Travel to Belgium

All information for those wishing to come to Belgium.

Visa for Belgium

How to apply for a visa for Belgium.
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The visa section of the Belgian Embassy in Beijing is currently facing a large demand of visa applications. Our team endeavours to process all the applications within a reasonable time but, given the circumstances, it cannot be ruled out that visas will be issued to you only a few days before your departure.

An exceptionally long time is now required in order to find a slot for an appointment at the Visa Application Center. Unfortunately, we are unable to help you find an earlier slot, except for visa applications from students. Those are invited to contact the visa mailbox beijing.visa@diplobel.fed.be to request an appointment.

Please note that the Embassy does not work with external agencies and that appointments are free of charge.

In view of the exceptional waiting time before being able to make an appointment, we can only encourage you to submit your visa application as soon as possible (up to 6 months before the scheduled date of departure). We thank you for your understanding.


For general information on Visas for Belgium, please refer to the website of our outsourcing partners Visa Application Centre (VFS).

If you have already applied for a visa via the Visa Application Centre, you can check the status of your application at any time by using the visa Application tracker service at the VFS website

This page provides information on:

Processing time of a visa application for studies


Processing time of a visa application for studies.

Please find the APS certificate, for students of Chinese nationality who obtained their last diploma in China, on the website of “APS”

Thank you for contacting VFS Global in order to arrange an appointment and to submit your visa application.

Attention, a short-stay visa remains subject to the presentation of guarantees to return within the validity of the visa. The Embassy can therefore always request additional documents, such as proof of a a return flight.
 

Brexit


Who is a beneficiary of the Withdrawal Agreement and who is not?

How does this affect family members of a UK national who need a Schengen visa?

Please find the answers to your questions on the Immigration Office website
 

What type of visa (short stay - long stay)?


Short stay visa
 (visa type C) authorizes you to stay on Schengen territory for a term not longer than 3 months during a period of 6 months starting from your first entry on the territory.

Long stay visa (visa type D) authorizes you to stay in Belgium for a period longer than 90 days (students, researchers, workers, family reunification, …).
 

The single permit (work and residence) comes into effect on 1 january 2019


Simplification of the procedure for third-country nationals who apply for authorization to stay and to work in Belgium (single permit) :

As from 03/01/2019, third-country nationals wishing to work in Belgium for more than 90 days will apply to the competent Region, through their employer, for a single application for a work permit and a request for a residence permit. The proof of payment of the administrative fee will have to be submitted. (The Embassy/Consulate  of Belgium has no role in this process).

If the work permit and residence permit are granted respectively by the Region and the Immigration Office, the third-country national will receive a single document stating that he/she is authorized to stay for more than 90 days in Belgium for work.

The "single application / single permit" procedure does not apply to:

  • third-country nationals traveling to Belgium to work less than 90 days;
  • third-country nationals who go to Belgium for purposes other than work;
  • au pairs.

The visa application will only be submitted at the end of the process, when the single permit has been granted. The applicant should submit a visa application type D with his/her passport and the single permit and pay the visa fee at the VFS Centre  where fingerprints will be collected. 

Details about the documents to submit are available on the VFS website

For more information about the single permit, please visit the website of the Immigration Office

Implementation of visa biometrics starting 12 October 2015


Starting October 12th, 2015, all applicant for a Schengen visa will need to personally present themselves in order to have their biometric date registered.

Visa applications will be processed faster thanks to the use of biometrics (finger prints and a digital photograph). It will allow visa holders to be identified faster and this way identity theft can be countered.

The procedure to take finger prints is easy, quick and discrete. The applicant will only have to place his or her fingers on the digital scanner. If he or she wants to reapply for a visa within 59 months, new finger printing will not be required: the previous data stored in the Visa Information System (VIS) will be re-used. After 59 months the finger print data will be deleted.

When a visa holder arrives at the border, Schengen border control officers will use the VIS to check the identity and verify if the visa is genuine. Quick, easy and reliable biometric checks will help to prevent visa fraud. Honest applicants, the clear majority, will therefore be able to go through a faster procedure.

For more information on Schengen applications in China, go to the VFS website

What documents to foresee?


The application form for a visa for Belgium should be submitted online. Please fill in the form - you will need to register online first - or visit the website of our outsourcing agency VFS.

Please consult the website of VFS for a checklist of supporting documents required, depending on the purpose of your trip to Belgium.    

From 10 August 2011 onwards, a harmonised list of supporting documents for business travel/conferences/fairs is imposed to persons who are subject to visa (C) requirement and residing in China. This is the result of an Implementing Decision of the European Commission. Please consult the VFS website for this list.
 

Where can I hand in my visa application?


If you live in China


The Visa applications have to be handed in at one of the offices of our visa outsourcing partner VFS

We currently have 15 Visa Application Centers (VAC):

Your Visa application has to be handed in at your competent VAC based on:

  • the address of your “hukou”

or

  • Your address of residence (based on a justification document, a temporary resident card,…)

NB 
Holders of official passports (service, diplomatic or public affairs) and family members of EU citizens covered by Directive 2004/38 can introduce their Visa application directly at the Visa Section of the Embassy or Consulates General competent for their place of residence:

Embassy in BEIJING
6, San Li Tun Lu
Chaoyang District 
100600 Beijing – China 
+86 10 6532 1736 
Beijing.Visa@diplobel.fed.be

Consulate General in GUANGZHOU 
R&F Center Unit 2, 7th Floor, 10 Huaxia Lu, Zhujiang Xin Cheng 
Tianhe District 
510623 Guangzhou - China 
+86 20 387 723 51 
+86 20 387 723 56 
+86 20 387 723 53 
guangzhou@diplobel.fed.be

Consulate General in SHANGHAI 
Wu Yi Lu, 127 
200050 Shanghai - China 
+86 21 643 766 28 
+86 21 643 765 79 
+86 21 643 767 72 
+86 21 643 770 41 
Shanghai.Visa@diplobel.fed.be


For residents of Mongolia


When a short stay visa is required (maximum of 90 days, type C-Schengen), please address your Visa Request to Visa Application Center responsible for the applications of the German Embassy in Ulan Bator. Germany represents Belgium in this matter.

For opening hours and other practical information, please refer to their website.

  • Tel: 70100066
  • Mail: info.demn@vfshelpline.com
  • Germany Visa Application Center - ULAANBAATAR 
    1st Floor, 37/1 apartment (SN Tower), Mahatma Gandhi Street, 
    Khan-Uul District, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 

The representation is however only valid for short stay Schengen visas (maximum stay of 90 days). The short stay visa applications that may result in a prolonged stay (e.g. marriage in Belgium, cohabitation,…), cannot be introduced at the German Embassy but have to be processed by the Belgian Embassy in Beijing through its Visa Application Center.

When a long stay visa is needed (more than 90 days, type D, Belgian) please hand in your file at our Visa Application Center.
 

After arrival in Belgium/Schengen Area


The Embassy/Consulate General is not competent to handle immigration matters after you have arrived in Belgium. In case you want to extend your visa, replace a lost visa or change the type of visa, you need to contact the Belgian immigration authorities. Their contacts and extensive information can be found on the website of the Immigration Office.
 

What to do in case your visa has been refused?


In case of refusal the applicant will be notified in written about the reasons for this refusal.

The refusal letter will be written in Dutch, French or German, depending on the preference given at the time of application.

As the refusal decision has not been taken by the Embassy or Consulate General but by the Belgian immigration authorities, the Embassy or Consulate General is not competent to comment on this refusal by any means (at the counter, by telephone or in writing).

The applicant can decide to lodge an appeal with the Belgian judicial authorities, as explained in the refusal notice or apply again for a visa with the Embassy or Consulate General.
 

Documents


Below are the following documents:

Competent authority for visa applications

All the information concerning visa applications for Belgium is available on the website of the Immigration Office of the FPS Home Affairs, which is the competent Belgian authority for access to the territory, stay, residence and removal of foreigners in Belgium.