- Belgium deported 1,239 criminals without valid residence permits from prisons in January-August 2026.
- The total beat the previous first-eight-month record of 1,112 removals set in 2017.
- A new rule on October first, twenty twenty-six will allow earlier prison returns.
Belgium deported 1,239 criminals without valid residence permits from its prisons during the first eight months of 2026, setting a record for that period. The total exceeded the previous high of 1,112, recorded during the first eight months of 2017.
The removals involved people sent to their countries of origin. They had served all or nearly all of their sentences in Belgian correctional facilities and lacked valid residence permits.
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The figure covers January through August. It is not a full-year total for 2026.
Belgian reporting attributed the figures to Anneleen Van Bossuyt, Belgium’s Asylum and Migration Minister. The count also stands above the totals reported for 2025 and 2024.
The prison-return total has climbed above earlier reported figures
The available figures show a higher level of prison removals than in the two preceding years. The comparison with 2017 uses the same January-August period.
| Period | Removals from Belgian prisons | Coverage identified in the figures |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,239 | January-August |
| 2017 | 1,112 | January-August |
| 2025 | 991 | Reported annual figure |
| 2024 | 828 | Reported annual figure |
The 2026 figure therefore establishes a first-eight-month record. It does not establish a full-year record.
Morocco, Albania and Algeria supplied the largest groups
Moroccan nationals formed the largest group among those returned, with 233 people. Albanian nationals followed with 195, while Algerian nationals accounted for 138.
Those figures describe nationality groups within the prison-removal total. They do not represent every foreign national held in Belgian prisons.
The people counted had completed, or were close to completing, their custodial sentences. Authorities returned them to their countries of origin after their prison stays in Belgium.
The minister ties the increase to returns arranged with two countries
The increase was linked to readmission agreements involving Morocco and Algeria. Those arrangements were identified as part of the explanation for the higher number of returns.
Van Bossuyt also compared the increase with the level recorded two years earlier under Vivaldi. She described it in Dutch as follows:
“a stijging met bijna 50 procent in vergelijking met twee jaar geleden onder Vivaldi”
The accompanying translation described that as “an increase of almost 50 percent compared with two years ago under Vivaldi.”
The reported figures rise from 828 in 2024 to 991 in 2025, followed by 1,239 during the first eight months of 2026. Those periods should not be treated as identical measurement windows.
The October 1 rule will open an earlier return window
Belgium is scheduled to change the timing of these removals on 1 October 2026. From that date, convicted people without valid residence permits may be sent back to their country of origin up to 12 months before the end of their sentence.
The current removal window begins six months before the sentence ends. The change would allow authorities to begin the return process earlier.
The new procedure may operate without intervention by a sentence-execution judge. It applies to convicted people without valid residence permits, rather than automatically covering every foreign national serving a sentence in Belgium.
The measure concerns a return from prison to the person’s country of origin. It does not alter the definition of the 1,239 removals already counted for January-August 2026.
The first-eight-month total came before the new window takes effect. The October 1 change therefore has not affected the record reported for January-August.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
