Short stay visa (Schengen visa)
1. General information
Applying from your country of residence
Short stay visa applications must be lodged from your country of residence.
You should NOT apply from Canada unless you are a temporary or a permanent resident in Canada or you hold a travel document issued by Canada (for instance if you are a protected person).
Applications by non-residents (e.g. visitors) can only be accepted in duly justified cases of force majeure.
Applying with the country of destination
You must lodge the application for a Schengen visa at the Embassy or the Consulate of the country that you intend to visit.
If you intend to visit more than one Schengen State, you must apply at the Embassy or the Consulate of the country of your primary destination (i.e. main purpose of stay or longest stay).
If you intend to visit several Schengen States and the stays will be of equal length, you must apply at the Embassy or the Consulate of the country whose external borders you will cross first when entering the Schengen area (i.e. first point of entry).
2. Submit your application form and make an appointment
To start the application procedure, you have to fill out and submit your application form online: https://visaonweb.diplomatie.be/en
When you have completed your electronic application form, make sure you book an appointment on VisaOnWeb in order to present your visa application in person at the Consulate General in Montreal. The functionality “make an appointment” will only appear on VisaOnWeb when your application has been submitted online.
Exceptionally, applicants who have already applied for a Schengen visa and whose biometrics can be duplicated from the Schengen Visa Information System (59 months maximum) do not have to make an appointment with the Consulate. They can submit their application online and then send a complete application package by registered mail with a copy of their previous Schengen visa.
3. Consider processing times
Current processing times are available on the website of the Immigration Office.
The Consulate advises to apply between 2 weeks (minimum) and 6 months (maximum) ahead of the planned travel date.
Please be informed that non-residents and applicants traveling on non-ordinary passports will be subject to longer processing times.
Spouses and dependents of EU/EEA nationals may be entitled to an accelerated visa procedure free of charge if they meet certain criteria at the time of application: European Directive 2004/38/EC.
4. Prepare your application file: requirements and supporting documents
Depending on the purpose of your travel, please refer to the following lists of supporting documents:
1. Tourism
If the purpose of your travel to Belgium is tourism, please use the following checklist:
2. Business
If the purpose of your travel to Belgium is business, please use the following checklist:
3. Visiting Family / Friends
If the purpose of your travel to Belgium is to visit a family member or a friend, please use the following checklist:
Checklist 'Visiting Family/Friends'
4. Culture / Sport / Conference
If the purpose of your travel to Belgium is to participate in a cultural event, a sports competition, a conference or a seminar, please use the following checklist:
Checklist 'Culture/Sport/Conference'
Privacy statement - GDPR
General Data Protection Regulation
Privacy statement - Processing of personal data in the context of a visa application
5. Apply
In order to formally lodge your visa application, please bring your entire application file on the day of your appointment at the Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal.
During your appointment, you will be asked to pay the fees and provide your biometrics (fingerprints and photo).
Applicants who hold a previous Schengen visa and who wish to apply by post must add two recent ID pictures to their file and pay the visa handling fee by certified cheque or bank draft (issued by a Canadian bank), or by Postal Money Order (issued by Canada Post).
6. Status of your application
In cases where your application has been transferred to Brussels for decision by the Immigration Office, you can check its status online.
Consulate General officers do not answer visa questions over the phone. Any question for which the answer is not on this site can be addressed to montreal.visa@diplobel.fed.be