Belgium Visa for Indians

In order to enter the lands of Belgium, every Indian person bearing a valid passport should acquire a Schengen visa. Whether you are visiting Belgium for business or a holiday, you need to get a valid Schengen visa from the Embassy or Consulates of Belgium in India before commencing your travel, as it won't be provided upon arrival at the Belgium airport.

You must apply for a Belgian Schengen visa based on the reason for your travel. If you put in an application for a Belgium visa before acquiring international travel insurance, you'll be simply denied. In order to acquire a Belgium Visa, every visa candidate should have travel medical insurance. When applying for a Belgium Visa, you are required to have a travel policy as per the law of the Schengen nations.

Belgium is one of the regions covered under the Schengen zone, and you require a Schegen visa to visit the country as a tourist. There are also different types of Belgium visas for Indians that one can apply for based on their travel needs and the duration of their stay in the country. Therefore, the Belgium visa requirements for Indians may also differ with the type of visa that they apply for.

The broad categories of Belgium visas for Indians are:

• Schengen tourist visa

A Schengen visa is issued for a short stay in the country. With a Schengen visa, you cannot stay in Belgium for more than 90 days. This type of Belgium tourist visa for Indians is the right choice for people who wish to travel to Belgium for a trip or to meet their loved ones.

• Long-term Belgium tourist visa for Indians

If you are willing to stay in Belgium for a period of more than 90 days, then you can apply for a long-term Belgium tourist visa for Indians. This type of visa is ideal for people who wish to spend a long time exploring the country or want to spend more time with their loved ones who are living in Belgium.

• Belgium work visa for Indians

If you wish to work in Belgium, you need a Belgium work visa for Indians. To get a work visa, you need to look for a job in Belgium. If you already have a job, you can apply for a long-term Belgium visa, and once you reach Belgium, you can apply for a Belgium work visa for Indians.

• Business visa for Belgium

If you are planning to visit Belgium for business-related reasons, you need to apply for a Belgium business visa to enter the country.

• Medical visa for Belgium

A medical visa for Belgium is required if you are visiting Belgium for a medical purpose like a specific treatment. To obtain this visa, you need to have all your medical documents and the details of the doctor and the treatment that you are opting for. You also require a letter from your doctor outlining that you must fly to Belgium for your medical treatment.

• Study visa

If you wish to pursue your studies at one of the reputed universities in Belgium, then you need to apply for a student visa to Belgium. The Belgium visa requirements for Indian citizens include an acceptance letter from the university of your choice and the receipt of the fees you have paid for the course. The student can obtain a visa for the duration of their course and also apply for unpaid internships to enhance their chances of getting employed after graduation.

• Official visit Belgium visa

This visa is issued to members of the Indian delegation who are visiting Belgium for some important official reasons.

• Visa for Sports, cultural, film crew or religious reasons

If you are visiting Belgium for sports, cultural, or religious reasons, you can apply for this visa. This is a short-term visa that only covers the duration of the event that you need the visa for.

Any citizen of India who wishes to travel to Belgium needs to have a valid Belgium visa. Before flying to Belgium, you need to fulfil all the Belgium visa requirements for Indian citizens and obtain a valid visa. You will not be able to leave the country for Belgium if you do not have a valid visa. Although there are some countries that are not required to obtain a Belgium visa, Indians do not fall under that category. Also, there is no provision for getting a visa on your arrival to Belgium. Depending on the reason for travel, you can get a visa beforehand.

It is, therefore, clear that any Indian wanting to travel to Belgium must have a valid visa beforehand. Getting a Belgium visa requires you to submit all the documents at the visa application centre and submission of your biometric information. You also need to submit the Belgium visa fees for Indian citizens to obtain a valid visa. Long-term visas are tougher to obtain than short-term ones, so keep that in mind while applying for a visa.

The Belgium visa processing time in India varies according to the type of visa, but it should ideally be a hassle-free and efficient process. Moreover, you must also remember that getting a visa without a valid traveling insurance plan is impossible, so you can get a travel insurance plan from Tata AIG before you begin the visa process.

The list of documents required to obtain a Belgium visa for Indians includes:

• An application form for the Belgium visa that has been duly filled out and signed
• A passport that is valid at least for a period of 3 months from the start date of the trip and has two pages empty
• Recent photographs
• Your round-trip tickets
• Proof of your place of stay in the country
• A letter stating the purpose of your visit
• In the case of a Belgium tourist visa for Indians, you need to submit an itinerary
• Proof of your income statement that you have paid your taxes
• Proof that you have paid Belgium visa fees for Indian citizens
• Proof of your civil status
• A valid travel insurance plan that has a minimum coverage of €30,000(including health coverage)

If you are wondering what the Belgium visa fees for Indian citizens are, you do not need to stress. We will discuss all the visa fees in detail in this section. The visa fees are fixed for anyone applying for a visa to enter Belgium.

Here is the detail of the short-stay Belgium visa for Indians:

The Belgium visa fee may differ according to the type of visa that you apply for. The fee does not include service charges that are payable to the VAC. There might be extra charges as per the VAC that you apply to.

The Belgium visa processing time in India is typically up to 15 days after you have submitted your application along with all the required documents.

The cases in which the Belgium visa processing time in India can increase include:

• It can take up to 30 days for visa processing if your case is sensitive or the embassy has received more applications.
• Some visas can take up to 60 days to process in extraordinary situations, where the Belgium embassy has to consult one or more than one Schengen member to issue a visa.

Also, the Belgium visa processing time in India depends on the visa that you have applied for. At the time of submitting the application, you can ask the VAC about the current visa processing time.

Travelling to Belgium from India can ignite that tinge of worry within you due to the distance. Most people prefer to stay in the comfort of their own familiar surroundings and places where they are able to reach out to their loved ones if something goes wrong. But, when you travel to a far-off country, you might get stressed if anything does not go as planned. This is where a traveling insurance plan comes to your rescue. It ensures you are at peace of mind when exploring a stunning country like Belgium.

While travel insurance is a way of covering the risks associated with travelling, it is also mandatory to apply for a tourist visa to Belgium. You will not be able to obtain a visa for yourself if you do not have a valid traveling insurance plan. So, you can choose a suitable travel insurance plan from Tata AIG without any hassles.

The process of buying a travel insurance plan from Tata AIG is efficient and quick. You need to submit all the required documents and pay the premium. The travel insurance plan will be mailed to you within a few minutes. Also, if things go wrong, you can file a travel insurance claim, and it will be settled promptly.

Here are some of the reasons that you need to keep in mind which may lead to the rejection of your Belgium tourist visa for Indians:

• If you do not fill out all the details in the application form, the visa will be rejected.
• If you provide inaccurate or false information, the visa will be rejected.
• If you submit false documents, the visa will be rejected.
• If the embassy feels you have the wrong intentions for entering the country, you will not be given a Belgium visa.
• If it is proved that you might be an immigration law offender, the visa will be rejected.

If you are looking forward to your trip to Belgium, ensure that you have acquired as much information about the country as possible. When you research what the country has to offer, you will feel that you know the country well, and it will make you feel at home in the country. Moreover, you will be able to look at the country in a million different ways. Here are some interesting things about Belgium that will help you better understand the country.

• Belgians speak Dutch and French languages.
• The Zaventem airport in Belgium is known for selling the most chocolate in the world.
• Belgium has a world record for the longest period without a government.
• Tomorrowland, the biggest and most popular electronic fest in the world, happens in the country.
• Antwerp is also known as the diamond capital of the world
• The Brussels Law Court is known as the largest court of justice in the entire world.
• There is no mandatory bar closing time in the country, so you can drink till the morning.
• Belgium has the longest tramway in the world.
• Belgium was the country where the final defeat of Napoleon took place in the year 1815.
• If you are an architecture enthusiast, you will be happy to know that Belgium has the highest number of castles per square metre in the world.

There are so many places to visit in the stunning country of Belgium that one might not be able to shortlist a few. To help you, we have curated a list of all the things you can do and places you can visit on your trip to this paradise. Although the country has something to offer everyone, it is not possible to cover everything in a single trip. So, here are the places that you can visit and things that you must do:

• Visit the Grand Palace in Brussels to see vernacular architecture in its glory.
• Visit the Canals of Bruges to see the history of Bruges.
• Visit the Battlefield of Flanders to experience the remnants of World War 1.
• Taste all the different varieties of craft beers available in the country.
• Taste the decadent Belgian chocolate that is famous all over the world.
• Enjoy a warm Belgian waffle at one of the amazing cafes.
• Mark your attendance at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.
• The city of Ghent is a must-visit during your trip.
• For the ultimate relaxation, visit one of the fantastic spas.
• Visit the world-renowned Manneken Pis Landmark in the city of Brussels.
• If castles are your thing, the Gravensteen castle is worth visiting.
• Fan of vintage cars? Visit Autoworld, which will open up a world of vintage cars.
• Visit Pairi Daiza, the stunning botanical garden.
• Visit the several unique museums located in the country, including the Royal Museum of Central Africa, Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History, and Curtis Museum.

Information last updated Nov '22. While this information is sourced reliably, visa requirements can change. For the most current visa details, visit the official Consulate/Embassy website.