Dutch, French, German and English on the CEFR scale, with listening, reading, speaking and writing modules (BOSA). And Travaillerpour.be is explicit: being bilingual is “not an absolute requirement” to join the federal administration — but it is a clear advantage (Travaillerpour.be).

What bilingualism pays

Flemish government and local authorities

The Flemish government requires either a Dutch-language diploma at the vacancy's level or a pass in a Werkenvoor.be language test (article 7) (Flemish selection rules).

Flemish local and provincial authorities set CEFR levels by job level. The Province of Flemish Brabant, for example, asks C1 for A-level posts, C1 reading/listening and B2 writing/speaking for B-level, B2 for administrative C-level, B1 for technical C-level and A2 for D-level (vlaamsbrabant.be). The Agency for Integration and Civic Integration runs a €180 Dutch test for public administrations, certifying B1 or A2 (integratie-inburgering.be).

How selection works

1. Check the level of the post: federal levels follow your diploma — 1/A master, 2+/B bachelor, 2/C upper secondary, 3–4/D without diploma (Travaillerpour.be).
2. Apply on the right platform — Travaillerpour.be for federal and many other bodies, talent.brussels for the Brussels Region, Werken voor Vlaanderen for the Flemish government.
3. Computer-based tests (for example abstract reasoning or an in-basket exercise), then an interview on skills and motivation. Laureates are ranked and the list is usually valid one year.
4. Probation: statutory federal staff serve a one-year stage (BOSA).