The Flemish government grants 1,000 euros to nursing graduates

The Flemish Government grants a one-time expense allowance of 1,000 euros to students who obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing arts with a study volume of 240 credits during the 2025-2026 academic year. The decree of October 9, 2026, establishing the rules for granting this bonus, was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on October 15, 2026, under reference C − 2026/007594, page 55336. The application must be submitted to the Department of Care no later than November 30, 2026, failing which the right to the allowance shall be forfeited.

The decree is based on the special law of August 8, 1980, on institutional reforms (Article 20), the law of May 16, 2003, establishing the general provisions applicable to the budgets and control of subsidies for communities and regions (Article 3, paragraph 3), and the decree of December 19, 2025, containing the expenditure budget of the Flemish Community for the 2026 budget year. The text was proposed by the Flemish Minister for Welfare, Poverty Reduction, Culture, and Equal Opportunities, C. Gennez, and also signed by the Minister-President of the Flemish Government, M. Diependaele.

The formalities are detailed in the preamble: the Financial Inspection issued its opinion on September 10, 2026, and the Flemish Minister in charge of budgetary policy gave his agreement on October 9, 2026. The opinion of the Council of State was not requested, as the urgency was justified by the need to inform 2025-2026 graduates as quickly as possible and by the fact that payment can only occur after the adoption of the decree. The provision takes effect as of July 17, 2026.

A one-time bonus of 1,000 euros

Article 1 extends the benefit of the allowance to any student who, during the 2025-2026 academic year, obtains a bachelor’s degree in nursing arts from an officially registered institution in Flanders, with a study volume of 240 study units. The amount is set at 1,000 euros, paid once.

Payment is ensured by the Department of Care, created by the Flemish Government decree of May 12, 2023, regarding the Department of Care. To receive the allowance, the student submits their application using the form provided for this purpose on the department’s website.

Deadlines and procedure

• November 30, 2026: deadline for submitting the application to the Department of Care, failing which the right to the allowance shall be forfeited.
• December 31, 2026: deadline for payment of the allowance by the Department of Care.
• July 17, 2026: date on which the decree takes effect.
• Application form available on the Department of Care website.

Financing and execution

The allowance is committed and liquidated under budget item GB0-1GCF2BE-WT and basic allocation 1GC157 of the 2026 expenditure budget of the Flemish Community. The Flemish Minister responsible for healthcare and residential care is charged with the execution of the decree.

In the same issue of the Belgian Official Gazette, a ministerial decree of August 31, 2026 (C − 2026/007533) approves the reference file for the section “Bachelor: general care nurse” (code 821500S34D2), following the decree of April 16, 2026, which progressively phases out the hospital nurse certificate training.

Scope of the measure

The bonus aims to provide financial support to new graduates of a 240-credit program upon their entry into the labor market, within a context of persistent staffing shortages in healthcare. The timeline is tight: interested parties have less than seven weeks from the date of publication to submit their application, and payment must be finalized before the end of the 2026 budget year. After November 30, 2026, the right to the allowance expires permanently.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette of October 15, 2026, decree of the Flemish Government of October 9, 2026, C − 2026/007594, p. 55336.