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International researchers @
KU Leuven
Bob Geivers – Intl Admissions & Mobility
Unit
Annemie Dumoulin – HR Department
Table of contents
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Your contact
Your student and/or staff status at KU Leuven
Scholarship, salary or selfsupporting?
Registration
Taxes
Social Security
Insurances
Family allowances
Leaves
Benefits & perks
Contact information
Questions
CONTACT
Your contact depends on your student/staff status:
 International Office,
International Admissions and Mobility Unit (IAM):
Bob Geivers
 HR Department:
Annemie Dumoulin
YOUR STATUS: STUDENT
 Exchange student
 Bachelor’s and Master’s student
 Predoctoral student
 Doctoral student
 International scholar
 Visiting scholar
International Admissions & Mobility Unit
(IAM)
YOUR STATUS: STAFF
 Administrative & Technical Personnel (ATP)
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Doctoral scholar (BAP): scholarship/salary
Postdoctoral Fellow (BAP)
Postdoctoral Researcher (AAP or BAP)
Research Associate (BAP)
Selfsupporting Visiting Researcher (BAP)
Voluntary Research Associate (BAP)
 Research Assistant (AAP)
 Teaching Assistant (AAP)
 Visiting Professor (BAP)
 Professor (ZAP)
HR Department
SCHOLARSHIP
 SCHOLARSHIP:
- Predoctoral Student
Administration and payment: IAM
- Doctoral Scholar non-EEA (BAP)
Administration: IAM
Payment: HR Department
- Doctoral Scholar EEA (BAP)
- Postdoctoral Fellow (BAP)
Administration and payment: HR Department
SALARY
 SALARY:
- Administrative & technical personnel members (ATP)
- Research assistant (AAP)
- Teaching assistant (AAP)
- Research associate (BAP)
- Postdoctoral researcher (except. postdoctoral fellows)
- Visiting professors (BAP) (salaried)
- Professors (ZAP)
HR Department
SELFSUPPORTING
 SELFSUPPORTING:
- Selfsupporting students
- Scholarship from outside the university
Your contact is: IAM
- Selfsupporting Visiting Professors
- Selfsupporting Visiting Research Associates
- Voluntary Research Associates
Your contact is: HR Department
YOUR STATUS?
REGISTRATION: UNIVERSITY
 Intl Admission & Mobility Unit:
- as a student
- as a non-EEA doctoral scholarship holder
- (as a visiting/international fellow/scholar)
 HR Department
- as an employee
- as a postdoctoral fellow
- as an EEA doctoral scholarship holder
 Registrar’s hall
- as a student: all (pre)doctoral students
REGISTRATION: BELGIUM
 Registration at the city hall of your place of residence
- annex 15
- residence card
AFTER:
- registration at the university
- Leuven: finding accommodation: rental contract
Remark: opening a bank account with annex 15
“LIVING IN LEUVEN”
TAXES

Not taxed in Belgium:
selfsupporting students/staff members and scholarship holders:
- Exchange students
- Bachelor’s and Master’s students
- Predoctoral students
- Doctoral students
- International scholar
- Visiting scholar
- Postdoctoral fellows
-
Selfsupporting visiting professors
-
Selfsupporting visiting research associates
-
Voluntary research associates
TAXES
 Taxed: salaries:
- Administrative & technical staff
- Research assistant
- Teaching assistant
- Research associate
- Postdoctoral researcher (except. postdoctoral fellows)
- Salaried visiting professor
- Professor
Everybody must fill out the tax form
http://www.kuleuven.be/english/tax.html
Net amount scholarship/salary
Gross salary
- social security contributions
(13,07 %)
= Taxable income
- withholding tax on income
= Net salary
Gross scholarship
- social security contributions

13,07 % (full coverage)

4,70 % (partial coverage)
= Net amount scholarship
SOCIAL SECURITY: SYSTEM
 No social security:
- Bachelor/Master, predoctoral scholarships, selfsupporting doct. scholar,
international scholar, visiting scholar/fellow
 Partial social security:
- Doctoral scholarships
- Postdoctoral fellowships
from non-EEA-country with NO bilateral social security
agreement with Belgium
 Full social security:
- All salaries
+
- Doctoral scholarships
- Postdoctoral fellowships
from EEA-country or non-EEA-country WITH a bilateral social security
agreement with Belgium:
Algeria; Australia; Bosnia-Herzegovina; Canada; Chili; Croatia; India; Israel; Japan;
Macedonia; Montenegro; Morocco; The Philippines; Québec; San Marino; Serbia;
South-Korea; Tunisia; Turkey; United States; Uruguay; (Brasil; Argentina)
SOCIAL SECURITY: COVERAGE

Partial social security coverage
- Health insurance
- Occupational hazard & illness
- Family allowances:
- maternity allowance
- child allowance for dependent children in Belgium or EEA

Full social security coverage
- Health insurance
- Occupational hazard & illness
- Family allowances:
- maternity allowance
- child allowance for dependent children in Belgium or EEA
+
- (Unemployment rights)
- Retirement rights
SOCIAL SECURITY: FAMILY ALLOWANCE
 Maternity allowance
- attestation at 6th month pregnancy
 Child allowance
- for children in Belgium or EEA
Any changes in your family situation?
Inform your contact person immediately
as this may influence your scholarship/salary:
- IAM
- HR Department
SOCIAL SECURITY: OCCUPATIONAL
 Occupational hazard (see further)
o
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scholars/staff subject to social security
study/work-related accident
way from home to work
abroad on study/work-related trips (Eurocross)
(fill out form for insurance:
https://admin.kuleuven.be/sab/vz/intranet/en/conducting-university-business)
Contact Insurance Office
 Occupational illness
Contact IAM/ HR Department
SOCIAL SECURITY: UNEMPLOYMENT
 Unemployment allowance
- Only in case of full social security
- Requirements:
- Worked for minimum 1,5 year
- Forced unemployed
- Residency in Belgium + valid residence card
- Available for the labour market
- Flemish Public Employment Service (VDAB)
- Hulpkas voor Werkloosheidsuitkeringen
SOCIAL SECURITY: RETIREMENT RIGHTS
 Retirement rights
- Only in case of full social security
- EEA + bilateral social security agreement:
application at national pension office in country of residence
- Non-EEA: application at national pension office in Belgium
INSURANCES: HEALTH INSURANCE

Health insurance – OBLIGATORY
- Affiliation with Belgian health insurance fund OBLIGATORY!
- Done by IAM for some scholarship holders
- Registration fee to be paid
‘Living in Leuven’
INSURANCES: ACCIDENT INSURANCE
 Travel insurance - Occupational hazard
- abroad on study/work-related trips
- only for scholars/staff members subject to social security
Travel insurance :
please fill out the form for the travel insurance
https://admin.kuleuven.be/sab/vz/intranet/en/conducting-university-business
Specific procedure!
https://admin.kuleuven.be/sab/vz/intranet/en/work-accidents
 Abroad
- Schengen country: Belgian ID card + passport
- Non-Schengen country: visa
- Travel insurance
INSURANCES: THIRD PARTY LIABILITY
 Third Liability Insurance (private life)
covers damage caused to third parties (private life)
 Doctoral/predoctoral Students:
- non-EEA: obligatory upon registration
- all: university policy at 13 EUR/year
 Others:
- strongly recommended
- all major banks and insurance companies
‘Living in Leuven’
INSURANCES – HOSPITALISATION
 Hospital insurance
- Additional cover for medical costs due to hospitalisation or serious
illness which are not covered by public health insurance
- Only for salaries and scholarships with social security +
min. 20%-appointment
- Standard cover >< enhanced cover
www.kuleuven.be/hospital-insurance
LEAVES: HOLIDAYS
 Staff members and doct scholars EEA > HR Department
- Paid holidays for research staff members:
- depends on previous employment
- max. of 25 work days/calendar year
- Via KULoket (not for postdoc fellows)
- Staff members: if no holidays due to former (non-)employment in
Belgium: contact HR Department
 Students & doct scholars non-EEA > IAM
- Max. of 20 work days
- In agreement with promoter
- No administrative formalities
- Not via KULoket
LEAVES: ILLNESS

Sick leave
- Always immediately inform your head of unit
- AAP-BAP: if longer than 2 work days:
ATP: if longer than 1 work day:
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immediately inform the Chair of the Department or the Dean
send a medical certificate to the HR Department or IAM
- If more than 28 days: contact your contact person at IAM or HR
- Statuses with social security:
payment by the health insurance fund after one month
- Long fulltime sick leave: doctoral and postdoctoral scholarships:
possibility extension
www.kuleuven.be/illness
LEAVES: MATERNITY

Maternity leave
- 15 weeks
- Payment by the health insurance fund
- For scholarships:
(possibility of) extension of the scholarship period
with 15 weeks
- immediately contact IDEWE (= Occupational Medicine Department)
https://admin.kuleuven.be/personeel/english/intranet/absence/pregnant_staff
Benefits & perks

Student/staff card:
- Access to all university libraries
- Discounts in Alma restaurants, other restaurants, shops, …
- Sports card
- For students: cultural card
- For students: medical centre:
http://www.kuleuven.be/studentservices/health/medical_centre.html

Transport
- Bus card - at reduced price
- For paid staff members: annual season ticket for train/bus
- For paid staff members: university bicycle (2WD-bike)
Benefits & perks

Competence profile and training sessions for doctoral students:
https://admin.kuleuven.be/personeel/competentieprofiel/en/index_eng.htm
&
https://www.kuleuven.be/personeel/opleidingen/cursus/index.php
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Internet facilities at competitive prices
For paid staff members (at least 20%-appointment):
free hospital insurance (basic cover)
For staff members: KU Leuven Child care
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…
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For staff members: www.kuleuven.be/benefits
LIVING IN LEUVEN
Information
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Brochures:
- Travelling to Leuven
- Living in Leuven
- Website: http://www.kuleuven.be/english/
International Admissions & Mobility Unit:
- [email protected]
HR Department:
- [email protected]
- www.kuleuven.be/hr/ (go to intranet)
Registrar’s Office:
- University Hall, Naamsestraat 22
- [email protected] (016/324040)
 EU: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index_en.cfm
KULoket in English
Questions?