Facebook communities for expats in Ghent

Just arrived

by Guest author - 13 April, 202011 October, 2020

Image of heart filled with country flags - for international facebook groups in Ghent and Belgium

Moving to another country means joining a new community but, as expats, we know that sometimes it can be comforting to get in touch with people from our own country. People who speak our language and share the same background, can give us advice, bring us support or simply tell

Basic information in English

Just arrived

by Nina - 11 April, 202011 October, 2020

When you move to a new city, in a country whose language you don’t speak, you want to know where can you quickly find answers to all your questions in a language you understand. Luckily, this is the age of the internet and information, and the online expat community is

Where to live in Ghent

Just arrived

by Nina - 12 January, 202011 October, 2020

When you move to Ghent you will first need to find a place to stay. Usually, your first instinct will be to look at the map and see of the many districts you'd like to live in. But how to choose and what on earth are deelgemeenten? Here's our quick

How To Get Internet In Ghent

Just arrived

by Max Streicher - 16 November, 201911 October, 2020

In this guide I provide you with tips and tricks to fixed Internet in Ghent. I divided this into 6 steps. Starting with an outline why Internet in Ghent and Belgium is expensive. Next, I provide information about download speed and internet provider for your location before showing tools to

Rental agreements: costs

Just arrived

by Heather - 22 October, 201911 October, 2020

Rent is agreed between the landlord and tenant at the start of a contract, and can only be changed under certain circumstances. This post explains more, plus gives some info on what the landlord can charge you for, and what happens if tenants don’t pay up. 3476

Getting to know Ghent

Just arrived

by Heather - 12 October, 201911 October, 2020

So you've decided to move to Ghent and you're wondering what life will be like? Our list of 10 useful things to know about Ghent, Flanders and Belgium will help you fit in from day 1. 31

Rental agreements: paying a deposit

Just arrived

by Heather - 29 September, 201911 October, 2020

A deposit isn’t a legal requirement in Belgium. But if the landlord chooses to have the tenant pay one, then the conditions of it do become a legal requirement. Be very suspicious if you get offered a rental contract that doesn’t require a deposit. It might indicate that the landlord

Registration General FAQs

Just arrived

by Heather - 18 September, 201911 October, 2020

Where do I start? We recommend that wherever you’re coming from and whatever you plan to do while you’re in Ghent, you always start by describing your situation to the Infopunt Migratie. You can email them at infopuntmigratie@stad.gent. They will recommend where you should make an appointment and which documents you need

Rental agreements: an overview

by Heather - 30 July, 201911 October, 2020

Believe it or not, legally in Belgium you can have a verbal or written rental agreement. However, as most people are likely to get, or insist upon, a written agreement, we’re focusing our posts about rental agreements on that. This overview covers what you can expect to see in a

Rental agreements: the plaatsbeschrijving

Just arrived

by Heather - 30 July, 201911 October, 2020

Plaatsbeschrijving literally means ‘place description’ and - although it sounds simple - it can cause a lot of confusion for expats moving to Ghent, probably because it’s not that common in other countries. Here’s a basic overview of how the plaatsbeschrijving system (a legal requirement when renting a property) works