EU Travel Autorisation for Belgium
In this article
From 2022, the travel requirement to enter Belgium or any of the
26 ETIAS countries within the Schengen zone will be the ETIAS
visa waiver. The ETIAS acronym means European Travel Information and Authorization System.
It is not a visa but a form of travel authorization that can be applied for online. The
introduction of the ETIAS system is directed at strengthening the borders
of the Schengen zone.
Applicants for the ETIAS visa waiver are screened before entry into Belgium to ensure the
safety of the Schengen zone. The ETIAS visa waiver permits holders to move about freely
within the Schengen zone for a maximum of 90 days within every 180 days but has a total
validity period of 3 years. Within the three years, the visa waiver allows for multiple
entries into the Schengen zone and Belgium in particular.
The visa waiver is suitable for a short medical treatment period, business, transit, and
tourism due to its short duration of 3 months. Visitors who plan to study or work in
Belgium would be required to apply for other visas with a more extended validity period.
Belgium Visa and Entry Requirements
The applicant should visit the closest consulate or Belgian embassy to apply for a Belgium
visa. From your home country, make an appointment with the consulate. While waiting for
the date of the meeting, fill out your application. Embassy or consulate officials may
ask for information such as your names, gender, place of birth, nationality, civil status,
employment status, previous visits to the Schengen zone, and travel purpose.
After submitting the application form and other required documents, the interview during
the appointment is the next step. During the interview, here are some of the possible
questions that the officials will ask:
- How much money do you earn?
- Are you legally married? If yes, for how long?
- Have you visited any country in the Schengen zone before?
- Do you have relatives in the Schengen zone?
On arrival at the Belgium borders, you must present the following documents to the border
officers before being let into Belgium.
- A visa for those who are citizens of countries that require a visa.
- A valid travel document or passport. The passport must not be older than ten years and must be valid for at least three months after departure from the Schengen zone.
- A round-trip itinerary that shows your entry and exit dates from the Schengen zone.
- Proof of accommodation or an invitation letter from a host.
- At the border on entry into Belgium, the border authorities have the final say on your admittance into Belgium. The authorities may ask a few questions about the purpose of your visit, duration, and accommodation.
Who Needs a Schengen Visa to Enter Belgium?
For regulatory reasons, if you are a citizen of a country regarded as a third country in the
European Union and your country has no visa liberalization agreement with the EU, you would
need a Schengen Visa to enter into Belgium.
If you are from a third country with a visa liberalization agreement with the European Union
but have been rejected from Belgium or any of the Schengen member states in times past, you
would also need a Schengen Visa to enter Belgium.
Some of the third countries whose citizens must present a Schengen Visa before entering
Belgium include Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Fiji,
Central African Republic Ecuador, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others.
There are about 60 of these third countries whose citizens must have a Schengen Visa
before entering Belgium or any of the Schengen member states.
What Documents Are Required when Applying for a Belgium Schengen Visa?
A couple of documents are needed to apply for this Schengen visa to enter Belgium.
Some of them include:
- Your passport or an equivalent travel document. The passport should not be over ten years of issuance and should have two blank spaces at the very least. It must also be valid for at least three months after leaving the Schengen zone or Belgium in particular.
- Travel insurance that covers Belgium and the Schengen zone generally. You are expected to have a minimum of €30000 in your insurance for emergency purposes.
- Two recent and identical passport photographs, showing your face in full, on a light background.
- A completed and signed visa application form for Belgium.
- A cover letter that states your purpose of entry into Belgium and the Schengen area.
- If you are going to stay with a relative, you need to present proof of relationship.
- An itinerary that shows your flight dates and flight numbers in and out of Belgium.
- Proof of accommodation or an invitation letter
- Proof of enough money to sustain your visit to Belgium
Travelling To Belgium
Belgium is a beautiful place to be. Its capital city is Brussels and is home to several
interesting sites like the Royal Palace and St. Gudula Cathedral. The second-largest city
in. Belgium is Antwerp, a very rich diamond district and is home to the Gothic Cathedral
of Our Lady.
Belgium can be accessed by air, rail, and road. It is only a couple of miles away from the
city center. Brussels Airport, popularly known as Zaventem Airport, is the leading
international airport where visitors arrive. The airport receives a lot of visits from
various parts of the world.
Member states of the Schengen zone have free borders among themselves; hence, driving
into Belgium from any of the member states in the Schengen zone is easy. There are also
high-speed trains connecting Belgium to other countries. It is essential for visitors
to always have their passport and visa or ETIAS on them at all times.
Europe’s Travel Authorisation for Belgium
By the end of 2022, the Visa Waiver Program will be made available to citizens of
non-European Union countries who are exempt from visa requirements. If you are qualified
for ETIAS, all you have to do is fill out the online application form with your passport
and personal information.
Embassy or consular authorities will ask some security questions during the application
process. You will also need to pay the ETIAS fee using your credit or debit card. If
approved, third-country citizens can visit Belgium and the Schengen area for three
years before the visa expires.
Conclusively, this can guide you in the process if
applying for the ETIAS visa waiver to gain entrance
into Belgium and the other 25 countries present in the Schengen zone.
ETIAS.org is a privately owned website and it’s not operated by the government.
ETIAS.com is an informational site for ETIAS. The site contains paid links from our partners.
