Meal vouchers for magistrates starting September 1, 2026

The Royal Decree of 27 August 2026 regarding the granting of meal vouchers to professional magistrates, magistrates in training, and assessors of the sentencing courts was published in the Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur belge) No. 198 of 2 September 2026, page 47977. Signed by King Philippe and issued in Brussels on 27 August 2026, this text enters into force on 1 September 2026. It is part of the Impulse Plan I aimed at strengthening the attractiveness of positions within the judicial organization.

The text is adopted in execution of Article 61, paragraph 2, of the Law of 15 July 2026 implementing Impulse Plan I. It follows the principles for granting meal vouchers to members of the federal administrative civil service established by the Royal Decree of 26 October 2023. The draft received opinion No. 79.896/1/V from the Council of State on 13 August 2026.

Beneficiaries and Granting Conditions

Chapter I of the decree precisely defines the scope of the beneficiaries. Those targeted are:

• professional magistrates of the judicial order;
• magistrates in training;
• assessors of the sentencing courts.

Substitute magistrates are excluded from the scheme, as they do not receive a salary but a flat-rate allowance for their services. Each magistrate is entitled to a single electronic meal voucher per day on which they effectively exercise their function, regardless of the number of hours worked that day, in accordance with the regulations applicable to the civil service.

Face Value and Financing

Article 3 of the decree sets the face value of the meal voucher at 6 euros, an amount not subject to indexation. This amount is broken down as follows:

• 1.09 euro as a personal contribution from the magistrate;
• 4.91 euros borne by the Federal Public Service Justice.

The text also specifies the timing for granting the nominative meal vouchers. Magistrates performing a mission in the service of the King, in strategic bodies or secretariats, or within government commissions, do not receive meal vouchers, in accordance with the rules applicable to the federal civil service.

Abolition of the Subsistence Allowance

The granting of meal vouchers leads to the abolition of the legislation relating to the subsistence allowance provided for in Articles 259octies, § 6, 355ter, and 363/1 of the Judicial Code, which was allocated to cover meal costs. Consequently, Article 23, 2°, of the Law of 15 July 2026, which repeals the subsistence allowance allocated to magistrates in training, enters into force on 1 September 2026, as does Article 40 concerning assessors.

The effective date of Article 41 of the law, which repeals Article 363/1 of the Judicial Code granting the subsistence allowance to magistrates, will be determined in a subsequent royal decree regarding the granting of meal vouchers to law clerks at the Court of Cassation and to the non-magistrate director of the common support service at the College of Courts and Tribunals, which will be submitted to the trade unions in September 2026.

Scope for readers

This measure constitutes a concrete step forward in impulse plan I in favor of the pecuniary status of the judicial order. By aligning magistrates with the meal voucher regime of the federal civil service, the government intends to improve the attractiveness of judicial positions while simplifying the meal expense reimbursement system. The concerned magistrates will benefit, as of September 1, 2026, from an advantage of 4.91 euros per day worked, funded by the Federal Public Service Justice.

Official source: Belgian Official Gazette No. 198 of September 2, 2026, page 47977 — Royal Decree of August 27, 2026, regarding the granting of meal vouchers to professional magistrates, magistrates in training, and assessors at the sentencing enforcement court.