Botschaft und Konsulate von Belgien in Deutschland
Home FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ON BELGIAN VISA APPLICATION

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) ON BELGIAN VISA APPLICATION

  1. I live in Germany and would like to visit Belgium for 90 days or less. Do I need to apply for a short term visa (Schengen Visa, Type C)?
  2. I will work or study in Belgium for more than 90 days. Do I need to apply for a long term visa (Type D)?
  3. What are the conditions to apply for a visa at the Belgian Embassy in Berlin?
  4. I have an EU Blue Card and live in Germany. Do I need to apply for a visa D if I’m going to Belgium for more than 90 days?
  5. I am not residing in Germany. Can I still submit a visa application to the Belgian Embassy in Berlin?
  6. Can I apply after my German residence permit has expired?
  7. What is the procedure for submitting a visa application?
  8. What’s the address to send my visa application?
  9. Can I come in person to lodge my application?
  10. Can I submit a visa application even though I do not have all the required documents?
  11. How can I make an appointment?
  12. Can I contact you by telephone if I have questions?
  13. Is there an online procedure?
  14. How can I pay?
  15. Why do I need to send two copies of my documents?
  16. For my medical certificate, I need to consult a doctor. Where can I find the list of medical doctors appointed by the Embassy?
  17. How can I legalize the medical certificate which will be used to apply for a work permit?
  18. What is the Police Clearance Certificate and how can I get it?
  19. Can I apply for a visa in one of the Belgian consulates in Germany?
  20. Can I fetch my visa in one of the Belgian consulates in Germany?
  21. Can someone else pick up the visa on my behalf?
  22. Can I receive my visa by post/e-mail?
  23. Do I have to send my passport together with my application?
  24. Do I need to legalize my supporting documents?
  25. Do I need to have a translation done if the document is not in French, Dutch, German or English?
  26. I will be staying in Belgium for professional reasons (work as an employee or traineeship). Do I need a work permit?
  27. What is the mandatory Limosa Declaration?
  28. What is the procedure for biometric data for a Visa type D?
  29. Why are the biometric data being taken for a Visa type D?
  30. Can my biometric data for the Schengen Visa (Type C) be re-used for a Long-term Visa (type D) and vice-versa?
  31. I want to know more on the procedure to register my biometric data for a Visa type D
  32. I am a Belgian citizen, living in Germany and want to travel to a non EU- country. What documents do I need?

 

 

1) I live in Germany and would like to visit Belgium for 90 days or less. Do I need to apply for a short term visa (Schengen Visa, Type C)?

If you have a valid passport and a valid German residence permit, you can enter Belgium without a visa for a period of up to 90 days within a 180 day period.
Here you can check which German residence permits (always in combination with a valid travel document) allow a visa-free entry: https://sif-gid.ibz.be/NL/lijst_duitsland.aspx

2) I will work or study in Belgium for more than 90 days. Do I need to apply for a long term visa (Type D)?

A type D visa is required for non-European Union nationals.

Type D visa is a national visa for a stay in Belgium, exceeding 90 days. It also entitles the bearer to stay in or transit through one or more other Schengen countries for a total of up to 90 days within a 180 days period.

3) What are the conditions to apply for a visa at the Belgian Embassy in Berlin?

To apply, you need a valid German residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel/Fiktionsbescheinigung/Blue Card, …) and a passport/travel document which is valid for at least another 12 months, and contains at least two blank visa pages. Your German residence permit needs to be valid until at least the day we can issue your visa.

4) I have an EU Blue Card and live in Germany. Do I need to apply for a visa D if I’m going to Belgium for more than 90 days?

Yes. Even if you are the holder of an EU Blue card, you need to apply for a visa and a ‘Belgian’ European Card. You can find more information on this website of the European Commission:
https://ec.europa.eu/immigration/blue-card/belgium_en .

5) I am not residing in Germany. Can I still submit a visa application to the Belgian Embassy in Berlin?

No. The Belgian Embassy in Berlin can only process visa applications from applicants holding a valid residence permit in Germany.

6) Can I apply after my German residence permit has expired?

No. If your German residence permit has expired, you cannot apply anymore.

7) What is the procedure for submitting a visa application?

You can send all the required documents for your visa application via registered post.
We don’t have an online-system for visa applications and the visa applications cannot be sent via e-mail.
Once your application is received, we will process it within approximately 10-15 working days. In the peak season (beginning of May-end of September), you will have to count on 20-25 working days. This is excluding weekends and public holidays.  
For a list of the public holidays, please check our website:  Quicklinks>“Adresse und Öffnungszeiten >Feiertage (year).
If your application is complete and approved, you will be contacted to make an appointment to register your biometric data (10 fingerprints and a digital photograph) and fetch your visa.
You will receive your visa on the day of your appointment, after approximately two hours.

8) What’s the address to send my visa application?

Belgian Embassy in Berlin - Visa section
Jägerstraße 52-53
10117 Berlin
E-mail: Berlin@diplobel.fed.be
Opening Hours: only by  appointment  : Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12.30 am and from  2 pm to 4 pm.

9) Can I come in person to lodge my application?

Yes, but by appointment only. Please note that your application can only be handed over and will not be verified at that time.

The Embassy advises you to send your application per registered post.

If you apply for a Schengen visa we will ask you to make an appointment for the biometric data collection.

10) Can I submit a visa application even though I do not have all the required documents?

Visa applications will only be accepted if they are complete and in two sets of copies. Sometimes we can make an exception to the rule, for example if you need to wait for your work permit.
Please write us an e-mail to check this.

11) How can I make an appointment?

You can only make an appointment after having sent all the documents via registered mail, and after your application has been approved. We will contact you at that point to make an appointment to register your biometric data and fetch your visa.

12) Can I contact you by telephone if I have questions?

Please refer to the ‘Visa for Belgium’ information on our website, or email your question to Berlin@diplobel.fed.be.
If you cannot find the answer to your question, you can call us during office hours Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 9  - 12.30 AM.

13) Is there an online procedure?

No. You have to send all your documents by registered mail.

14) How can I pay?

  • Payment is only possible via bank transfer. Please send us a proof of payment for all the bank transfers together with your application.
  • Bank details for the payment of the visa handling fee to be paid to the Belgian embassy in Berlin:
Bank:

Berliner bank

Beneficiary: Belgische Botschaft in Berlin, Jägerstraße 52-53, 10117 Berlin
Bank account:      IBAN: DE57 1007 0848 0512 6305 00
 

BIC (SWIFT): DEUTDEDB110 (Berlin)

  • Bank details for the visa contribution fee to be paid to FPS Home Affairs, Immigration Office:
Bank:       BPost, Muntcentrum, B-1000 Brussel
Beneficiary:     FOD Binnenlandse zaken, Dienst vreemdelingenzaken, Antwerpse Steenweg 59B, B-1000 Brussel
Bank account:       IBAN: BE57 6792 0060 9235, BIC: PCHQBEBB  
Reference:   

Last and first name of the applicant (as mentioned in the passport), nationality, date of birth: day (DD)- month (MM) – year (YYYY)

  • More information on the visa contribution can be found under this link on the website of the FPS Home Affairs: https://dofi.ibz.be/sites/dvzoe/EN/
  • If your application concerns multiple applicants, each one will have to pay the applicable visa fees.
  • In the event of a refusal, the visa fees will not be refunded.

15) Why do I need to send two copies of my documents?

We need to send one copy of your application to the Belgian Immigration Office, one copy stays at the Belgian Embassy. We don’t have the time, nor the staff to make a copy of the visa applications.

!! Visa applications without an additional copy, will not be processed !!

16) For my medical certificate, I need to consult a doctor. Where can I find the list of medical doctors appointed by the Embassy?

The Belgian Embassy in Berlin doesn’t have a list of medical doctors. You can choose any qualified medical doctor in Germany to fill out the medical certificate.

17) How can I legalize the medical certificate which will be used to apply for a work permit?

Once the medical certificate is filled out, you can send it to the Belgian Embassy in Berlin to be stamped. Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope. There is no fee.

18) What is the Police Clearance Certificate and how can I get it?

We ask for a Police Clearance Certificate for the last 12 months. In case you were living in more than one country, you will need a Police Clearance Certificate from all the countries where you were living the past 12 months (except for Belgium). After processing you application, we will keep the original of your police clearance certificate.
In German this is called “Führungszeugnis” and can be obtained at your local German municipality or at the Federal office of Justice (in German: Bundesamt für Justiz). If you need to ask for a German Police Clearance Certificate from abroad, you can only apply for it at the Federal Office of Justice.  You need to apply for the Police Clearance certificate for private purposes.
More information about the German police clearance certificate can be found under this link:
https://www.bundesjustizamt.de/EN/  >Topics > citizen services >Criminal register.

19) Can I apply for a visa in one of the Belgian consulates in Germany?

No. The Belgian consulates in Germany are Honorary Consulates. They don’t have the authority to deal with visa. Your application needs to be sent to the Belgian Embassy in Berlin.

20) Can I fetch my visa in one of the Belgian consulates in Germany?

No. The Belgian consulates in Germany are Honorary Consulates. They don’t have the authority to deal with visa. After having scheduled an appointment, you will have to present yourself at the Belgian embassy in Berlin to have your biometric data (10 fingerprints + digital photograph) taken and fetch your visa.

21) Can someone else pick up the visa on my behalf?

No. You will need to come in person to pick up your visa. Before we can issue your visa, we have to register your biometric data (10 fingerprints + digital photograph).  If you are not willing/able to come in person, then please refrain from applying.

22) Can I receive my visa by post/e-mail?

No. You will have to come in person to have your biometric data (10 fingerprints + digital photograph) registered and fetch your visa. At this point, you will have to bring your passport, German residence permit and any additional original document which is asked for.

23) Do I have to send my passport together with my application?

No, we only ask to send a copy of the first three pages of your passport + relevant pages with stamps/visa. You will have to bring your passport when you fetch your visa.

24) Do I need to legalize my supporting documents?

The foreign official documents must be legalized or carry an apostille, unless an exemption is granted in a treaty. All the relevant information on this formality is available on the website of the SPF Foreign Affairs: http://diplomatie.belgium.be> services>legalization of documents

German documents don’t need to be legalized nor carry an apostille.

25) Do I need to have a translation done if the document is not in French, Dutch, German or English?

Documents that are not in French, Dutch, German or English are to be translated in accordance with the original by a sworn translator. The translation must be legalized as a separate document in line with the procedure laid down in the country of origin, and then by the competent Belgian consulate or Embassy.

26) I will be staying in Belgium for professional reasons (work as an employee or traineeship). Do I need a work permit?

As a general rule, a foreign worker wishing to provide services in Belgium in the framework of a work contract may be admitted to work by his employer only after obtaining a work permit, regardless of the duration of the employment.
The company or organization that invites you must take the necessary steps with the competent regional authority before your arrival in Belgium. You will obtain a visa once your employer has obtained an employment permit.
You are not authorized to start your professional activity as long as you do not hold the required work permit.

The work permit (Type B) you will obtain, applies for that specific employer, for that specific occupation and for a maximum duration of 12 months, a period which is renewable.

Work permit exemption

For some specific professional activities, you do not need a work permit.
Please consult the website of the regions for more information on the procedure to follow for an employment permit and a work permit B application, on the conditions for exemption, labor market etc.

Employment in:

Walloon Region:   

http://emploi.wallonie.be 

Brussels-Capital region:   

http://werk-economie-emploi.brussels 

German Region:       

http://www.dglive.be    

Flemish Region:      

  http://www.werk.be

 

27) What is the mandatory Limosa Declaration?

  • As of 1 April 2007, some categories of foreign apprentices, self-employed apprentices, foreign employees and self-employed persons (EU citizens as well) must declare their activities in Belgium, before starting to work or doing their internship in Belgium.
  • You will find more information about the mandatory declaration on the website of LIMOSA or with the Limosa Contact center: 
http://www.limosa.be/
Limosa Contact Center, Postfach 224, 1050 Brüssel
Tel.: 0032 (0) 2 788 51 57
E-Mail: limosa@eranova.fgov.be
Opening Hours: Monday till Friday, 7.00 A.M. till 8.00 P.M.
Languages: Dutch, French, English, German

28) What is the procedure for biometric data for a Visa type D?

As a consequence of a change of Art. 30Bis of the Law of 15 December 1980, starting 01/12/2018, all applicants aged 6 or more, applying for a long stay visa (type D) for Belgium, will need to personally present themselves in order to have their biometric data (all 10 fingerprints and a digital photograph) registered at the Belgian Embassy in Berlin.

29) Why are the biometric data being taken for a Visa type D?

Biometric data will gradually become part of the normal procedure for any visa application (for both Schengen and Long Stay Visa). Collecting your biometric data, has several advantages: you will be identified as the only entitled holder of this visa. It protects you against falsification or identity theft (in case of theft or loss of passport for example) and will facilitate the crossing of the outer Schengen borders.

30) Can my biometric data for the Schengen Visa (Type C) be re-used for a Long-term Visa (type D) and vice-versa?

D Visa are national visa. The biometric data which are registered for a type D visa, will therefore not be available in the Visa Information System (VIS).  As a consequence, they cannot be re-used for a Schengen (Type C) Visa. Nor can the biometric data which were taken for a Schengen Visa (Type C) be re-used for a type D Visa.

31) I want to know more on the procedure to register my biometric data for a Visa type D

If you want to know more on how it is done, who has to register his/her data, storage of the data and data protection, please click here : https://germany.diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/biometric-data-visa-d-application.

32) I am a Belgian citizen, living in Germany and want to travel to a non EU- country. What documents do I need?

All required information can be found here (Dutch or French only): http://diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/Diensten/Op_reis_in_het_buitenland/reisdocumenten (Dutch). http://diplomatie.belgium.be/fr/Services/voyager_a_letranger/documents_de_voyage (French)
 

For further information please consult the Embassy/Consulate of the country of your destination. If you are travelling to Turkey for example, you should contact the Turkish Embassy/Consulate in Germany. The Belgian Embassy only deals with visa applications for non-EU citizens going to Belgium.