In this article we will talk about how to get a visa to Belgium. This small but cozy kingdom is located in the very center of Western Europe, between the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and France. Therefore, Belgium is convenient for visiting other EU countries. The state is included in the Schengen zone. Therefore, to enter it, you must open the appropriate visa. This is not easy to do. But with a visa to Belgium you can see not only magnificent Brussels, medieval Antwerp, romantic Namur, but also travel to all the states of the Schengen zone. After all, between these countries there are no longer any protected borders. All countries of the European Union live in peace and harmony and are not afraid of the intervention of a neighbor. Since Belgium is a small kingdom, not many Russians apply for a visa there. And the lack of queues is a definite plus, especially when the date of the trip is "running out".
Where to apply for a visa to Belgium
Permission to enter this beautiful country can be obtained completely independently, without overpaying to intermediaries. To do this, contact the embassy of the country. It is located in Moscow, on Malaya Molchanovka Street 7. This is the center, Arbat district. But in order to be accepted at the embassy, you need to make an appointment. And you can do this through the Belgium Visa Application Center by calling their phone number. If you submit a package of documents directly to the embassy, you do not pay any service fees. You will have to fork out only for the visa itself. Below we will talk about its cost. The option to open a document is directly beneficial only to Muscovites. After all, you will need to come for an interview at the embassy. And this, given the distances in Russia, can be very expensive. For this, the consulate of Belgium opened visa centers. They, unlike travel agencies, are authorized intermediaries of the embassy when opening a permit to enter the Schengen country.
Belgium Visa Application Centers
Previously, there were only two - in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Residents of the Kaliningrad region had to apply for a visa to Belgium at the Lithuanian Embassy. And the inhabitants of the eastern regions of Russia still had to fly to Moscow. But now visa centers have opened in many cities of the Russian Federation. These are Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don and Kazan. And in any of them, a visa to Belgium can be opened for Russians living in this region. This significantly reduces the cost of obtaining an entry permit. Although you will be forced to pay for the services of this visa center. The cost of the service fee at the moment is 1,890 rubles. Previously, it was possible to apply to travel agencies that undertook to fully organize your trip to Belgium, including with the hassle of opening a visa. But since the fall of 2015, new rules apply.
Why travel agencies no longer undertake to open visas to Belgium
Travel agency staff can help you find and pay for a convenient Moscow-Brussels flight, arrange an insurance policy and find a hotel. But they will not assist in the opening of a visa. In September 2015, new procedural rules entered into force. According to them, each adult visa recipient must undergo fingerprinting and be photographed directly on the spot - by the consulate or the visa center of Belgium. Children entered in the passport of parents are exempted from fingerprinting. But even they, regardless of age, must come to the consulate or visa center for photographing.
Features of opening a visa to Belgium
The kingdom is, as we already wrote, included in the Schengen area . Therefore, the process of opening a visa to Belgium is not much different from the similar procedure for obtaining such permission to enter Germany, France, Italy or Spain. But it has its own nuances. They may not be like tourists who often travel abroad. In order for a visa to Belgium to be open, at least one leaflet must be blank in the applicant's passport. And if he wants to take a child with him on a trip, there should be four pages next to him that are free of stamps and stickers. Other countries are not so strict in the requirements for the free space of the passport of the visa applicant. At least one blank page is required, where, in fact, the brand is glued. But the lack of queues at service centers is a much bigger plus than this small inconvenience.
Do I need a visa if you fly in transit through Brussels (Belgium)?
The international zones of all airports are neutral territories. If you have chosen two connecting flights and are waiting for the next aircraft in such a sector, then you do not need a visa to Belgium. You should only have permission to enter your country of destination (if one is required for citizens of the Russian Federation). Therefore, in the Dominican Republic, in Cuba, in Mexico it is quite possible to fly through Brussels (Belgium). But this is provided that you will not leave the international zone of the airport. If you want to make a short visit, even for a few hours, to the capital of Belgium, you will need to open a transit visa to this country. And for this you should go through a long procedure for its receipt. And of course, the requirement for two free pages in the passport remains valid. As well as paying the consular fee.
What are the visas to Belgium
Everything is simple here. Visas to Belgium are short-term, long-term and transit. We have already mentioned the latter. It is important to know that a transit visa must be opened in advance if you are flying with two transfers at Schengen airports (for example, Moscow - Brussels, Brussels - Munich, Munich - New York), even if you are not going to leave the international zones. The procedure for opening and the cost of such a permit to enter Belgium is similar to a tourist mark of type “C”. This visa is granted to the applicant for a stay in the country for a period not exceeding ninety days per half year. Paste “C” can be requested with a one-time entry or the so-called “multi”. But a tourist visa does not give the right to work or other business activities. For this, a “D” insert is provided. And to get it you need a slightly different package of documents.
Visa "C"
To obtain it, you can contact one of the embassy service centers or directly to the consulate in Moscow. What package of documents is required to provide for a short-term tourist visa to Belgium to be open? First of all, a passport with a validity period of more than three months on the date of the expected end of the trip. Next is a photocopy of the first page of this document, a personally signed application form, which is completed in English, Dutch or French. You also need to attach a copy of your internal passport, the original and a medical insurance copy machine with a coating of thirty thousand euros. If you are traveling on your own, you must present hotel reservations for the entire stay in Belgium, electronic air tickets (or a copy of paper) with a fixed return date. Consulate employees must be sure of your solvency and intention to return to Russia. To do this, they require a statement from your account, certified by the seal of the bank, on the movement of funds over the past three months, as well as copies of real estate certificates.
Visa for workers, students, senior citizens
Workers will need to provide a certificate from the duty station — on the official letterhead indicating salary and position held, certified by the director’s signature and the organization’s seal. This document should indicate that the visa applicant will retain his workplace during the trip to Belgium. Students require a similar document from their university. Pensioners present a copy of the certificate. If they travel at the invitation of private individuals, then these latter should send by mail to your address certificates of solvency (sponsorship letter, photocopy of passport, certificate of employment with salary). All these documents are submitted in a single package to the visa center of Belgium or the country's embassy in Moscow.
Riding with children
If both parents of a child take part in the trip, then the procedure does not look so complicated. A questionnaire is completed, which is signed by mom and dad. A child over six years old requires a photograph pasted into the passport. If he is already fourteen, he must be the owner of his own document for traveling abroad. All persons under the age of eighteen must present a birth certificate. If the child has one parent, it is required to prove this by an appropriate document. It is much more difficult to get a visa to Belgium if the child leaves only with mom or dad. In this case, the parent remaining in Russia must give his direct consent to such a trip. It must be certified by a notary. This parent is also required to provide a copy of his passport. If the child receives a “D” visa, then this consent to leave must be authorized and translated. The same is required if children travel with third parties (as part of junior teams, with grandmothers or other relatives). In this case, the consent of both parents is required.
Long-stay visa "D"
Document “C” is received both on a business visit and on a private trip to visit friends or relatives. But the period of stay in the country should not exceed ninety days. A visa to Belgium of type “D” is issued if the applicant intends to stay in the country for a longer period. You can ask for such permission to enter when the purpose of your visit is entrepreneurship (only participation in a company that is a legal entity), training, treatment, marriage or family reunion. In each individual case, a separate package of documents is required in addition to the basic one that the applicant submits for obtaining a “C” visa. The consular department reserves the right to request additional documents from the petitioner or invite him for a personal interview.
How much does a visa to Belgium cost and how soon does it open?
The amount of the fee is thirty-five euros in ruble terms at the exchange rate at the time of payment. A visa to Belgium is paid in advance by bank transfer to the embassy account. The receipt is attached to the general package of documents. Children under fourteen years of age who are inscribed on their parents' passports, schoolchildren and university students traveling to the country for education or under student exchange programs, close relatives of Belgian citizens or residents legally residing are exempted from paying the consular fee. A visa is issued within ten business days. However, the embassy may request additional documents. Then the visa issuance period will be extended.