Legal Services for EU, NATO & SHAPE Personnel

Discreet, multilingual legal counsel tailored to the realities of international service
A career in the service of European or Atlantic institutions is one of the most demanding and rewarding professional paths there is. It also comes with a distinctive set of legal complexities — ones that most lawyers, even experienced ones, are simply not equipped to navigate.
Peeters Law is different. With over two decades of cross-border practice across Belgian, Spanish, and other European jurisdictions, and with active working fluency in English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese, we understand the specific legal landscape that EU officials, NATO staff, and SHAPE personnel inhabit — and we know how to work within it effectively on your behalf.
Whether you are posted to Brussels for two years or have built a twenty-year career within the institutions, the legal questions that arise from international service deserve counsel that is genuinely international in scope — not advice retrofitted from a purely domestic practice.
Your Legal Situation Is Not Like Everyone Else's
As an EU or NATO official, you live under a particular legal regime that differs significantly from that of other residents of Belgium or the countries where you are posted. This creates specific advantages — and specific complications:
You are subject to the EU's internal tax regime, not Belgian income tax — but this affects how Belgian authorities and financial institutions assess your solvency, mortgage eligibility, and financial standing.
You enjoy certain privileges and immunities under the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the EU, or under the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) — but these have limits, and knowing exactly where those limits lie can be decisive.
Your family life may span multiple jurisdictions — a spouse from a non-EU country, children born under one legal system who now live under another, assets distributed across several countries.
You may own or wish to acquire property in Belgium, in your country of origin, or in another EU member state — each with its own registration regime, tax implications, and inheritance rules.
Your career transitions — postings, reassignments, retirement, departure from the institutions — generate legal questions that require timely and accurate answers.
These are not marginal issues. They are the substance of your legal life as an international civil servant or military official — and they deserve counsel that handles them with the precision and discretion they require.
Areas of Practice
International Family Law
Separation, divorce, and parental arrangements when spouses hold different nationalities, when children have grown up across borders, or when custody disputes involve courts in multiple jurisdictions. We are experienced in applying EU Regulation Brussels IIb and the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, and in navigating cases that span Belgium, Spain, France, Germany, and beyond.
Cross-Border Property & Real Estate
Acquisition, sale, and legal due diligence on properties in Belgium, Spain, and other European jurisdictions. Particular expertise in Spanish real estate, including registration procedures, urban planning compliance, inheritance registration, and disputes arising from concealed defects or non-disclosed encumbrances. We also advise on the practical implications of your EU tax status for mortgage applications and property financing in Belgium.
International Inheritance & Estate Planning
Estates involving assets, heirs, or domicile in multiple countries require careful application of EU Succession Regulation No. 650/2012 and the private international law of each relevant jurisdiction. We advise on estate planning before death and on the administration and recovery of cross-border estates after it — including where property has been improperly transferred or registered.
Privileges, Immunities & Status Issues
Advice on the scope and limits of privileges and immunities under the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the EU, the NATO SOFA, and relevant bilateral agreements. Guidance on the interface between your institutional status and Belgian civil, administrative, and contractual law — including in situations involving disputes with Belgian authorities or private parties.
EU Regulatory & Financial Matters
Advice on EU banking regulation, financial compliance, and investment matters — including cross-border investment disputes, UBO registration requirements, and global offshore issues. Our network of tax professionals allows us to ensure comprehensive coverage of your financial legal needs.
Career Transitions & End-of-Service Matters
The legal questions that arise when a posting ends, when you retire from institutional service, or when you transition to a different professional chapter are often underestimated. We advise on the consequences for your Belgian residency status, your property holdings, your pension entitlements, and any pending contractual or family law matters that the transition may affect.
Why Peeters Law
We are not a large firm. We are not a factory. Every client at Peeters Law has direct access to Karen-Anne Peeters — a lawyer with over twenty years of experience in international and cross-border legal practice, five years of professional life in Spain, and a genuine command of seven European languages. We have a wide network of foreign lawyers in many jurisdictions.
We apply what we call the Penteract Methodology — a seven-layer analytical framework developed over years of complex cross-border work — to ensure that no dimension of your legal situation is overlooked. International cases rarely have simple answers, and we do not pretend otherwise. What we offer is rigorous, transparent, and genuinely tailored analysis.
We are available for consultations in person in Antwerp and Brussels, as well as online — in whichever of our working languages is most comfortable for you.
We work with transparency on fees and process. You will always know where your matter stands.
Working Languages
English
French
Dutch
German
Spanish
Portuguese
Italian

Also: Catalan (working knowledge). Norwegian, Swedish, and Arabic (basic professional knowledge).


Make an Appointment
Consultations are available in Antwerp, Brussels, or online — at your convenience.
peeterslaw.com  ·  info@peeterslaw.com
Peeters Law BV  ·  Jos Smolderenstraat 65, 2000 Antwerpen