Belgium

Visa Belgium

Europe · Europe de l’Ouest

In Belgium, visas fall to the federal public service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation; the Office des étrangers (immigration office) sets the conditions of stay and collects the levy. The pages read on 2026-09-18 distinguish the Schengen short stay, of 90 days at most, and the long stay, for work, study, family reunification, marriage or legal cohabitation. The application is completed online then filed in person, at the earliest six months before travel.

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.

Machine-assisted draft, reviewed by a person on 23 September 2026. Only the authority cited is authoritative.

Published on 23 September 2026 · Reviewed by vg_admin on 23 September 2026 · Sources consulted on 18 September 2026

At a glance

Authority: SPF Affaires étrangères, Commerce extérieur et Coopération au Développement (federal public service for foreign affairs, Belgium); the Office des étrangers publishes the conditions of stay and collects the levy
Submission channel: Form completed online on the Belgian State's Visa-On-Web service, appointment, then appearance in person at the competent embassy or consulate for the photograph and fingerprints; an external service provider may handle the application
Representation: For the short stay, another Schengen State may represent Belgium; an official document of September 2, 2026 sets the competence of the posts and the representation arrangements
Electronic visa: Not stated on the portal consulted: the form is completed online, but appearance in person at the post remains required
Length of the short stay: 90 days at most; beyond that, it is a long-stay visa
Consular fees for the long stay: €180 until June 30, 2026 and €250 from July 1, 2026, according to the page of the embassy of Belgium in France; a separate levy is owed to the Office des étrangers
Early filing: Six months at most before the intended date of travel, according to the page read
Language of the documents: French, Dutch or German; failing that, translation, legalization or apostille, and documents less than six months old

Do you need a visa?

Your nationality

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Documented visa types

Short-stay visa (Schengen): For a stay of 90 days at most, according to the official page. Another Schengen State may represent Belgium for this type of application, including for transit. Official page (new tab)
Long-stay visa (visa D) — work: Published purposes: employee under a single permit, self-employed worker under a professional card, internship and in-company training, volunteering, job-seeking after studies, post-doctoral researcher or researcher, au pair, seasonal work. Official page (new tab)
Long-stay visa (visa D) — study: Published purposes: public higher education, private higher education, secondary education, and an internship carried out as part of the studies. Official page (new tab)
Long-stay visa (visa D) — family reunification: Published purposes: family reunification with a Belgian, with a foreign national of the European Union or of the European Economic Area, or with a foreign national from outside the European Union, as well as with refugees or beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. Official page (new tab)
Long-stay visa (visa D) — marriage or legal cohabitation: A purpose published among the long-stay categories. The page notes that these applications, like family reunification with non-European persons, are always forwarded to the competent authorities in Brussels. Official page (new tab)

Where and how to apply

The official page states that the applicant must appear in person at the embassy or consulate of Belgium competent for the country where they reside, and that, in some cases, the handling of the application may be entrusted to an external service provider. For the short stay, another Schengen State may represent Belgium.

The page of the embassy of Belgium in France describes the procedure in three stages for the long stay: complete the form online on the Belgian State's Visa-On-Web service, book an appointment, then file the application in person for the photograph and the taking of fingerprints. It makes filing at that embassy conditional on long-term permanent residence in its jurisdiction, a condition specific to that post.

The federal public service publishes a document dated September 2, 2026 devoted to the competence of the posts, to representation by another Schengen State and to the use of external service providers. Its table by country is not reproduced here: it depends on the country of residence and is a matter for review.

The consular counters of Foreign Affairs in Brussels no longer accept any cash payment: the accepted methods are Bancontact, Maestro, Visa, Mastercard or the postal transfer receipt. The site of the Office des étrangers, to which the pages read refer, presented an anti-robot check on 2026-09-18 and could not be consulted.

Steps in the procedure

Determine the length of the intended stay: short stay of 90 days at most or long stay of more than 90 days.
For a long stay, determine the purpose among those published: work, study, family reunification, marriage or legal cohabitation.
Identify the embassy or consulate of Belgium competent for the country of residence, or the Schengen State that represents Belgium; handling may, in some cases, be entrusted to an external service provider.
Complete the application form online on the Belgian State's Visa-On-Web service.
Book an appointment with the competent post.
Gather the documents: they must be less than six months old and drawn up in French, Dutch or German, failing which translated, legalized or apostilled.
Appear in person at the post for the filing, the photograph and the taking of fingerprints.
Pay the levy owed to the Office des étrangers, payable in euros by bank transfer, as well as the consular fees of the post.

Documents mentioned by the authority

Application form completed online on the Belgian State's Visa-On-Web service.
Documents less than six months old, drawn up in French, Dutch or German.
Translation, legalization or apostille of documents drawn up in another language or abroad, as the case may be.
Medical certificate drawn up on the published template, for the applications that require it.
Photograph and fingerprints, taken at the time of the appearance in person at the post.
Proof of payment of the levy to the Office des étrangers and of the consular fees of the post.
For work: a single permit for an employee, a professional card for a self-employed worker, according to the published purpose.
For study: supporting documents relating to the public or private higher education institution, to secondary education or to the internship linked to the studies.
For family reunification, marriage or legal cohabitation: supporting documents for the relationship relied on, according to the published purpose.
Not stated on the portal consulted as regards the detail: the pages read refer to the Office des étrangers for the complete list of documents and for the amount of the levy.

The exact list depends on the visa type, on the purpose and on the post where the application is entered; only the official page is authoritative.

Stated fees and processing times

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the page of the embassy of Belgium in France distinguishes two types of costs for a long-stay visa — a levy covering administrative costs, payable in euros by bank transfer to the Office des étrangers, and consular fees of €180 until June 30, 2026, raised to €250 from July 1, 2026.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the amount of the levy is not given as a figure on any page read, all of which refer to the Office des étrangers. The site of the Office des étrangers presented an anti-robot check and could not be read.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the application must be lodged sufficiently in advance, and at most six months before the intended date of travel. Processing times vary according to the applicant's profile and the time of year.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the consular counters of Foreign Affairs in Brussels no longer accept any cash payment; the accepted methods are Bancontact, Maestro, Visa, Mastercard or the postal transfer receipt.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: no amount was read for the short-stay visa, and no processing time is published as a figure on the pages consulted.

After the decision

For an extension applied for in Belgium, the official page states that an appointment must be booked through the link given to the applicant, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:20 a.m. to 12 noon, at the SPF Affaires étrangères, rue des Petits Carmes 15, 1000 Brussels.

Long-stay applications for family reunification with non-European persons, as well as for marriage or legal cohabitation, are always forwarded to the competent authorities in Brussels, according to the page of the embassy in France.

The pages read refer to the Office des étrangers for the conditions of stay and for the list of documents. The decision rests with the competent Belgian authority.

The pages read describe neither the grounds for refusal nor the avenues of appeal.

Published procedures

No reviewed and published procedure for Belgium to date. We prefer an empty page to an invented requirement.

Explore procedures

Frequently asked questions

Is a visa required to travel to Belgium?

It depends on nationality and on the purpose of travel; the rule reviewed by VisaGuideline is shown with the nationality selector on this page. Always check with the authority.

Where is the application filed?

The form is completed online on the Belgian State's Visa-On-Web service, then the application is filed in person at the embassy or consulate of Belgium competent for the country of residence, by appointment. In some cases, an external service provider handles the application; for the short stay, another Schengen State may represent Belgium.

Which long-stay purposes exist?

The official pages publish work (employee under a single permit, self-employed under a professional card, internship, volunteering, job-seeking after studies, researcher, au pair, seasonal worker), study (public or private higher education, secondary, internship linked to the studies) and family reunification, marriage or legal cohabitation.

How much does a long-stay visa cost?

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: two costs are owed, a levy paid to the Office des étrangers, the amount of which is not given as a figure on the pages read, and consular fees of €180 until June 30, 2026, raised to €250 from July 1, 2026 according to the page of the embassy of Belgium in France.

What processing time should be allowed for?

Not stated on the portal consulted as regards a figure: the pages read state only that the application must be lodged sufficiently in advance, at most six months before the intended date of travel, and that the times vary according to the profile and the time of year.

How does one apply for an extension in Belgium?

The official page states that an appointment is booked through the link given to the applicant, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:20 a.m. to 12 noon, at the SPF Affaires étrangères, rue des Petits Carmes 15, 1000 Brussels.

Official sources

Visa pour la Belgique — SPF Affaires étrangères (new tab) Authority

Consulted sources

Official pages read to write this guide, with the date they were read. A page may have changed since: check it before taking any step.

Visa pour la Belgique | SPF Affaires étrangères - Commerce extérieur et Coopération au Développement (new tab) read on 18 September 2026
Visa long séjour (plus de 90 jours) | SPF Affaires étrangères - Commerce extérieur et Coopération au Développement (new tab) read on 18 September 2026
Visa — Compétence et représentation (document du 2 septembre 2026) (new tab) read on 18 September 2026
Office des étrangers — page de vérification anti-robot (new tab) read on 18 September 2026

What this guide does not know yet

Points the official source does not specify and which this guide therefore left blank. Ask the competent authority about them before filing an application.

The site of the Office des étrangers (dofi.ibz.be) presented an anti-robot check on 2026-09-18: its pages on levies, processing times and lists of documents could not be read.
The consular fees of €180 then €250 come from the page of the embassy of Belgium in France: a reviewer must check whether they apply to all posts and to all visa categories.
The amount of the levy owed to the Office des étrangers is not given as a figure on any page read.
No amount was read for the short-stay visa, and no processing time is published as a figure on the pages consulted.
The page of the embassy in France makes filing there conditional on long-term permanent residence in its jurisdiction: this condition is specific to that post and does not apply everywhere.
The document of September 2, 2026 on the competence of the posts and on representation could be exploited only through its metadata: its table by country was not gone through and is a matter for review.
The Visa-On-Web online form service was not opened: its exact steps were not read.
A period of 72 hours relating to the legalization of the medical certificate was noted ambiguously on the page read: it must be checked before publication.

Prepare my case

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