OECS OnBoarding Brochure: Brussels, Belgium

ORGANISATION OF EASTERN CARIBBEAN STATES

MOVING TO BRUSSELS BELGIUM Things you need to know

Map of Brussels Belgium

What you need to know

ABOUT BRUSSELS Brussels officially the Brussels-Capital Region, and the French speaking region of Belgium comprises of 19 municipalities, including the city of Brussels, which is the Capital of Belgium.

Other languages spoken are Dutch, German and English.

This Metropolitan City has a population of 2.1 million people. Since World War II, it has been a major centre for International politics and the home of numerous international organizations, politicians, diplomats and civil servants.

The European Union (EU) institutions, the Secretariat of the Benelux and Headquarters of NATO are also located in Brussels.

CURRENCY The official currency is Euro.

TIME ZONE The time zone is (GMT+2) .

CLIMATE Brussels has a temperate climate with four season namely: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn.

There is an average low temperature of 1degree celcius during the winter and 23 degrees celcius during the summer.

What you need to know (cont'd)

AIR TRAVEL Air travel provided on first passage for employee and family members under the age of 18 and spouse (common law included).

PERSONAL EFFECTS Shipment of personal effects of employee and dependents up to a max. of a 20ft container plus a vehicle.

SETTLEMENT GRANT Settlement grant of €500 plus a subsistence allowance of €40 per day for 30 days will be paid upon arrival. This process takes approximately a week for disbursement.

HOUSING Housing for the first month at the expense of the Commission is available, however, should the employee decide to take this option, the employee forfeits that month’s housing allowance.

CLOTHING ALLOWANCE Warm clothing Allowance is received and included in the first month’s pay . This allowance is given upon each renewal of a contract with the Commission.

PROBATIONARY PERIOD There is a mandatory probation period of 3 months for all employees.

TRANSPORTATION Transportation will be provided from the airport upon first arrival into Brussels.

Commuting to /from the Airport can also be done via train, bus and taxi.

What you need to know (cont'd)

WORK PERMIT All Non-Nationals are required to obtain permission to work in Brussels from the Protocol Directorate of the Federal Public Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.

IDENTIFICATION CARD The Mission in Brussels is responsible for the necessary preparation in obtaining the ID card on behalf of the new employee. Â This process can only be done after the employee has found a permanent place to live.

ORIENTATION During your first few days you will be required to attend an orientation session.

NECESSARY DOCUMENTS For seamless transitioning, there are a few important items/documents one should have prior to leaving: At least 5 passport size photographs Birth Certificates Marriage Certificate Driver's License Health Insurance Card Immunization Records Other medical records for insurance purposes

Public Holidays 2018

NEW YEAR'S DAY

1 January

GOOD FRIDAY

29 March

EASTER MONDAY

2 April

LABOUR DAY

1 May

ASCENSION DAY

10 May

WHIT MONDAY

21 May

BELGIUM NATIONAL DAY ASSUMPTION DAY

21 July 15 August

ALL SAINTS DAY

1 November

ARMISTICE DAY

12 November

CHRISTMAS DAY

25 December

BOXING DAY

26 December

Supermarkets & Pharmacies

SUPERMARKETS - Located throughout the city DELHAIZE - (DELIVERY €9) CARREFOUR - (DELIVERY €9) LIDL - (VERY AFFORDABLE PRICES) ALDI - (VERY AFFORDABLE PRICES) COLRUYT - (VERY AFFORDABLE PRICES) All year round there is an open air market at Clemenceau where some Caribbean/familiar food items can be bought at reasonable prices.

PHARMACIES - Located throughout the city MULTIPHARMA PHARMACIE ROUSSEAU APOTHEEK - LOCATED ON EVERY STREET CORNER AROUND BELGIUM For persons who take prescription medication daily, it is advisable to travel with at least 2 months supply .

Banking Services

There are a number of banks with branches located throughout the City.

ING (AVENUE MARNIX 24) This branch of ING deals specifically with Expats.

ING is also the Embassy’s main bank. It is the correspondent bank for the Bank of Nova Scotia in the Caribbean if making wire transfers. The BIC is BBRUBEBB.

PARIBAS FORTIS

NAGELMACKERS

KBC BRUSSELS

BELFIUS

Need Housing?

Houses and apartments can be searched for online from the following websites: IMMOWEB www.immoweb.be

CENTURY 21 www.century21global.com/for-rent-residential/Belgium/Brussels

Other important factors to note as it pertains to housing in Brussels: Housing for the first month at the expense of the Commission is available, however, should the employee decide to take this option, the employee forfeits that month’s housing allowance.

The average cost to rent a one bedroom furnished apartment or a two bedroom unfurnished apartment is €1200-€1500 and approximately about €3000-€6000 for a house with automatic inflation increase per year.

It is imperative that new employees note that a payment deposit is needed for two months in addition to the first month rent. For example, if the rental cost is €1200, €2400 will be placed into a blocked account at the bank.

Housing (cont'd)

BLOCKED ACCOUNT This clause in included in all leasing contracts, it is mandatory and is in accordance to Belgian law. When signing a leasing contract an Etat des Lieux has to be signed as well, if the apartment is furnished everything has to be accounted for upon entering and exiting.

At the end of the contract, the apartment will be inspected and if the landlord is satisfied that the house is in good condition as rented then that deposit will be reimbursed. If the apartment/house has been damaged then that deposit will be lost and used to conduct repairs.

It is important to note that all of these payments are to be made before receiving the keys to the apartment or house. It is essential to also note that apartments and houses are to be found within 30 days of arrival, therefore new employees are encouraged to travel with sufficient funds to cover these costs.

Other services such as cable, electricity and water are not included in the monthly rental and the cost of electricity/heating varies widely from affordable to expensive depending on the age of the building.

Upon selection of apartment/houses it is necessary to choose housing that are energy efficient. Heating is very costly and it is important not to choose a house that uses Mazout or an apartment that uses electric heating.

Housing (cont'd)

BREAKING THE LEASING CONTRACT If the new employee has to break the contract due to early departure or any other reason, penalty charges must be paid. There are two types of contract, short term and longterm.

Once a contract is signed, the tenant is locked into this agreement for a period of 3, 6, 9 years, depending on the type of contract that is signed. Therefore, if the contract is broken in the 1st year, notice of 3 months should be given to the landlord and the penalty charge of 3 months. If broken in the 2nd year, 3 months notice and 2months rent and if broken in the 3rd year, 3 months notice and 1 month rent. All is in favour of the landlord and is in accordance to the Belgian Law. It is advisable to begin searching for an apartment/house prior to arrival into Brussels using the online sources provided above. The demand for apartments/houses is high during the summer and autumn.

Taxi & Public Transport Services

There are several reputable taxi companies in Brussels: TAXI VERTS

Tel#: +32 02 349 49 49

TAXI BLEUS

Tel#: +32 02 268 00 00

CITY CAB BRUSSELS

Tel#: +32 499 19 59 59

UBER (REGISTRATION IS DONE ONLINE) The average cost for a taxi for a 15 min ride is €15.

Bicycle rentals – www.villo.be , a subscription fee of €30 per year is charged to rent a bicycle plus an hourly fee of €1.

BRUSSELS INTER-COMMUNAL TRANSPORT COMPANY STIB-MIVB provides public transportation throughout the City utilizing metro, tram and buses. The cost of a monthly ticket (Abonnement) is €49 but the initial cost is €54, an extra €5 is charged for the purchase of a card and to inscribe/print the personal details of the cardholder. Please note that a passport size picture is also required [This is mandatory].

The cost of a ticket for 1 journey purchased at the vending machines located at every metro station or tram/bus stops is €2.10 and €2.50 if purchased on the bus/ tram.

Taxi & Public Transport Services (cont'd)

NOCTIS is STIB’s night network for buses Via Rail provides train service to other Cities managed by SNCB-NMBS. De lijn is another bus that provides bus service to other Cities in Belgium.

Water bus from Brussels to Vilvoorde.

BRUSSELS METRO PLAN

Please see link below to access the metro plan: https://www.google.be/imgres?imgurl=https://www.mapametro.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/mapa-metro-bruselasbrussels.png&imgrefurl=https://www.mapametro.com/en/mapa-metro-de-bruselasbrussels/&h=2200&w=3258&tbnid=6rHf8HsgTTwCXM:&q=brussels+metro+map&tbnh=135&tbnw=200&usg=AFrqEzd9wBmMcZHeFV8lOWzhKOSOaBGRA&vet=12ahUKEwiazPe51s7cAhXRLlAKHZpoAaIQ_B0wCnoECAgQCQ..i&docid=LgggxxuBehBuXM&itg=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUK EwiazPe51s7cAhXRLlAKHZpoAaIQ_B0wCnoECAgQCQ

Vehicle Rentals

There are a number vehicle rental companies with locations throughout Brussels. * Remember driving is on the right hand side of the road in Brussels.

SIXT AUTOVERHUUR HERTZ CAR RENTAL AVIS AUTOVERHUUR EUROPEAN BRUSSELS ASTRAL RENT-A-CAR

Telecommunication & Internet Services

There are various telecommunication service providers in Brussels, there is the option to choose between post paid and prepaid calling plans.

The Service Providers are as follows:

Post Paid Plans

Pre Paid Plans

ORANGE

SCARLET

BASE

LYCA MOBILE

PROXIMUS

MOBILE VIKINGS

UBER A basic post paid calling plan without international calls is approximately €15 per month.

Cable/Internet Service Providers SCARLET

DOMMEL

PROXIMUS

VOO

TELENET A basic internet /cable package is approximately €78 per month.

Prayers & Worship

There are numerous churches of varying denominations all over Brussels: ROMAN CATHOLIC GREEK ORTHODOX PROTESTANT ISLAM

Private & Public Schools

There are both Public and Private Crèche available in Brussels and enrollment is year round.

For Public Crèche registration must be done in the Commune and payment is linked to the parents income.

PRIVATE CRÈCHE It is available both in French and Dutch depending on the neighbourhood /Commune the registration is done. The cost is approximately €1000 per month per child.

There are both Private and Public Primary and Secondary Schools in Brussels.

Please see below the main Private Schools: Brussels International Catholic School British International School of Brussels St John’s International School Ecole Francaise

PUBLIC SCHOOLS For public schools, the education will be in French and Dutch only. There are major space issues in both private and public schools.

Please see the following links for additional information: http://internationalschoolsinbrussels.be/en/public-and-private-schools-in-brussels/ http://www.expatarrivals.com/europe/belgium/brussels/education-and-schools-brussels https://www.brussels.be/education

Things to do for FUN

ATTRACTIONS: VISIT TO THE GRAND PLACE – MANNEKEN/JANNEKE PIS BRUSSELS HOP ON HOP OFF SITE SEEING TOURS ATOMIUM/MINI EUROPE MUSICAL FESTIVALS BELGIAN CHOCOLATE /WAFFLE MAKING WORKSHOPS BELGIAN BEER AND CHOCOLATE WALKING TOURS MUSEUMS BICYCLE TOURS PUBS/CLUBS ARTS HILL WATER TOURS VISIT OTHER CITIES AS GENT AND BRUGGE, ANTWERP BEACHES OUTSIDE BRUSSELS (OSTEND, KNOKKE, DE PANNE)

Living in Brussels

Brussels is a very multicultural city and as a result there are a number of great restaurants serving all types of foods except Caribbean cuisines. It is important to note that restaurants in Brussels are a bit pricy.

Most major restaurants provide delivery services. The Service Providers are as follows: Uber eats, Deliveroo, Take away.

Tipping for services is optional in Brussels because a service charge of 10-15% is already applied to the bill but in instances where exceptional service is received a few euros can be given.

There is a famous Quartier called MatongĂŠ where Afro hair products and services can be found. Â Salons for braiding, weaving, hair relaxing/treatment etc. are also available in this quartier.

It is recommended that one should get their hair combed only at a salon.

Generally, the cost of living in Brussels is high.

Medical Services

FIRE BRIGADES AND AMBULANCE – 100 FEDERAL POLICE – 101 RED CROSS – 105 EUROPEAN EMERGENCY CALLS – 112

There are a number of hospitals throughout Brussels:

HOPITAUX IRIS SUD CHU SAINT PIERRE HOSPITAL CLINIQUE DE L’EUROPE – ST ELIZABETH HOSPITAL LOUISE MEDICAL CENTRE

Contact the HR Unit: Zena Jules: (758) 455 6322 Eurisca Chandler: (758) 555 6323 Gale Jean Baptiste: (758) 455 6362