VISA

NO

If you are a national of a European Economic Area country (EU + Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) or from Switzerland you may travel to Belgium with an international passport or identity card. You do not need to apply for a visa.

You only need to bring:

• A valid international passport or identity card.
• A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) that proves you are affiliated with a health insurance provider in your home country.

On arrival, you will have to register for a declaration of presence or a residence permit (next chapter).

If you have dual citizenship (non-EEA and EEA) you can travel to Belgium and apply for a residence permit with the European passport on the condition that you are residing in an EEA country. 

YES

When planning to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days all students with a Non-EEA nationality need to apply for a long-term visa (visa type D) before leaving for Belgium. Check out all the information on visa formalities and applications.

Having a European Union residence permit from another EEA country is not sufficient to register in Belgium. If you travel to Belgium with only a residence permit from another European country, you will have to present the same documents to the immigration office as for a visa application and the procedure will take much longer.

If you have dual citizenship (non-EEA and EEA) and you are residing in a non-EEA country, we recommend you to apply for a visa since the issuance of a residence permit will automatically be delayed considerably if you cannot present the European health insurance card or blue card, which is a requirement for all EEA nationals to stay in Belgium. If you apply for a visa, you will be able to settle this in advance.

All students that need a visa (indicate YES in your application form) will be able to download an invitation letter (model of the standard from Immigration office) in Mobility Online once their application has been approved.
 

You need to apply at the Belgian embassy or consulate in your current country of residence before leaving for Belgium. 

Find out at which embassy or consulate you should start your visa application on the website of Foreign Affairs or on the website of the Immigration Office (in English, Dutch or French).

Important notice: For some countries, approval by the Belgian authorities can take up to three months or longer. Make sure you start the visa application procedure well in advance! We urge you not to come on a tourist visa alone.

Since this list is subject to change, please consult the Foreign Affairs website for the most current version. 

When applying for a student visa type D, students also need to prove that they have sufficient financial means to cover their living expenses and healthcare (min € 803 net/month for 2024-2025).

This proof is preferably provided by one of the following methods:

• a certificate drawn up [in accordance with a Royal Decree] either by an international organisation or a national government, or by a community, region, province or municipality, or by an institution of higher education, to the effect that the third-country national is receiving or will soon receive a scholarship or a loan;
• a commitment to a formal obligation in accordance with annex 32 to the Royal Decree of 8 October 1981;
• any other proof of sufficient means of subsistence - for example, a certificate drawn up by the institution of higher education specifying that the third-country national has deposited a sum covering the costs of their stay in Belgium in a frozen account managed by the institution > Blocked account procedure (Proof of Solvency). This procedure is recommended for self-supporting students.

If you choose the blocked account procedure, please contact our student center via studentadministration@ap.be (put (FS) in the subject of your mail) to start up the procedure. Make sure to do this well in time, and minimum 3 weeks before your visa appointment, as the whole procedure takes quite some time.

• Non-EU nationals have to pay a contribution to cover the administrative costs of processing a long-stay visa application for Belgium by the Immigration Office.
• When submitting the visa application, the applicant must demonstrate that the contribution has been paid in full.
• The exact amount and payment method can be found on the the Immigration Office website.
• International students with a scholarship issued by AP might be exempted from paying this contribution fee. Proof is required when applying for a visa, and will be supplied by AP