Daan & Sofie(38)

Sofie and I met at Tomorrowland in 2018. She's from Mechelen, I'm from Tilburg. After two years of long-distance — she in Belgium, me in the Netherlands — she moved in with me in Tilburg. But when we wanted children, Belgium started pulling: her parents, better childcare, the Groeipakket.

As the partner of a Belgian, registration at the Mechelen municipality was straightforward. I only needed to bring my passport, our marriage booklet and proof of address. After the standard neighborhood check I received my Belgian eID. Sofie only needed to re-register — she had never given up her Belgian identity, only moved her domicile to the Netherlands.

Buying a house in Mechelen was an eye-opener. We found a renovated terraced house in the Bruul for €320,000 — in Tilburg we paid €380,000 for something comparable. Registration duties in Flanders were 3% (only own home), plus notary costs of about €4,000. Sofie handled everything with the notary in Dutch — a big advantage of having a Belgian partner.

Childcare in Flanders is excellently organized. Through Kind & Gezin we found an accredited daycare center in Mechelen city center. The cost is income-dependent — we pay €22 per day per child, which is considerably less than the €75+ in Tilburg. The Groeipakket provides €170 per child per month, and there's an extra school allowance.

Fiscally the transition was complex. In the year of moving I had income in two countries: the Netherlands (first half) and Belgium (second half). The Belgian tax return via Tax-on-web was a puzzle — Sofie helped, because she knew the system. As a married couple you're taxed jointly in Belgium (joint assessment), which can be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on your income distribution.

Mechelen is a beautiful city — smaller than Antwerp, but with the same Flemish charm. The Sint-Romboutstoren, the Dijlepad, the cozy Grote Markt. And the big advantage: it's centrally located. Sofie works in Brussels (20 minutes by train), I work remotely for a Dutch company. My tip for mixed couples: let the Belgian partner take the lead with administration — they know the system.