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Belgium: why confirm a former employee's job?

Every Belgian employer must already give a departing employee a certificate stating the start and end dates of the contract and the nature of the work. Confirming the same facts takes a minute and helps the person into their next job. certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent.

Law as of 26 October 2026 · Act of 3 July 1978 on employment contracts (wet betreffende de arbeidsovereenkomsten / loi relative aux contrats de travail), Art. 21, consolidated text in Justel updated to 15 June 2026

In short

  • The facts are already on paper. When a contract ends, every employer must give the employee a certificate stating only the start and end dates and the nature of the work (Art. 21 of the Act of 3 July 1978). Those are the facts we ask about.
  • It helps the person who worked for you. A record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
  • certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The person's consent is a legal basis under the GDPR (Art. 6(1)(a)). They started this check themselves, from their own account, for these facts and no others.
  • You do not have to answer. No Belgian law obliges an employer to answer certo. Declining is fine.

The Employment Contracts Act

Act of 3 July 1978 on employment contracts. Belgian federal law is enacted in Dutch and French; both are quoted from the consolidated text in Justel, the legislation database of the Belgian Official Journal. The German version of this page quotes the translation by the federal Central Service for German Translations.

Art. 21, first paragraph: the certificate at the end of the contract

Bij het einde van de overeenkomst is de werkgever verplicht de werknemer … een getuigschrift te overhandigen … waarop enkel de begin- en de einddatum van de overeenkomst en de aard van de verrichte arbeid worden vermeld.

Lorsque le contrat prend fin, l'employeur a l'obligation de délivrer … au travailleur … un certificat constatant uniquement la date du début et de la fin du contrat, ainsi que la nature du travail effectué.

In English: when the contract ends, the employer must give the employee a certificate stating only the start and end dates of the contract and the nature of the work done. These are the facts we ask about, the dates and the job title, so your records already hold them.

Art. 21, second paragraph: nothing else unless the employee asks

Dat getuigschrift mag geen enkel andere vermelding bevatten, tenzij op uitdrukkelijk verzoek van de werknemer.

Ce certificat ne peut contenir aucune autre mention, sauf à la demande expresse du travailleur.

In English: the certificate may contain nothing else, unless the employee expressly asks for it. Belgian law keeps what an employer states about a former employee to the dates and the nature of the work. certo asks for no more than that.

What is never asked

We found no provision of Belgian statute law that lists the questions an employer may not put to a job applicant. certo never asks you about health, family, beliefs, trade union membership or a criminal record, nor about pay, performance or the reason for leaving.

Personal data

The GDPR applies directly in Belgium; the Act of 30 July 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data supplements it.

  • Art. 6(1)(a), consent. The legal basis for your answer. The person chose your organisation and each fact, so the consent is specific to this request.
  • Art. 7(1), proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
  • Art. 5(1)(c), data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent, and Art. 21 keeps even the certificate to these facts.

What this means for your answer

  • Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
  • Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
  • Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.

Sources

This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.