Visa Type D - Professional / Student

GENERAL INFORMATION AND PROCEDURE

The Consulate General of Belgium in Hong Kong handles long stay visa applications to Belgium. For long stay applications to Luxembourg, an original letter called "Autorisation de Séjour" from the authorities in Luxembourg is necessary; for more information you can click here. After you obtain the "Autorisation de Séjour", please contact the Consulate to apply for a visa D.

The visa D is a multiple-entry national visa. It requires registration at the municipality (gemeente/commune) of the place where you will be residing in Belgium.

Although the visa D is only valid for Belgium, it can also be used for transit (max. 5 days) through one or more Schengen countries. In some specific cases, a visa D + C can be issued. This visa entitles you to travel within the Schengen area during the first 3 months after entry into Belgium, while you wait to receive your official residence permit.

Family members accompanying the person who is going to work in Belgium, have to apply for the appropriate visa for “Family Reunion”.

Who should apply

All nationals who wish to stay for more than 90 days in Belgium per six month period, need to apply for a visa D. The exceptions are citizens of the European Union or citizens of one of the following countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland.

When to apply

You are encouraged to lodge your application early (the earliest is 6 months before your intended departure date) to allow sufficient time for the process, to avoid delays in issuing to visa, thus delaying your intended date of travel.

For some visa applications, the Consulate is required to transfer the file to the Immigration Office in Belgium. Decisions can take longer and timings are unpredictable.

How to apply

To apply for a visa, please always first submit your application form electronically and then make an appointment via the FPS Foreign Affairs website: visaonweb.diplomatie.be

Please come to the Consulate in person with  the relevant checklist and all documents in the order of the checklist. Minors who wish to accompany their parents for a long stay will also need to appear in person, regardless of their age.

Your fingerprints (from age 12) and facial image (from age 6) will be captured and stored in a national database for 10 years.  

REQUIREMENTS

Requirements for ALL visa D applications

In this section you can find the requirements for all applications for a Visa D – Long Stay. Scroll down to find the additional requirements that apply for the type of visa that you're applying for.

Visa D - Long Stay application form

Click here to download the long stay visa application form in English. (The form is also available in Dutch or French upon request)

Documents and legalisation

If documents are issued by a foreign authority, a legalisation or apostille may be required before they can be accepted for your visa application. 

• For documents issued by authorities in Hong Kong or Macau, (such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, CNCC…) an apostille is needed. Click here for information about legalisations and apostille.
• For documents issued in Belgium or the EU, an extra legalisation is not necessary.
• For documents issued outside the EU, a legalization or an apostille is required. The type of legalization depends on which authorities issued the document. 

To verify, you can contact the relevant consular post of Belgium in the country where the document was issued or you can check the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium by clicking here.

Documents need to be issued less than 6 months ago and documents that are not in French, Dutch, German or English need to be translated by a translation company recognised by the Consulate General. The list can be consulted here.

Medical certificate

All applications for a Visa D require a medical certificate. This certificate has to be obtained from one of the doctors recognized by the Consulate General, and has to be dated less than six months before the date when you apply for your visa.

Download the certificate template for Visa D applications here.

Click here for the list of medical doctors approved by the consulate. 

CNCC (Certificate of No Criminal Conviction) / Certificate of Criminal Record

All applications for a Visa D require a Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (Hong Kong) or a Certificate of Criminal Record (Macau), covering the previous 6 months. The certificate needs to be authenticated with Apostille before it can be used in a visa application.

You can find more information about the CNCC / Certificate of Criminal Record here.

For information about the Apostille, click here. 

Payment of contribution fee

A contribution is required for the processing of long stay (type D) visa applications. This contribution can be paid by either the applicant or a third person (family members, acquaintance, sponsor, guarantor, etc.) into the account of the Immigration Office in Belgium. This contribution is separate from the handling fee of the long stay visa, which you have to pay at the Consulate General at the time of your application.

You need to present proof of payment of this contribution when you apply for your visa at the Consulate General. Visa applications without this proof of payment cannot be accepted.

All information regarding the amount, the payment methods and possible exemptions is available on the website of the Immigration Office.

Please note that:

1. Any bank charges or charges related to the transfer have to be paid by the applicant (or whomever performs the transfer.)
2. Proof of payment of the full administrative fee must be provided when the visa or residence application is submitted. Without this, the application cannot be taken into consideration.
3. If the visa application is rejected, the administrative fee will not be reimbursed.

Please refer to the list of consular fees for the visa fee. ALL PAYMENTS ARE NOW SETTLED IN CREDIT CARD (VISA, MASTERCARD) ONLY. 

Single permit - working as an employee / researcher

In order to work in Belgium, you need a work permit before you can apply for a visa. Your Belgium-based employer needs to apply for the permit with the regional government (Wallonia, Brussels or Flanders – see links below for more information). Once the application has been approved you will receive a single document certifying that you are authorized to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days, and that you are allowed to work there: the Single Permit Approval. If you are exempted from obtaining this permit, you have to provide the relevant certificate to back up your claim.

• Wallonia: http://emploi.wallonie.be
• Brussels: https://economie-emploi.brussels/
• Flanders: http://www.werk.be

After you receive your Single Permit Approval, you are required to apply for your Visa D (Long stay visa).

The minimum processing time for the visa is one week.

Click here for the list of required documents

Please note that starting from 1st March 2023, researchers will need to apply for a single permit before applying for a work visa at this Consulate. The hosting agreement alone does not suffice anymore. 

Self employed (applicants of "professional card")

Foreign nationals, with the exception of citizens of EEA countries, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Romania or Bulgaria, who wish to settle in Belgium as a self-employed person must be the holder of a professional card (carte professionnelle/beroepskaart) before they can apply for the Visa D. This professional card serves as the authorization to set up your own business in Belgium as an independent professional.

You can apply for a Professional Card through the Consulate General of Belgium in Hong Kong if you are a legal resident in Hong Kong or Macau. Your application will be sent to the authorities in Belgium.

Once your professional card is approved, you will be informed by the Consulate to apply for your long stay visa.

Please refer below to the official websites of the regions for the list of required documents and download the application form, depending on the location of your future business:

• Wallonia: http://emploi.wallonie.be
• Brussels: https://economie-emploi.brussels/
• Flanders: http://www.werk.be

Study in Belgium

For a study-related stay in Belgium, you must apply for a temporary residence permit for study (Autorisation de Séjour Provisoire pour études/Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf voor studies). We recommend that you start working on your student visa application at least 3 months prior to your intended travel date, as gathering the required documents will take some time.

Depending on your study program, you might be asked to fill out a questionnaire, which takes about one hour to complete and has to be filled out here at the consulate.

If you are under age 18 years of age, a written consent for travelling signed by your parents / legal guardians is needed. This document has to be legalised by High Court Apostille Service.

Click here for the list of required documents for the visa application

For the requirements of financial proof of your sponsor, please refer to the above same list.

Download the Annex 32 form in Dutch or French. (You may use the English version as REFERENCE ONLY. Please fill in either the Dutch or French version.)