First Weeks in Kortrijk: Address Parking Card, Childcare
Kortrijk for newcomers
New on the Leie: Settling In to Kortrijk Step by Step
The first few weeks
Kortrijk lies in West Flanders on the Leie, around 25 km from Lille; the city has a good 81,000 inhabitants, and the official language is Dutch. Besides the city centre with Buda and Overleie, the city includes the sub-municipalities of Heule, Bissegem, Marke, Aalbeke, Rollegem, Bellegem and Kooigem. This guide sorts out the first weeks: reporting your address, flat-hunting, parking and childcare. We handle the transport as a home removal with packing and assembly.
We have no branch in Belgium: we come from Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and carry out moves to Kortrijk and back. Within the EU your household goods need no customs declaration. Your belongings are covered under the HGB (§ 451e: €620 per m³), and additional insurance is available. Route, driving time and schedule are described in our long-distance moving guide to Kortrijk.
Request a No-Obligation Quote for Your Move to Kortrijk
Fixed price after a survey, no customs formalities
Call us on 01625978461 or write to us: after a survey or video survey we give you a fixed price for your move to Kortrijk – whether a town house in the city centre or a terraced house in Heule. Floor, carrying distance and parking in front of the new address are included right away.
Quotes available individually based on workload, scheduling and the desired scope of services.
What We Clarify Before Your Move to Kortrijk
Parking, access, delivery day, documents
We come from Berlin and drive your household goods to Kortrijk. Before moving day we clarify where the lorry can stand in front of the new address and whether a permit from the city is needed, how narrow the stairwell and front door are in the Flemish town house and when the flat will be handed over. We set the price after the survey (fixed price), and your belongings are covered under the HGB. You report your address to Burgerzaken yourself – we schedule the move-in so that you can comfortably meet the eight-day deadline.
Packing Service
Office Move
Student moves
Furniture Transport
Six First Steps in Kortrijk
These tasks come up after moving to Kortrijk. Deadlines and fees come from the City of Kortrijk; check the current status with Burgerzaken (tel. 1777) before your appointment. We schedule the moving date accordingly.
Report your address within eight days
Visit from the Wijkinspecteur
Choosing a sub-municipality
Apply for a Bewonerskaart
Find childcare
Dispose of bulky waste correctly
Shared Load to Kortrijk
If you are moving to Kortrijk to study at Kulak or for a first job with little furniture, you do not have to pay for a whole lorry. With a shared load you use free loading space on a trip towards Belgium; we agree the delivery day in advance, and your belongings are covered under the HGB here too.
Kortrijk
for newcomers
New in Kortrijk, many questions come up at once: how do I report my address if I am not yet registered in Belgium? When does the Wijkinspecteur come? Do I need a Bewonerskaart, and where do I dispose of boxes and bulky waste? And how do I get to work or college without a car? We have summarised the City of Kortrijk's answers below, supplemented by notes on trains, buses and cycling. For the move itself we advise you on schedule, parking and packing so that everything fits on moving-in day in your new home on the Leie.
Paperwork in the first few days
Moving into a town house
Companies, studios, special cases
Frequently Asked Questions About Living in Kortrijk
City Centre and Eight Sub-Municipalities: Where to Live?
Kortrijk consists of the city centre and the sub-municipalities of Heule, Bissegem, Marke, Aalbeke, Rollegem, Bellegem and Kooigem. The city centre includes the historic core around the Grote Markt, Buda island with the Buda arts centre and the Budascoop cinema, and Overleie on the other bank of the Leie; the two Broel towers on the Leie are remains of the old city fortifications.
If you want to live centrally, look in the city centre and the adjoining neighbourhoods (wijken); the sub-municipalities are quieter and partly village-like, with Kooigem and Bellegem on the southern edge of the city. We deliberately do not quote reliable rent figures – compare offers and check the route by bus or bike before you sign.
Studying, Working and Commuting in Kortrijk
For centuries Kortrijk was a centre of linen and flax processing in the Leie valley. Today the city is a higher-education location: KU Leuven has its Kulak campus here, plus the university colleges Vives and Howest, whose game design programme has won international awards. The Kortrijk Xpo exhibition grounds host, among others, the Interieur furniture fair.
Kortrijk station is a hub with trains to Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp and Lille; city and regional buses are run by De Lijn. By car you reach the city via the E17 and the E403, and the R8 ring road runs around the centre. Many journeys in Kortrijk can be done by bike.
Moving prices by flat size
| Service | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1-room move | from €369 |
| 2-room move | from €609 |
| 3-room move | from €905 |
| 4-room move | from €1,279 |
| House/villa | individual quote |
| Long-distance move | from €4.20/km |
Use our free survey for a no-obligation quote.
What the Price in Kortrijk Depends On
Volume, distance from €4.20/km, floor and lift are the basis of every moving quote. A parking restriction zone may be added. If you would like to book furniture assembly or a shared load, the scope of services expands accordingly.
Services for your move to Belgium
You can combine these services for your move to Kortrijk.
- Move with assembly: Move with assembly – fully organised
- House clearance: House clearance – reliable and discreet
- Company relocation: Company relocation – on schedule
- Shared load: Shared load – affordable and flexible
- Home removal: Home removal – with personal support
- Furniture transport: Furniture transport – for individual items
From Berlin to the Leie – and Back
We come from Berlin-Moabit and carry out moves to Belgium as well as back to Germany. Destinations with their own page are in the locations overview, long routes under long-distance moves.
Registering in Kortrijk: Change of Address Within Eight Days
The City of Kortrijk requires you to report a change of address within eight days of moving in. This applies to Belgian nationals as well as to people of other nationalities. The responsible department is Burgerzaken (civil affairs), Leiestraat 21, 8500 Kortrijk, reachable on 1777 or at [email protected]. According to the city, reporting is free of charge. An adult family member can apply for the change for the whole family.
- Online: via the city's Thuisloket. You receive a confirmation email; if it has not arrived after a week, call 1777.
- At the counter: in the city hall. There you receive your documents immediately.
- Residence check: after the digital report, the Wijkinspecteur, i.e. the neighbourhood police officer, comes by to check. You must actually live at the new address.
Belgian nationals bring their identity card with PIN, and for families also the cards of the other members. Foreign nationals need a residence card, passport or identity card. The online route applies to people already registered in Belgium; according to the city, anyone who is not yet registered must first book an appointment. Once complete, you receive an email for an appointment at which the address on your card is updated.
How to organise the journey from Germany is explained in our long-distance moving guide to Kortrijk.
Everyday Life in Kortrijk: Bewonerskaart, Bissegem and Recycling Parks
If you live in a street with paid parking or in a residents' zone (Bewonerszone), you can apply for a Bewonerskaart (residents' card). According to the City of Kortrijk, the first parking card is free, the second costs €75 per year, and there are at most two per address. The change of address with Burgerzaken must be completed first; you then apply for the card via the city's E-Loket. The reserved residents' spaces apply Monday to Friday from 5 pm to 8 am and at weekends and on public holidays. Without a card you may be fined during these times. You can park free of charge in front of your own garage entrance if you display your number plate on the gate. However, the card does not entitle you to use spaces for people with disabilities, car sharing or electric vehicles.
In the sub-municipalities such as Bissegem-Centrum, Beekstraat, Heuleplaats and Pottelberg, according to the city, you receive a free residents' permit (Bewonervergunning) if you are registered in one of the designated streets.
- Recycling parks: they are closed on Sundays and public holidays. Ordinary cars and trailers can use all parks; according to the city, vans and company vehicles may only use the Imog park in Harelbeke.
- Childcare: for babies and toddlers, the Lokaal loket kinderopvang (kinderopvang.kortrijk.be) leads to all childcare initiatives. Out-of-school care covers children aged 2.5 to 12.
An overview of neighbourhoods and costs is in our Kortrijk moving guide.
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