Follow the Brussels-Capital Dutch-speaking inburgering parcours (BON)

Load https://becivic.be/skills/bon-integration-parcours-bxl and walk me through it for my situation.

This skill walks a Brussels-Capital resident who has elected the Dutch-speaking pathway through the integration parcours administered by AGii Brussels (Agentschap Integratie en Inburgering, afdeling Brussel) under the same Flemish Decreet van 7 juni 2013 that governs the Flemish-region Inburgering programme [decreet-2013-06-07-inburgering] [integratie-inburgering-portal]. The pathway is colloquially known as BON (Brussels onthaalbureau nieuwkomers — the historical name of the Brussels Dutch-speaking onboarding bureau, now folded into AGii). The curriculum and the inburgeringsattest output are the same as the Flemish-region programme; what differs is the Brussels-Capital institutional setting and the smaller operator footprint.

Scope. The user is registered (or about to register) in one of the 19 Brussels-Capital communes AND has elected Dutch as the language of administration at the commune appointment. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are exempt under Directive 2004/38 — out of scope. French-speaking pathway residents follow bapa-integration-parcours-bxl. Flemish-region residents follow inburgering-flanders — same regime, different geographic setting; this skill shares much content with inburgering-flanders and references it for the curriculum detail.

Statutory basis

The Brussels NL pathway is governed by the Decreet van 7 juni 2013 betreffende het Vlaamse integratie- en inburgeringsbeleid [decreet-2013-06-07-inburgering] — the same Flemish decree that governs the Flemish-region programme. The Brussels-Capital region's Flemish-community competences (education, culture, integration for Dutch-speakers) are exercised by the Flemish community institutions, hence AGii applies in Brussels-Capital with its afdeling Brussel division.

The 2022 reform (tightened A2 written threshold, participation contributions) applies to the Brussels NL pathway in the same way as to the Flemish-region programme. # unverified — Brussels-specific operational adjustments may exist; verify on integratie-inburgering.be.

Eligibility and route

Same target group as Flemish Inburgering, applied to Brussels-Capital communes:

• Newly registered foreign nationals in a Brussels-Capital commune, age 18+, residence intent > 12 months, having elected Dutch at the commune appointment.
• Recognised refugees and subsidiary-protection beneficiaries — included with adapted track.
• Family reunification arrivals where the sponsor is in a Brussels-Capital commune and the user has elected Dutch.

Exemptions follow inburgering-flanders — see that skill for the full table.

BON vs Inburgering-Flanders distinction

The substantive curriculum, certification, and statutory base are the same. What differs:

• Operator: AGii Brussels (the afdeling Brussel of AGii) is the sole operator on the Brussels NL pathway. There is no Atlas-Antwerpen / In-Gent equivalent specific to Brussels Dutch-speakers — the Brussels Dutch-speaking population is small enough that AGii Brussels handles directly.
• Operator geographic base: AGii Brussels operates from offices in Brussels-Capital; the user attends courses at AGii Brussels' partners (CVO, CBE, HvN — the same network that delivers NT2 in Flanders, with Brussels branches).
• Brussels-Capital institutional context: integration of Dutch-speakers in Brussels falls under the Flemish community competence, but the Brussels-Capital region's commune-side administration applies. The interaction between Brussels-Capital regional administrative practice and the Flemish-community integration framework is occasionally awkward — verify per case.

BON vs BAPA distinction

The Brussels-Capital language-of-administration choice at the first commune appointment determines the regime: French → BAPA, Dutch → BON. Cross-regime entry is administratively heavy; decide at first commune visit based on which regional language the user expects to use most.

The four pillars — same as Flemish Inburgering

The four pillars (Maatschappelijke Oriëntatie / NT2 / Werk-school / Buurtgesprek) are the same as on the Flemish-region pathway. See inburgering-flanders § "The four pillars" for the procedural detail. The Brussels-specific differences are:

• Werk-school orientation runs through Actiris, not VDAB. Actiris is the Brussels-Capital regional public employment service; VDAB is the Flemish equivalent. The user registers with Actiris and follows orientation activities there.
• Buurtgesprek participation activities in Brussels are coordinated through Brussels-specific NGO and civic networks (the operator pool is smaller and more geographically concentrated than in Flanders).
• NT2 delivery in Brussels is via the Brussels-Capital branches of CVO, CBE, and HvN (Huis van het Nederlands Brussel — hvnbrussel.be).

Required documents

Same as inburgering-flanders:

• Belgian residence document (annex 19 / 15 / 49 / 19ter or residence card).
• Identity document (passport).
• NISS (niss-bis-attribution).
• Prior-education evidence (where applicable).
• Prior-Dutch-proficiency evidence (where applicable).

Process

Stage 1 — Welcome and intake (week 0–2)

The user contacts AGii Brussels via integratie-inburgering.be (selecting the Brussels location) or by phone. The intake interview produces the personalised inburgeringscontract.

Stage 2 — Curriculum delivery (year 1–2)

Same four pillars as Flemish Inburgering. Brussels-specific operator network (Actiris instead of VDAB; Huis van het Nederlands Brussel instead of HvN regional outposts).

Stage 3 — Inburgeringsattest

On completion, AGii Brussels issues the inburgeringsattest — same certificate as the Flemish-region programme, same legal weight, accepted as integration evidence for art. 12bis Belgian nationality declaration.

Known surprises

• BON is the historical name; AGii is the current operator. Long-term Brussels residents and pre-2014 documentation often refer to "BON" as if it were a separate entity. It was — until 2014 (or thereabouts) when the Flemish reform consolidated the Flemish-community integration agencies into AGii. The terminology "BON" persists colloquially even though the agency is now AGii Brussels.
• Brussels NL pathway is the smaller of the two Brussels regimes. The Brussels-Capital Dutch-speaking population is a minority of the regional population; BON-side throughput is correspondingly lower than BAPA. Operators have fewer locations and intake slots; book early.
• Cross-regime switch (BON to BAPA or vice versa) is administratively heavy. A user who chose Dutch at the commune but later wants to switch to French faces friction — the commune can update the language choice, but transferring partial parcours progress between AGii Brussels and a BAPA is not always smooth.
• The 2022 reform applies in Brussels too. Same tightened thresholds, same participation contributions. Pre-2022 advice on BON is stale.
• Statutory anchor is Flemish, not Brussels. The Brussels NL pathway uses the Flemish Decreet 7 juni 2013, not a Brussels-Capital regional ordinance. This matters for legal questions — appeal against an AGii Brussels decision goes through the same Flemish administrative-law channels as a Flemish-region case. The Brussels-Capital region has no formal say in the operational rules.
• Hard cases for cross-language households: a French-Dutch bilingual household where one partner has elected French (BAPA) and the other Dutch (BON) ends up with two parallel parcours dossiers. The household's children, if of school age, follow whichever language the school uses, independently of the parents' parcours regimes.

Verify with

• AGii (Brussels division): integratie-inburgering.be — the same portal as the Flemish-region programme, with Brussels-specific contact information.
• Decreet 7 juni 2013: Vlaanderen Codex.
• Actiris: actiris.brussels — for the Werk-school pillar.
• Huis van het Nederlands Brussel: hvnbrussel.be — for NT2 placement and delivery.
• inburgering-flanders for the shared curriculum architecture and 2022 reform content.

Verify with AGii Brussels before relying on figures or deadlines — the 2022 reform changed the regime and Brussels-specific operational details drift.

References

See frontmatter references for full bibliographic detail. Inline tags above use the [id] shorthand.