1. Obtaining Belgian Visa From India
Note: This information is just to give an idea of visa procecssing. For more recent information, please visit VFS/embassy websites. (Visit the VFS Website)
1.1 General Information
- Getting a visa for Belgium can take arbitrary time - We have heard of a few cases of getting the visa in days and for some it has taken six months.
- You can download the application form from VFS website
- VFS has centers at Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. You can submit your application in your nearest VFS
- Useful websites for visa processing
1.2 Student visa (steps to follow)
- Usually the student visas will be issued in 1 or 2 or 3 days. You can collect them in hand.
- For students with financial aid (scholarship)
- This should not take more than 3 or 4 working days from the day of application, if you already have all the required documents
- Documents required (More recent information, check here http://www.vfs-be-in.com/requisitedocuments.aspx
- Invitation letter/admission letter from the university/respective organization
- Passport, PCC, Medical certificate
- A notarized certificate of your diploma / degree, or proof of study at an Indian university
- Completed visa application form (which can be downloaded from VFS website)
- For students do not have financial aid (scholarship)
- You will be asked to deposit some money in Belgium bank (KBC/Fortis/...), For more details, you can ask your contact in university
- Rest of the documents required are same
- It may take longer. Especially it may take much longer if you have a private financial sponsor.
- PCC, Passport, ECNR: When you have decided to come to Belgium for study, apply first for PCC because it take long time (1 week to 2 months). If you do not have passport, you can apply for both Passport and PCC together. Please make sure to have a ECNR stamp on your passport.
- Usually you apply for a PCC with your nearest passport office
- Some times its possible to get a PCC quicker from your local police station than from the passport office
- Some passport offices like the one in Chennai issues them the same day you have applied for one
- So better do some research before deciding whether you want to apply for a PCC through a passport office or your local police station.
- It may always take a bit longer if your passport was issued from a different regional office from the one where you are applying for a PCC.
- Legalization: Your notarized diploma / degree (masters, bachelor) certificates have to be legalized by the Ministry of External Affairs
- Medical checkup: Have a medical check-up only in authorized hospitals listed in Embassy website. http://www.diplomatie.be/mumbai/default.asp?id=38&mnu=38.
- Some authorized hospitals in major cities in India includes
- Dr. Ved Prakash Kohli Medical Centre, New Delhi
- Dr. Subhankar Chakrabarti, Kolkata
- Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai
- St. John’s Medical College Hospital, Bangalore
- Billroth Hospital, Chennai
- Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad-33
- Ruby Hall Clinic 40, Sassoon Road, Pune
- Go to hospital with an empty stomach and preferably morning times
- Do not forget to take the medical application form in website
- It may cost you from INR 2500 to INR 5000 to get medical certificate including medical test
- You can also contact the hospital's PR department for the requirements and other details
- Fee: Visa processing fee is subject to change frequently. Better have a look on recent fee in this website http://www.diplomatie.be/mumbai/default.asp?id=37&mnu=37 . Usually it is ~ INR 12000.
- Visa Type: Usually student visas are long stay visas and belong to Type D category.
- Documents checklist: Check-list required documents listed in http://www.vfs-be-in.com/requisitedocuments.aspx
- Contact Belgian consulate/embassy if you have any questions / doubts. Please don't mail to ISAL regarding this.
Visa Duration
- After showing all this, along with the visa papers from Belgian company/university, you will receive a temporary visa (3 or 6 months) for only Belgium - do not worry about that, it is a normal thing. Upon arrival in Belgium you have to apply for a residence permit with the city or town administration which is usually valid till next September or October. And one has to renew it every every year till the time you stay here.
- For work-permits, from Belgian side, it is asked to go through a medical exam (only in authorized hospitals as above) before they send you the visa papers. But then, you will not need to do the medical exam again during getting visa from Belgian consulate/embassy.
1.3 Obtaining Dependent Visa For Wife/Husband while you Work/Study here in Belgium
(Visit the home page of Belgian diplomatic missions abroad for latest information and Spouse Visa are quite useful.)
Please note that the process of Dependent Visa has changed recently. Belgium has recently (Jan 2008) onwards following the Dutch way of Dependent visa which makes things more complex. The following documents
are needed for a dependent visa:
- Apostille Birth Certificate: Apostille is a new convention that India has recently adopted. This process involves the following: First you get it ``legalized by the state secretariat (depending on the state and where the birth certificate was issued), this can take upto a month. Then this legalized birth certificate needs an ``Apostille stamp by the Ministry of External Affairs, Delhi. You can find more about the apostille procedure here. At Delhi it takes only one day to get the Apostille stamp. Only the birth certificate of the dependent needs to have apostille.
- Apostille Marriage Certificate: The Marriage certificate also needs to be apostille. Some people may recommend that you do the ``legal marriage earlier and the ``traditional marriage later, so that you can start the Apostille procedure.
- Medical Certificate: A medical test is also required by an authorized doctor. Based on if you apply to Mumbai or Delhi you can find them for Mumbai or for Delhi
- Copy of Residence Permit: A copy of your white card is needed. Ensure that it is valid atleast 6 months more than the date of visa application. In case you are a student and the semester is going to end, the Embassy will understand.
- Attest van Voldoende Huisvesting: Legally your house should be large enough to hold all the dependents. For two people it is 30 sq. meters. You need to make an appointment with the City Hall for the person from the Huisvesting (Housing) department to come and measure your house and make a certificate for you. This takes about one month or 40 days.
- Attest verzekerbaarheid - gezinshereniging (Insurance Proof): A proof that your insurance would cover your family. Just drop by your insurance company office (CM) to ask them to issue proof of insurance covering your family. Takes 1/2 hr.
- Copy of your scholarship/contract: A photocopy of your scholarship letter or contract.
- Invitation Letter: A formal invitation letter from you saying you want to invite your wife/husband/children to join you
- PCC Police Clearance Certificate from the Dependent's Passport Issuing Office for the past 5 years. Apparently it is also possible that you may need to go to the respective police station of your residence
town for the past 5 years in some cases.
- Passport
- Visa Application
Unless otherwise mentioned all the above documents should be submitted
in original. All documents must be submitted in 3 folders (1st one original,
2 folders of copies).
Note that the net procedure takes about 3 months. 1-1.5 months to get
the visa application in place. 1-2 months for the Visa itself. All papers
usually come to Belgium for clearing. According to the embassy itself the
time application takes in Brussels is 4-5 weeks. Note that similar to the
regular visa, the term of the visa is again only 3 months only. Once you
come to Belgium, you will be issued a white card for a longer validity.
1.4 Obtaining dependent visa for Kids
- Note: Will be updated soon
