Long stay visa (D-visa)
1. General information
2. Where and how to apply
3. Processing times
4. Apply for a visa (fees and procedure)
5. Useful links and information
1. General information
A "Long stay" visa (D-type visa) is required for persons, including Canadians, who wish to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days. Please note this is not a Schengen visa.
This visa is not required for citizens of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland.
Applications must be lodged from your country of residence.
2. Where and how to apply
(1) First of all, fill out an application form online: https://visaonweb.diplomatie.be/en
(2) Make sure you assemble all necessary supporting documents and prepare your application package. Don't forget to add your application form, duly dated and signed.
(3) When your application file is ready, send your application by post to the Consulate General (express mail with tracking number, e.g. Xpresspost, FedEx, UPS, DHL or Purolator). Disregard the functionality “make an appointment” on VisaonWeb.
KINDLY NOTE: Long stay visa applications must be lodged no more than six months before the start of the intended stay.
3. Processing times
Processing times depend on your D-type visa category and vary according to the time of the year and our workload.
Your actual passport would be needed to (1) register your application and (2) at the end of the procedure if your visa is granted. You may take it back while your file is under analysis, if needed.
Please always include a prepaid and pre-addressed return envelope (express mail with tracking number, e.g. Xpresspost, FedEx, UPS, DHL or Purolator) for the return of your passport and other official documents.
4. Apply for a visa
To prepare your application file, please review the following requirements and lists of documents below.
4.1. Fees
In general, two sets of fees have to be paid for a D-type visa application: the administrative fee and the consular fees.
1. Administrative fee
Applicants for a Long stay visa must pay an administrative fee. Payment should be wired in EURO (€) onto the bank account of the Immigration Office in Belgium. The proof of this wire transfer must be provided with the visa application.
The amount of the administrative fee depends on the category of visa you are applying. For further information, please consult this page.
2. Consular fees
In addition to the administrative fee, consular fees must be paid to the Consulate General at the time of application. These are (1) the visa handling fee (for a D-type visa) and (2) the fees for each legalisation. If you apply for a professional card (see below), an additional fee is required.
Consular fees must be paid in Canadian dollars by Postal Money Order (Canada Post) or by certified cheque/bank draft (issued by a Canadian financial institution) made out to the 'Consulate General of Belgium'. The payment must be added to your application package. Cash or personal cheques will NOT be accepted. If you apply in person at the Consulate General in Montreal, you can also pay with your credit or debit card at the counter during your appointment.
For further information on consular fees, follow this link.
4.2. List of documents
The main immigration categories are listed below.
Information on all categories is available on the website of the Immigration Office. Some information is temporarily unavailable in English: however, all requirements are available in French and Dutch.
1. Tourism / Working Holiday Program
The Working Holiday Program (WHP) is currently the only 'Long stay' visa category for touristic purposes.
Find out more: Working Holiday Program Belgium - Canada
2. Work
If you wish to settle in Belgium to work there, two separate procedures apply depending on whether your activity is salaried or self-employed/independent.
Please note that trainees, even unpaid, are subject to the "single permit" procedure (see also point 4 "Trainees/Interns" below).
2.1. Employees & Interns/Trainees
If you plan to work as an employee or as an intern/trainee in Belgium (for more than 90 days), you should apply for a "single permit". This permit is a combination of a work permit + authorisation to stay in Belgium (residency).
(1) As a first step, contact your future employer in Belgium. Your employer is responsible for filing the application for a "single permit" in Belgium.
Please consult this page for more information: Single permit procedure
(2) When this procedure is completed, you will be granted a "single permit" from the competent authorities in Belgium.
(3) Only then (not before!) should you apply for a visa with the Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal. Send your application file by post, consisting of the following documents:
- Dated and signed visa application form
- Your passport (note: it should be valid at least 15 months)
- Two ID photos: recent (no older than 6 months), in colour, white background, Canadian passport-size
- Single permit (authorization of the Region concerned)
- Postal money order or certified cheque for the visa fee (CAD 270,00)
- Pre-stamped and pre-addressed return envelope.
For details, please refer to titles 2, 3 and 4 above.
2.2. Self-employed workers
If you plan to work as a self-employed/independent professional in Belgium (for more than 90 days), you should apply for a "professional card".
(1) As a first step, consult the websites of the Immigration Office and of the Region in Belgium where you plan to establish your business:
Immigration Office - Professional Card
Flanders
Brussels Region
Walloon Region
German-speaking Community
The application procedure and application forms vary from one Region to another. Make sure you comply with the procedures of the concerned Region and fill in the required form.
(2) As a second step, send your application file (original + 2 copies) to the Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal. Your application file should include:
- The application form by the concerned Region, duly filled in, dated ans signed;
- A police certificate (see requirements at the bottom of this page);
- Postal money order or certified cheque with the required payment: the payment for the professional card + the payment for your police certificate's legalisation (see consular fees);
- Two ID photos: recent (no older than 6 months), in colour, white background, Canadian passport-size;
- A copy of your passport (note: it should be valid at least 15 months);
- Any other document required by the concerned Region.
For details, please refer to titles 2, 3 and 4 above.
(3) Once your file is complete, the Consulate General will transfer it for decision to the responsible Region in Belgium.
(4) Wait for the approval of the Region.
(5) Once the professional card is granted, you can file your visa application at the Consulate General. Please refer to titles 2, 3 and 4 as to the procedure for filing your application.
3. Studies
To apply for a student visa, you should be able to provide an admission letter showing that you are enrolled as a regular student or as an exchange student in an education institute in Belgium.
There are three different categories, as detailed below. Depending on the category you belong to, different sets of documents will be needed in order to lodge your application.
3.1 University Students (Masters, PhD) - Public Institute for Higher Education
Master- or PhD-level students enrolled in a university or another institute for higher education in Belgium which is organised, recognised or subsidised under federal or regional law should follow the instructions below:
University students, PhD, Master
/!\ Contrary to what is indicated in the visa application confirmation email that you will receive, you do NOT need to make an appointment to submit the complete file to the Consulate. The complete file can be sent by post.
3.2 High School Students - Secondary Education
Students enrolled at a high school in Belgium with an exchange programme (such as AFS, Rotary, or a similar organisation) should follow the instructions below:
High school exchange students (AFS, Rotary, YFU etc)
/!\ Contrary to what is indicated in the visa application confirmation email that you will receive, you do NOT need to make an appointment to submit the complete file to the Consulate. The complete file can be sent by post.
3.3 Students - Private Institute for Higher Education
Student enrolled in a private institute for higher education can find all required instructions the website of the Immigration Office (in French). Kindly note: processing times may be longer than for studies in a public institute for higher education.
Processing times
We recommend that you submit your visa application as soon as possible and at the latest 1 month before the start of your studies in Belgium. Due to the large number of visa applications which need to be processed in just a few weeks' time, the Consulate General cannot guarantee that visa applications submitted within less than 1 month will be processed for the desired date.
4. Trainees/Interns
Trainees/interns who will do a traineeship/internship in Belgium (be it paid or unpaid) must possess a work permit from the relevant Region in Belgium. See instructions in point 2 "Employees & Interns/Trainees". If you are exempt from a work permit, please include proof in your visa application.
Since January 1st, 2023, trainees selected by Les Offices Jeunesse Internationaux du Québec (LOJIQ) are no longer exempt from a work permit, unless they are regularly enrolled in an institute for higher education in Belgium.
5. Family reunion/reunification
If you want to be reunited with your family in Belgium, you can apply for a family reunion/reunification visa.
The visa requirements and processing times vary greatly, mostly according to your partner’s nationality and status in Belgium as well as your family link.
Please visit the website of the Immigration Office for more information:
Family reunion / reunification (in French)
Family reunion / reunification (in Dutch)
Family members of EU citizens living in Belgium (except for Belgians) benefit from special regulations. Please mind Directive 2004/38/EC.
6. Research
If you have a research agreement with a recognised institution in Belgium to do research, you should apply for a scientific visa.
Please verify the framework of your stay with your hosting institution before applying for your visa. You may be exempt from part of the fees.
Information on the scientific visa is available on the Belgian Science Policy website.
If you are doing a PhD in Belgium, please refer to the “Studies” section above (point 3.1).
5. Useful links and information
Forms
Application forms should be filled out online: https://visaonweb.diplomatie.be/en
Legalization
For most Long stay visa applications, certain documents will need be legalized (authenticated) by the Consulate General. The legalization fee is CAD 28,00 per document. Any document to be legalized must have been issued in the past 6 months. Some documents will first need to be authenticated by Global Affairs Canada before they can be legalized by the Consulate General.
For more information, please visit our Legalization page.
Police Record Certificate / Certified Criminal Record Check
If you are 18 years or older and you apply for a Long stay (D-type) visa, you must provide a Certified Criminal Record Check with fingerprints issued by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) within the last 6 months. This certificate should bear the RCMP seal and the signature of the Director General of Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS).
This document must then be legalized by our services (see Legalization page).
Medical Certificate
For all Long stay (D-type) visa applications, you must present a medical certificate, issued either by a doctor accredited by the Consulate or by a general practitioner (e.g. your family physician).
If you opt for a general practitioner, you must check online whether this practicioner is affiliated with the College of Physicians of the province where he/she practices and you must attach the result of your search to your application file. The medical certificate must be fully completed, bear the doctor’s signature, full name, practitioner number and seal (or the seal of the medical office where the doctor practices). Please use exclusively this template (other types of certificate are not admissible).
Finally, please note that if you apply for a work permit (point 2 above), your medical certificate must be legalized by our services (see Legalization page), unless it is issued by an accredited doctor.
For more information, visit this page.
Immigration Office
The Immigration Office is the Belgian national authority competent with immigration and visa policy.
Please find here the Immigration Office's website: http://dofi.ibz.be