Tag: bureaucracy
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Bureaucracy: Belgium’s greatest export
I thought that I’d left all of the bureaucracy behind when I left Belgium earlier this year, but no. It seems that not content with foisting their arcane machinations on the rest of Europe, the Belgians have now set their sights on the global stage. On July 15th, a new law will come into effect in Belgium whereby any non-residents who work in Belgium for more than five days in any calendar month are required to obtain an L-1 LIMOSA declaration. Given that there’s an extremely good chance I’ll be sent back to Belgium on a business trip at some… Read more
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(F)utility services
Sigh. It looks as though my hope for a painless re-integration into American living may be a tad naive. I’m back in Brussels and, having found a house in the U.S., am now trying to get everything connected for when I move in, in a couple of week’s time. First up was the electricity supply. The previous occupants used a company called Stream Energy. They compared favorably with the other providers, so I thought I may as well continue using them. So I phoned them up to get the service transferred into my name. Nope. Can’t do it. That would… Read more
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The Joy of Driving (Or Not)…Belgian Style
Nowadays, a car is pretty much a necessity. And just about everyone here in Belgium has one. So why do the Belgians make getting a car on the road such a difficult, lengthy, and truly exasperating process? Here’s what I had to go through… When you buy a car (even a second hand one – and even from a private sale) in Belgium you don’t get the number plates with it. These are actually issued by the local authorities (it’s another way of getting tax).  We bought a couple of cars from a dealership, paid the money, and asked for… Read more
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Born Free, But You’ll Pay To Prove It…
We’re finally back in Belgium, and going through all of the requisite administrative steps to register ourselves here.  Given that Belgium is home to the EU, it should come as no surprise that it boasts world-class bureaucracy.  Here’s an example of Belgian bureaucracy at it’s finest… When you move into a house here (Belgium) you have to go and register with the local commune (which is like a city council). You have to do this in person, and can only do so once you have physically moved into the house. You have to take with you a signed copy of… Read more