Find out what conditions you should meet in order to submit a request for intervention.

You can submit your request in two ways. 

Preferably submit your request online

If you submit your request via the web form your request will automatically be sent to the DAVO/SECAL (Maintenance Claims Department) Intake that will deal with your request. This is the easiest and fastest way.

Submitting your request in paper form

If you cannot submit your request online, you can also fill out the paper form. Please send the completed, dated and signed form (by yourself, your lawyer or your child's legal representative) together with the requested documents by post to one of our DAVO/SECAL offices or hand it over personally.

Whether you are asking for help to recover unpaid maintenance allowance or want advances on future maintenance payments, we need certain information to assess your case.

Requesting the recovery of maintenance allowance

You should provide us with the following information:

• your national registration number (also called national number)
• the identity details, known by you, of the person liable to pay the maintenance allowance
• for each maintenance creditor (e.g. your children):
  • the national registration number
  • the basic amount of maintenance allowance granted to him or her
  • whether or not you want an advance on the maintenance payments
• a table showing the amounts you received (fully or partly) as payment of maintenance allowance in the corresponding month/period
• the account number to which we should transfer your money

You should enclose to the request:

• a copy of the notarial deed or court order in which the maintenance allowance has been laid down, together with a copy of its service
• for each child entitled to maintenance allowance of 18 years of age or older: a valid school certificate or a valid certificate that the maintenance creditor is in the vocational development phase (VDAB (the employment service for the Flemish region), ACTIRIS (the Brussels regional service for labour mediation) or FOREM (the employment service for the Walloon region)).

Requesting advances on maintenance payments

You should fill out the national registration number of the children entitled to maintenance allowance for whom you are requesting advances on maintenance payments.

For children over the age of majority, you should add:

• proof that the child is still entitled to the ‘Growth Package’ (= former child benefits)
• a valid school certificate or a certificate that the maintenance creditor is in the vocational development phase (VDAB, ACTIRIS or FOREM).

In order to start a new file, we need a number of important documents in addition to the request form. If you are requesting advances in addition to the recovery of maintenance allowance, you will need to send additional documents. Below is a list, according to your request.

Requesting the recovery of maintenance allowance

You should send the following documents with the request form:

• A copy of the issuance of the court decision or of the first enforceable authenticated copy of the notarial deed in which the maintenance has been laid down or modified. The issuance or the first enforceable authenticated copy should contain the order of enforcement beginning with: ‘We, Philippe, King of the Belgians, to all who are and shall be, be it known...'
  • The issuance of a court decision can be obtained from the registry of the court where the decision has been made.
  • The first enforceable authenticated copy of a notarial deed can be obtained from the notary where the notarial deed has been executed.
  • If you cannot get these documents from the court or the notary, they may still be in the hands of your lawyer, the bailiff or possibly the FPS Finance if you have already had a DAVO/SECAL intervention.
• A copy of the service by the bailiff of the court decision in which the maintenance allowance has been laid down.
• A copy of all the deeds from the bailiff that are related to the court decision or the notarial deed.
• If you have taken steps on your own initiative to recover the amounts due:you should inform us of this and send any supporting documents (e.g. registered letters, documents from the bailiff, etc.).
• For all children who have reached the age of majority and for whom you request an intervention: a recent school certificate or a vocational development phase certificate (also called 'waiting period').

Requesting advances on maintenance payments

In addition to the above-mentioned documents, you should also send proof that the child is entitled to child benefits. 

Did you lose the first issuance of the title and not keep a copy? Then you should ask for a second issue because we need at least a copy of the issuance of the enforceable title before we can intervene.

To do so, you should submit a request with the President of the Court of First Instance of the jurisdiction where the second issuance is to be delivered. Further information can be obtained from the registry of the Court of First Instance that has pronounced the judgement or sentence. Any costs you incur will be borne by yourself.

You should have an enforceable title to be able to start a case with the DAVO/SECAL. Read more about what an enforceable title is here.

Do you have questions about the request form or are you unable to fill it out? You can get help from our DAVO/SECAL offices or from a Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW/CPAS).

Do you want help from the FPS Finance?

Do not hesitate to contact one of our info centres, they all have their own DAVO/SECAL Intake Office.

Do you want help from a Public Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW/CPAS)?

If you cannot go to one of our info centres, you can also contact a Public Centre for Social Welfare in your region for help in filling out the request form.

Are you unable to fill out the web form because you do not know the PIN code of your identity card? There are three things you can do to submit a request for intervention without delay:

1. You can request a new PIN on the Home Affairs website.
2. You can visit one of our info centres, where we will process your request immediately.
3. You can fill out the paper forms.