The Kingdom of Belgium is a small but very important to the European Union country in Western Union. Belgium is home to two main linguistic communities: the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community (55% of the population), and the French-speaking Community, which constitutes about 35% of the population. The German-speaking minority is approx. 10% but also significant.
The capital city and region, Brussels, is officially bilingual. As one of the founders of the European Union, Belgium hosts the European Parliament and official seats of the European Council and European Commission. Brussels is called the most multicultural city in Europe and this city, together with the rest of the country is absolutely worth visiting.
Check if you can go to the Kingdom of Belgium without a visa. If not, read our article to know how to apply for a Belgian tourist visa.
Belgium’s visa guidelines
Belgium tourist visa is at the same time Schengen short-stay visa. That means that with this visa you can go to any country of the Schengen Zone for up to 90 days during the 180-day period. For sure, you have plenty of questions and we will try to answer them all. So, if if you ask yourself:
- What is the difference between Belgium and a Schengen visa?
- Who needs a visa to Belgium?
- What you can do in Europe with a Belgian tourist visa?
- How to apply for a Belgium visa?
- What documents are needed?
- Is it possible to apply for a Belgian visa online?
- What is the visa appointment?
- What to do if you want to stay in Belgium for more than 3 months?
- Do children need a tourist visa while traveling with their parents?
Read the text below! We created these guidelines about the Belgian visas to give you all the information you need.
Belgian Visa or Schengen Visa
If you want to visit Belgium for tourist purposes, you can apply for a tourist visa. The best thing about it is that with this visa you can freely go to 25 other countries in Europe. These are Schengen Area countries. What exactly does it mean?
Schengen Area (or Schengen Zone) is the largest passport-free travel area in the world with no internal borders. It means that with Belgium’s visa you can spend holidays also in Spain, Italy or Iceland if you wish. And many other states.
Here you have the complete list of them:
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Additionally, you can visit 3 micro-states: Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City, and overseas territories of Spain and Portugal (the Canary Islands, Azores, and Madeira island).
The Schengen Area countries have a common visa policy. As a foreign applicant, you can apply for a Schengen visa in the diplomatic mission of each country that is a member of the Zone.
Do you need a visa to travel to Belgium?
The better question would be: Who does not need a visa to come to Belgium?
There are several groups of people who can travel visa-free to the Kingdom of Belgium. They are holders of one of the following documents:
- Belgium residence permit
- he residence permit of a Schengen Zone country
- valid long-stay visas of Schengen Zone countries
- EU family member’s residence or EU long-term residence permit
- passport of a “British National Overseas”, “British Overseas Territories Citizen”, “British Protected Person”, “British Subject”
- special residence card as a diplomatic or consular staff
What, if you are not in the possession of any of these documents?
There is a list of countries whose nationals can travel the Schengen Area without visas due to a visa-free regime:
| Albania | Andorra |
| Antigua And Barbuda | Argentina |
| Australia | Bahamas |
| Barbados | Bosnia And Herzegovina |
| Brazil | Brunei Darussalam |
| Canada | Chile |
| Colombia | Costa Rica |
| Dominica | El Salvador |
| North Macedonia | Georgia |
| Grenada | Guatemala |
| Vatican City State | Honduras |
| Israel | Japan |
| Kiribati | Malaysia |
| Marshall Islands | Mauritius |
| Mexico | Micronesia |
| Moldova | Monaco |
| Montenegro | New Zealand |
| Nicaragua | Palau |
| Panama | Paraguay |
| Peru | Samoa |
| San Marino | Seychelles |
| Serbia | Singapore |
| Solomon Islands | South Korea |
| St Kitts And Nevis | St Lucia |
| St Vincent And The Grenadines | Trinidad And Tobago |
| Tuvalu | Ukraine |
| United Arab Emirates | United States Of America |
| Uruguay | Vanuatu |
| Venezuela | United Kingdom |
You only must hold a valid biometric passport issued by one of these states to enter freely to Belgium from a non-Schengen Zone country. If your home country is not on the list, you must submit your application and attend an interview in order to obtain a visa. Check below which requirements you must meet.
Belgian tourist visa
If you already get a Belgium visa, you are obliged to enter the Schengen Zone at the Belgian port-of-entry. Then you can go to other Schengen countries and stay in the Zone for up to 90 days. Depending on the fact if you have a single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa, you can leave the Schengen zone and come back or not. Remember that all your stay must not be longer than 90 days during a 180-day period. There are also conditions about the purpose of your stay in Belgium. Holding a tourist visa you can:
- spend holidays in Belgium, visit and travel
- reunite with your family and friends
- make business (participate in business meetings, negotiations, conferences, etc.)
- stay for medical reasons (surgery, health treatment, etc.)
- make an official visit
- attend a sport or a cultural event
- change a flight at the airport
- make research or short-term study
If your intention is to live, get a paid job, or study in Belgium, you must apply for another type of visa according to the purpose of your stay. With a tourist visa, you cannot take any paid job in any Schengen Zone country.
How to apply for a Belgium visa? Required documents
You can apply for a Belgium Visa in every diplomatic mission of the Kingdom of Belgium all over the world, excluding the honorary consulates. The best timing is to apply at least one month before the trip, but you can do it a maximum of 6 months before the planned journey.
You cannot apply online because the visa appointment is obligatory, but you can find the application forms online. Fill in and print them twice and sign each one. n purpose to submit your application, gather the following documents:
- a passport valid for at least 3 months after the date you are planning to leave the Schengen Area and issued within the previous 10 years
- two printed color passport-style photos taken in the last 6 months and meeting the requirements
- flight numbers specifying entry to Belgium and exit from the Schengen Zone
- travel insurance policy for 30 000 euro
- a hotel booking/rental agreement/letter of invitation with addresses where you are going to stay in Belgium
- a bank account statement confirming that you have enough money to support yourself financially throughout your stay in the Kingdom of Belgium
- if you are invited by someone – a sponsorship letter if it is the other person that confirms to be financially supporting your trip to Belgium
- a visa fee payment proof
Belgium Visa appointment
In most Belgium embassies and consulates-general you can schedule your appointment online, if not, make a call or send an email.
This appointment is necessary to know your motivation to go to Belgium, check if you can support yourself financially in Europe, and know your travel plans. So, be prepared for the following question from an officer:
- Do you want to travel to another European country?
- Which countries you are going to visit and for what reasons?
- What do you do for a living?
- What is your marital and family status?
- Do you have a family in Belgium?
- Is someone inviting you to live with them in Belgium?
- Do you intend to look for a paid job in Belgium?
Remember, that a Belgium tourist visa doesn’t allow you to take any paid job and stay more than 90 days in the Schengen Zone. During the meeting be honest and calm, there is nothing to be stressed about and in most cases, the Belgium visa is granted to applicants easily.
Usually, the consulate or embassy has 20 working days to process your application (if you have applied for a short-term visa). Bear in mind, that processing time may vary and in some specific cases.
If you experienced a refusal of a Schengen visa for Belgium and you believe that this decision was unjust or a mistake, you can submit a request for a re-evaluation of the application. Sometimes the second decision is favorable for an applicant and you will be granted a visa. If you do not receive any answers from the embassy or the consulate within 60 days – that means that a rejection decision remains in force.
Belgium long-stay visas
Remember that the common, Schengen visa issued by a country of the Schengen Zone is a tourist visa valid for up to 3 months. If you intend to stay longer in Belgium or any other European Union country, you need to apply for a national visa on the terms of the specific country.
In Belgium, the situation is a little bit more complicated. For example, if you want to study in the Kingdom of Belgium, you need to report to the suitable Belgian Community because
There are Communities that are responsible for making decisions on services for individuals, such as education.
- the Flemish Community is the competent authority for education in the Dutch-speaking part of the country – check the website “www.studyinflanders.be”
- The French Community is responsible for the French-speaking part of Belgium – go to the website “http://www.enseignement.be”
- the German-speaking Community is responsible for education in German – the website “www.ostbelgienlive.be”
If you want to get a Belgian work permit, you must meet a number of requirements focusing on three key factors:
- your citizenship
- the length of your stay in the Kingdom of Belgium
- your professional status in Belgium.
You can find more information on how to obtain a visa for working in Belgium at the Immigration Office.
With the Belgian Study Visa or Work Visa, you can travel between Schengen Zone countries but you can study or work only in Belgium.
Belgian Visa for children
Of course, babies and children can enter Belgium too but they must have their own visas.
Basically, the conditions are the same as for adults, the only difference is that this is the parent or the legal guardian who submits the visa application in the name of an under-age child.
Your child must have a valid passport and you must submit their 2 color, printed passport-style photos meeting special requirements. Additionally, there are some documents you have to present in order to obtain a visa for your child. They are:
- Proof of your regular income (work contract with specified monthly income or a 6-last-months bank statement or business license)
- Notarized travel permission from the second parent/legal guardian (or both of them if the child travels with the third person)
The guardian or parent should be present in the Belgian embassy or consulate during the visa appointment for their under-age child.
Attractions of Belgium
Belgium is a small country but you will be never bored there! It is packed full of tourist attractions such as UNESCO-acclaimed sites, charming villages perfectly-preserved medieval streets, world-class museums, and excellent architecture from the Middle Ages.
The “must”, of course, multicultural capital of the European Union, Brussels with its The Grand Place! This magnificent 17th-century landmark is located in the capital’s central square, which is considered one of Europe’s finest and recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Take a tour to Bruges, called “Venice of the North’s” with its outstanding city center and medieval cobweb streets.
If you are a nature lover, you can’t miss the Hallerbos or Blue Forrest. If you go there in April and May, you are going to see spring forests overflowing with bluebells looking like a purple flower carpet.
There is also something delicious for history fans: Waterloo. That Waterloo! This is the place where Napoleon was defeated in the famous battle!
If you want to visit the “smallest city in the world”, go to Durbuy that is an ideal base for long hikes or kayaking trips. Don’t miss their artisan jam factory and quirky topiary park where you can take extraordinary pictures for Instagram!
Belgium is a country for everybody – easy to explore, with friendly people and unexpected attractions to offer!
