How do you apply for a place?

To register your child in a Dutch-speaking school in Brussels, you may need to apply for a place for them first. Applying for a place is not the same as registration. Applying means that you as a parent indicate online which schools you are interested in. After the application period, the computer distributes the pupils who have applied across the available places. Only after that, you know in which school you can register.

Why do you need to apply for a place first?

Dutch-language schools in Brussels work with an online application procedure to prevent parents from having to 'camp out' at the school gate and to make registration more regulated and smooth.

Find out here which schools you need to apply for.

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Nursery, primary and secondary education (1st year A and B)

1. Go to the online application app and log in with the eID of a parent or responsible person of the child you want to register.
    
2. Apply for a place for your child. The time of application does not affect your chance of getting a place. It is not the case that the first one to apply gets a place first. You do need to apply within the stipulated period:
   • nursery and primary education: from 28 February (9 a.m.) to 21 March 2023 (4 p.m.)
   • 1st year of secondary education: from 27 March (10 a.m.) to 21 April 2023 (4 p.m.)
      
3. Need help? These organisations will help you apply for a place online. 
   Please note: as a parent you are responsible for the information and the choice of schools in the application file of your child, even if an organization, a family member or a neighbour helps you.
    
4. You can still update your application file until the end of the application period. Go to the application app and log in with your eID or via itsme to view or edit your file.
    
5. After the registration period, you can still view your file, but you can no longer edit it.
    
6. After the application period, the available places are filled per school. Pupils are ordered according to certain criteria.
    
7. A few weeks after applying, you will receive an allocation notice. This states whether your child has a place or not.
    
8. Does your child have a place? Go to the school and register your child. Does your child not have a place? Then they are on the waiting list of the schools for which you have applied. Read here how to register after applying for a place. 

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Special nursery, primary and secondary education

1. Contact the school of your first choice and apply for a place for your child. You can also apply for a place in another school that offers the same types and/or forms of education. The time of application does not affect your chance of getting a place. It is not the case that the first one to apply gets a place first. You do need to apply within the stipulated period:
   • special nursery and primary education: from 6 March (9 a.m.) to 24 March 2023 (4 p.m.)
   • special secondary education: from 1 March (9 a.m.) to 15 March 2023 (12 p.m.)
      
2. Need help? These organisations will help you.
   Please note: as a parent you are responsible for the information and the choice of schools in the application file of your child, even if an organization, a family member or a neighbour helps you.
    
3. After the application period, the available places are filled per school. Pupils are ordered according to certain criteria.
    
4. A few weeks after applying, you will receive an allocation notice. This states whether your child has a place or not.
    
5. Does your child have a place? Go to the school and register your child. Does your child not have a place? Then they are on the waiting list of the schools for which you have applied. Read here how to register after applying for a place. 

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