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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 an extra Belgian visa for a period of up to 90 days within a 180 day period.
Check which German residence permits allow a visa-free entry (always in combination with a valid travel document)
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)?
Yes. 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, …) in combination with 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 till 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 Belgian visa. Your Belgian based employer has to apply for a Single Permit (specification: ‘Belgian’ European Card) prior to this. You can find more information on this website and on the website of the European Commission
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 at our Embassy anymore.
7. What is the procedure for submitting a visa application?
You must lodge your application on Visa-On-Web. Once it's finalized, you print it off and make an appointment in the embassy. You must hand in your application in person as we need your biometric data. Once the application is successful, your visa can be picked up.
8. What’s the address to send my visa application?
Belgian Embassy in Berlin
Visa section C4
Jägerstraße 52-53
10117 Berlin
9. Can I come in person to lodge my application?
Yes, you must. We need to get your biometric data when you apply.
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. In some cases, we can make an exception to the rule. Please write us by e-mail to check this.
11. How can I make an appointment?
Visa-On-Web, the online application to fill out your application, will offer the possibility to book an appointment once you're finished filling out the forms.
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
If you cannot find the answer to your question, you can call us during office hours every day between 9 - 12.30 AM. Please notice e-mail works better as you will directly reach the right section .
13. Is there an online procedure?
Yes, and this is the only possibility.
14. 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, date and sign the medical certificate, for example your general practitioner. The document needs to carry the stamp of the doctor’s office.
15. How can I legalize the medical certificate which will be used to apply for a work permit or single 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 and a copy of the page in your passport with your name. There is no fee. The medical certificate is only sent to an address in Germany.
16. 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 document 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
17. Can I apply for a visa in one of the Belgian honorary consulates in Germany?
No. They don’t have the authority to deal with visa. For all questions relating to visa or to apply, you need to address the general consulate of the Belgian Embassy in Berlin.
18. Can I fetch my visa in one of the Belgian honorary consulates in Germany?
No. They don’t have the authority to deal with visa.
19. Can someone else pick up the visa on my behalf?
If necessary, but they must bring a written power of attorney, and of course the passport itself that needs to receive the visa. We will not give the visa without putting it in the passport ourselves.
20. Can I receive my visa by post/e-mail?
No, this is not possible at the moment.
21. Do I need to legalise my supporting documents?
The foreign official documents must be legalised 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.
German documents don’t need to be translated, legalised nor carry an apostille.
22. 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.
23. 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 needs a work permit to be admitted to work by his employer.
The company or organization in Belgium that invites you must take the necessary steps with the competent regional authority before your arrival. Once your work permit, in most cases a single permit (work permit + residence permit in one), is granted, you will be able to apply for a visa.
The work permit or single permit you will obtain, applies for a specific employer and for a specific occupation.
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:
24. What is the mandatory Limosa-declaration?
Since 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:
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
25. What is the procedure for biometric data for a Visa type D?
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. You do this when you submit your application.
26. Why are the biometric data being taken for a Visa type D?
Biometric data have become a 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.
27. Can my biometric data for the Schengen Visa (Type C) be re-used for a Long-term Visa (type D) and vice-versa?
No. 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.
28. I am a German or an EU-national and would like to go to Belgium (for short or long stay)
If you have a valid identity card or passport, with which you can proof that you are an EU-national, you can go to Belgium without holding a visa.
If you want to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days, you will have to register at the municipality and fulfill some conditions. These can be found on the website of the Belgian Immigration Office.
29. I am a Belgian citizen, living in Germany and want to travel to a non EU-country. What documents do I need?
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 in Berlin is not authorized to give information about entry requirements/travel advice for other countries besides Belgium. We deal with visa applications for non-EU citizens going to Belgium.
You can consult the (non-binding) travel advice per country on the website of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs.
If you are a Belgian travelling abroad please register your stay and keep it up to date. This makes it easier for the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs to inform and assist you if necessary.