Belgium Visa Information

Learn4good provides general information on study, travel, work visa and business visa requirements and the addresses of embassies worldwide. You should contact your local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date information or visa forms.

Are you required to hold a visa for a short stay not exceeding 3 months?
Nationals of most third countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) are under an obligation to hold a visa for a proposed stay of a maximum duration of 3 months on the territory of the SCHENGEN States.

To find out more, consult the list of third countries whose nationals are placed under the obligation to hold a visa to cross the external borders of the SCHENGEN States and/or the list of third countries whose nationals are exempt from that obligation. Also consult the list of residence permits issued by the SCHENGEN States authorising entry without a visa.

Where to lodge your visa application

• As a general rule, you lodge your visa application with the Belgian consulate with territorial competence for the country in which you legally reside. You present yourself in person, at the earliest 3 months before the planned start of your journey. 
• If your papers are in order in a country where you do not habitually reside, you may, exceptionally, contact the Belgian consulate competent for that jurisdiction, but you will need to be able to explain why you are lodging your application there. In that case, your application will be passed on to the Aliens Office, which will take the final decision.

*make sure you lodge your visa application in good time (but at the earliest 3 months before the planned start of your journey) to avoid any disappointment and unnecessary costs.

NOTE: If there is no Belgian consulate in the country where you reside, contact the Belgian consulate competent for that country. This is usually in a neighbouring country. They will tell you whether Belgium is represented by another SCHENGEN State in the country where you reside, and whether you can lodge your visa application with the consulate in that other Member State.

The supporting documents to submit when applying for a visa
It is essential that your file contain the following:

• a completed and signed application form, complying with the harmonised SCHENGEN visa application form. This form is available free of charge from consulates. You complete it in French, Dutch, German or, if you do not have a command of any of the national languages, ideally in English. You append a recent identity photograph meeting the standards in force.Any person appearing in your travel document must complete a separate application form.Minor children must submit an application form signed by a person with parental authority or by a legal guardian;
• a travel document (e.g. a passport), valid for at least 3 months from the date on which you intend to leave the SCHENGEN territory, or, in the case of multiple journeys, the date on which you intend to leave it for the last time. This document must also contain at least 2 blank pages and have been issued less than 10 years ago;
• the documents indicating the purpose of your journey (e.g. documents relating to the itinerary, in other words confirmation of the reservation of an organised trip or any other substantiating document indicating the travel programme envisaged, etc. If you are a minor travelling without your parents or without your legal guardian, parental authorisation or the authorisation of your guardian will be required);
• the documents relating to accommodation (e.g. in the case of accommodation with a private individual, an invitation from the person hosting you, or in the case of a stay in a hotel, guesthouse, etc., a supporting document from the establishment offering accommodation or any other substantiating document indicating the type of accommodation envisaged, etc.);
• the documents indicating that you have sufficient personal means of subsistence, both for the duration of your stay on the SCHENGEN territory and for the transit to a third country in which your admission is guaranteed or a commitment that charge will be taken (Annex 3 bis);
• information making it possible to assess your intention to leave the territory of the SCHENGEN States before the expiry of the visa or, in other words, information indicating that you retain the centre of your interests in your country of origin or habitual residence (e.g. any proof that you have roots in your country of origin or habitual residence: attestation of employment, professional situation, receipt of regular income, ownership of real estate, family situation, etc.);
• suitable, valid travel health insurance covering any costs of repatriation for medical reasons, emergency medical care and/or emergency hospital care or death during your stay/s on the SCHENGEN territory. This insurance must be valid for the whole of this territory and the whole of the stay. The minimum cover is 30,000 EUR. In principle, it is taken out in your own country. Ask the competent consulate about the insurance companies whose contracts are accepted;
• If you are applying for a multiple-entry visa, you must in addition establish the need to travel frequently and/or regularly, inter alia because of your job or your family situation, and prove your integrity and reliability, inter alia by the legal use of visas issued previously, by your economic situation and by your desire to leave the territory of the SCHENGEN States before the expiry of the visa applied for;
• When you receive confirmation of the issue of the visa, add the proof of the transport that you will use to reach Belgium (non-transferable return ticket in your name). This proof is not required when you lodge the visa application, to avoid unnecessary costs. On the other hand, proof of the reservation of a return ticket may be demanded.

NOTE: Your application will not be admissible and will thus not be examined if you do not lodge a completed, signed application form, a valid travel document and a photograph, if you do not pay the visa fees and, in certain countries, if you do not agree to give the consulate your biometric data. On the other hand, if you comply with these instructions, a stamp indicating that your application is admissible will be affixed to your travel document (unless that travel document is a diplomatic passport, a service passport and/or an official passport, or a special passport). This stamp has no legal effect.

Processing of the visa application
As a general rule, a decision will be taken by the consulate or the Aliens Office within 15 days from the date appearing on the stamp affixed to your travel document and indicating that your application is admissible. However, this deadline may be extended up to 30 days and even, exceptionally, 60 days, if a more detailed examination of your application and/or additional documents are required. In that case, your application will be sent to the Aliens Office, which will take the final decision.

Note likewise that one SCHENGEN State may require the other SCHENGEN States to consult it before issuing a visa to a national of certain third countries. As a general rule, the Member State consulted will give a definitive reply within 7 to 14 days. If you are a national of a country on this list, make sure you lodge your visa application in good time (but at the earliest 3 months before the planned start of your journey) to avoid any disappointment and unnecessary costs.

Issue of the visa
The visa is affixed in the form of a sticker (visa sticker) in your travel document by a consulate or, exceptionally, at the border.

As a general rule, it is valid for the whole of the SCHENGEN territory (see heading ‘VALID FOR’). Its period of validity (5 years maximum – see heading ‘FROM … TO …’) and the length of stay authorised (90 days maximum – see heading ‘DURATION OF STAY… DAYS’) are laid down on the basis of the examination of the visa application. The visa may be issued for one entry, two entries or multiple entries (see heading ‘NUMBER OF ENTRIES’).

In all cases, you can transit or stay on the SCHENGEN territory only for the duration of stay authorised (X days to be used, in one or more batches, during a period of 6 months from the date of the first entry into the territory of the Schengen States, with the deadline being the date on which the validity of your visa expires – see heading ‘FROM … TO …’).
Exceptionally, one SCHENGEN State may issue a visa with limited territorial validity. This visa is valid only for the territory of that State, unless one or more other SCHENGEN States have given their agreement to extend its territorial validity to their territory (see heading ‘VALID FOR’).

*ATTENTION
Holding a C visa does not give you the irrevocable right to enter Belgium or the SCHENGEN territory.

The external border authorities may, inter alia, refuse to allow you to enter if you cannot justify the purpose and the conditions of the intended stay, and/or you do not have sufficient means of subsistence.

Remember, too, that the SCHENGEN State competent to examine your visa application is the one in which you will stay (single destination). If your journey involves several destinations, contact the SCHENGEN State which will be your principal destination in terms of the duration or purpose of your stay. If you cannot determine your principal destination, contact the SCHENGEN State through whose external border you will be entering the SCHENGEN territory.

If the SCHENGEN State to which you are travelling has no consulate in the country where you reside, contact the SCHENGEN State that represents it. If you turn up at the external borders of one Schengen State, which is neither your single destination nor your principal or habitual destination, with a visa issued by another Schengen State, you will be liable to be refused entry and turned back to your country of residence (e.g. you arrive at Zaventem or Gosselies with a visa issued by the consulate in another Schengen State, when the purpose of your journey is to see family or visit Belgium as a tourist).

Other information:
The type of visa you need will depend on the length and purpose of your trip. When you apply for your visa, the embassy or consulate will be able to tell you what type of visa you require.

The following types of visa exist:

Type A Schengen visa:
airport transit visaYou can normally stay in the international transit area at the airport without a visa whilst you wait for your connecting flight. However, some nationalities require a visa to do this, even if they do not leave the international transit area. The airport transit visa only authorises the bearer to transit through the airport’s international area.

Type B Schengen visa
This visa is valid for transit through one or more Schengen countries on the way from one non-Schengen country to another non-Schengen country. The transit may last no longer than five days.

Type C Schengen visa
This visa allows the bearer to enter the territory of the Schengen countries for a maximum stay of 90 days in a six-month period. The visa may be issued for one or more entries.

Type D visa
This is a national visa for a stay exceeding 90 days. It is only valid in Belgium, but can also be used for transit through one or more Schengen countries.

Type D + C visa
This visa entitles you to travel freely within the Schengen area during the first three months after your entry into Belgium, while you wait to receive your official residence permit.

Is my visa only valid for Belgium?
Most short-stay visas issued by Belgian embassies and consulates are Schengen visas. These are clearly marked with the word ‘Schengen’.

A Schengen visa is valid for the territory of all Schengen countries and entitles the holder to stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days within a six-month period starting from the date of the first entry into the area.

If you have received a visa which is only valid for Belgium or the Benelux countries (i.e. Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg) or which is not valid for one or more Schengen countries, this will be clearly indicated on the visa.

What do I have to do to extend my visa in Belgium?
All questions linked to extending your stay in Belgium should be addressed to the municipality of your place of residence in Belgium. However, it is only possible to have your visa extended in exceptional circumstances that could not have been foreseen at the time you made the visa application.

When you arrived in Belgium, you should have registered (lien FAQ que dois-je faire à mon arrivée en Belgique) at the municipality and been issued with a declaration of arrival. On the basis of this document, it may be possible to have the visa extended via the municipality, who must seek authorisation from the Immigration Service at FPS Home Affairs.
Even if you were not required to register with the municipality (because you were staying at a hotel, camp site or youth hostel, or were being admitted to a hospital or prison), you must contact the municipality of your place of residence if you wish to extend your stay.

For further information, please consult the municipality or the Immigration Service’s Visa Extension Department

Embassy contact information:
Please contact the nearest Belgium Embassy for information on what documentation you may require to enter Belgium.

Disclaimer: The contents of these pages are provided as an information guide only, in good faith. The use of this website is at the viewer/user's sole risk. While every effort is made in presenting up-to-date and accurate information, no responsibility or liability is accepted by the owners to this website for any errors, omissions, outdated or misleading information on these pages or any site to which these pages connect or are linked.

Source & Copyright: The source of the above visa and immigration information and copyright owner/s is the:
- FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation - URL: www.diplomatie.be

The viewer/user of this web page should use the above information as a guideline only, and should always contact the above sources or the user's own government representatives for the most up-to-date information at that moment in time, before making a final decision to travel to that country or destination.