Visa for Belgium

The following visa's are considered long stay visas (so this information only applies to these visa types, for all other visa types, please see above):

• All D - visas (i.e. Family reunion, marriage, legal cohabitation, work visa, student visa (+90 days) and return visa
• In short: all visa types that would allow you to stay in Belgium for a period longer than 90 days.

Where to apply for a long stay visa for Belgium?

If you reside in Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape or Namibia:

• TLS Contact Cape Town
• Mandatory appointments for lodging your application need to be done through TLS according to the procedure described on top of this page.

If you reside in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Free State, Kwazulu Natal or Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Zimbabwe or Mozambique:

• TLS Contact Centurion
• TLS Contact Durban
• Mandatory appointments for lodging your application need to be done through TLS according to the procedure described on top of this page.

When to apply for a long stay visa for Belgium?

• As soon as possible 
• Please note that processing a long stay visa application may (depending on the type of file) take up to several months, and we can in no way expedite delivery of your visa. 

Required payments for a long stay visa for Belgium

The contribution fees can be consulted on Fee | IBZ.

• Administration contribution​​​
  • Since the 2nd of March 2015, a contribution is required for the processing of certain long stay (D) visa applications.
  • This contribution can be paid by either the applicant or a third person (family members, acquaintance, sponsor, guarantor, etc.). This contribution should be paid into the account of the Immigration Office in Belgium.
  • The proof of payment of this contribution needs to be presented at the time of the introduction of the visa application. Should the applicant be unable to provide a proof of payment, the visa application will be deemed inadmissible.
  • This contribution is to be paid on top of the handling fee of the long stay visa (handling fee = the equivalent of €180 in local currency). The handling fee will still need to be paid at the time of the application in addition to any fees for TLS. An exemption for the handling fee, does not necessarily imply that one is also exempt for the contribution or service fee.
  • We therefore recommend you to carefully consult the website of the Immigration Office with regards to the amount of the contribution and the manner in which this is to be paid.
  • Attention
    • Any bank charges or charges related to the transfer will need to be borne by the applicant or whomever performs the transfer.
    • In the event that you have not paid the full amount, you will have an additional 30 days to transfer the additional amount. If you do not provide the proof that the full amount was paid within this period, the amount already paid will not be reimbursed and the application will be inadmissible.
    • The contribution will not be reimbursed in the event of a refusal of the visa.
       
• Visa application fee
  • Click here to consult the current visa application fees and EFT instructions.
  • Please DO NOT pay for your visa on the accounts of the Consulate general of Belgium in Cape Town or Pretoria unless explicitely instructed to. If you apply for your visa through TLS, all administration including payment will go through TLS!
  • Please make sure you pay into the correct account, i.e. the account of the consulate-general where you will be applying when instructed to. Payments into the wrong account cannot be transferred from one Consulate general to another: you will have to make a new payment, and apply for a refund for the erronous payment. Refunds can take up to 6 weeks before being executed.
  • Please make sure you pay the correct amount as displayed in ZAR only. If you make a payment from overseas the amount received on our account (after exchange rate, banking costs, etc...) must be the exact amount in ZAR.
  • All consular fees, inclduing visa fees, are subject to change due to currency exchange rate flunctuations. Please verify the amount due before making your payment.
  • Please make sure you have a printed proof of payment when you come to apply for your visa.

Required documents for long stay visa

• Note that printed proof of payment of the administration contribution fee is always required.
• We recommend you to carefully consult the website of the Immigration Office for documentation information in Dutch or French. For information in English, please consult the dedicated TLS website. Should you have any questions thereafter, feel free to send an email to the visa section who will be processing the application.