Belgium is the land of music festivals and parades, the birthplace of French fries, beer country, flower carpets, and so many other wonders. It’s a great palace to visit, work or study. You just need a Belgium visa to see these miracles.
Visa Library provides all you need to know about Belgium visa types, requirements, and the application.
Who needs a Belgium visa?
If you need a Belgium visa or not is up to the:
- Nationality
- Purpose of visit
- Duration of stay
If you want to stay in Belgium for up to 90 days, your stay gets called a short stay. But if you stay in the country for longer than 90 days, your stay gets called a long stay.
A few countries are exempt from Belgium’s long-stay visa:
Asia
| Brunei Darussalam | Hong Kong | Malaysia |
| Georgia | Israel | Singapore |
| The United Arab Emirates | Japan | South Korea |
North America
| Antigua And Barbuda | Grenada |
| Bahamas | Guatemala |
| Barbados | Honduras |
| Canada | Mexico |
| Costa Rica | Nicaragua |
| Dominica | Panama |
| El Salvador | United States Of America |
South America
| Argentina | Paraguay |
| Brazil | Peru |
| Chile | Uruguay |
| Colombia | Venezuela |
Oceania
| Australia | Palau |
| Kiribati | Samoa |
| Marshall Islands | Solomon Islands |
| Micronesia | Tuvalu |
| New Zealand | Vanuatu |
Europe
| Albania | Monaco |
| Andorra | Montenegro |
| Bosnia And Herzegovina | San Marino |
| EEA countries | Serbia |
| North Macedonia | Ukraine |
| Vatican City State | United Kingdom |
| Moldova | EU |
Africa
| Angola | Ghana |
| Cameroon | Guinea |
| Congo | Nigeria |
| Eritrea | Sierra Leone |
| Ethiopia | Somalia |
| Mauritius | Seychelles |
If your nationality is among the above pens, you do not need a Belgium short-stay visa. You can visit the country with your passport and stay for 90 days to visit friends, family or tourism. But you need a visa to work or study for longer than 90 days.
In case your nationality is not among the above pens, you need a visa even for tourism and stay for one day.
The EU nationals do not need a visa to work or study in Belgium. The duration of their stay doesn’t matter.
Belgium visa requirements
The list of requirements for a Belgium visa is different for each visa type. But a common list is as follows:
- Application form
- Passport
- Photos
- Health certificate
- Vaccination certificate
- Proof to have enough funds
- Accommodation proof
- Personal documents
- Insurance
- Admission letter
- Job offer
- Cover letter
- Clean record certificate
- Return envelope
Note: The list of requirements changes for each Belgium visa you apply for. Also, the embassy could require further documents on your visa type and conditions.
Belgium visa application process
The way you need to apply for a Belgium visa is different by visa type, the country you live in, and your conditions. But a general procedure to follow is as follows;
Step 1. Are you qualified to apply for the visa?
What type of Belgium visa are you going to apply for? Fine, but are you eligible for it? Not everyone is qualified to apply for a Belgium visa, and applicants need to meet the requirements.
Have you found out what these principles are? Read the details of each visa carefully and find them out.
In case you are not eligible for the visa, change the visa type or try to meet the requirements.
If you are not qualified, your application will highly get rejected. To save time, money, and effort, research and find everything out.
Step 2. Gather the requirements
Every Belgium visa has a list of requirements or supporting documents. You need to gather all of them and submit them to the Belgium embassy during the visa meeting.
Applicants can find a coming list of them in the above section. Determine if you can gather them or not. If not, your application might get rejected. Also, the embassy could require further documents.
This stage could take a bit longer, so begin it as early as you can and gather the full list to shorten the processing time.
Step 3. Visa meeting with the Belgium embassy
Find the nearest Belgium embassy or consulate in your home country. Schedule a meeting with them and get there on time.
Bring all the gathered requirements and submit them to the officials. You have to pay the fee for visa processing which is up to the visa you apply for and the country you live in.
The meeting with the embassy is an essential part of visa processing. You would better be relaxed and do your best to look cool and normal.
Step 4. Visa processing
It takes some time until the embassy works on your application and issues the visa. If they reject you, they will send a letter and explain why. You can re-apply for an appeal to a court.
When the visa is ready, the embassy notifies you to pick up your visa.
Step 5. Moving to Belgium
When you arrive in Belgium, you have one week to register your residency with the local immigration officials and receive your residence card.
Belgium visa types
The types of Belgium work visas come below:
Belgium working holiday visa
The nationals of the following list of countries can apply for Belgium working holiday visa:
- Australia
- Canada
- New Zealand
- South Korea
- Taiwan
The nationals aged 18-30 are eligible to apply and they need to meet a few other eligibility principles. Applicants have the opportunity to work and travel in Belgium and the entire EU or Schengen Area.
Although you can work in Belgium, you need to have enough funds to cover some of your expenses. Also, you have no permission to extend the working holiday visa. It’s only valid for one year.
Belgium tourist visa
When you wish to visit Belgium for tourism, you might need a tourist visa.
A few countries are exempt from a short stay visa:
- The US
- EU members
- South Korea
- Japan
- Israel
- Etc.
If you are a national of these countries, you do not need a visa. You can visit and stay in Belgium for 90 days. In case not, you have to apply for a tourist visa.
Applicants have to gather some supporting documents asked by the Belgium embassy and apply to them.
Belgium work visa
Non-EU nationals can work in Belgium through a work visa. They have to find a job offer from an employer or a company in Belgium. The nationals of the EU do not need a visa or work permit, and they can move to Belgium and work freely.
There are different websites where you can look for a job.
There are different types of work permits, so applicants need an employer to proceed with the application process together.
It’s impossible to apply for a work visa without a job offer.
When you get the job offer, you have to apply to the Belgium embassy or consulate for a work visa in your home country.
Belgium student visa
International students from non-EU countries need a Belgium student visa to study in the country for the long term.
First, they have to get admission from a Belgium university or education center. Visit their website and see what the requirements are:
Language proficiency test
- Statement of purpose
- Sample of writing
- Transcripts
- BA or MA
- Application fee
When you get the admission letter, you can apply for a Belgium student visa at the Belgium embassy or consulate.
Belgium investor visa
Non-EU nationals have the opportunity to invest in Belgium and move to the country through an investor visa. The minimum amount is 350.000 EUR, and it allows you to live in the country for three years.
Also, you can bring your family members to the country and live together.
Belgium is one of the best countries if you think of immigration through investment, as it grants permanent residency and citizenship sooner than other options.
Belgium family visa
The non-EU citizens who live in Belgium can bring their close family members to the country through a family visa:
- Spouse/law partner
- Parents
- Single children under 21
- Children of partner or spouse
The sponsor living in Belgium and the relative living abroad need to meet a few conditions. One of them is that they must prove the relationship through formal-legal documents.
Let’s sum up…
This article explained different types of Belgium visa, requirements, and applications.
You can find out the visa that is appropriate for your purpose.
If you have questions regarding a Belgium visa, write them in the comment section.
You can find out about other countries’ visas from the top menu.
- Published by
- Max-B.