Belgium Visa Policy

Visa Policy for Belgium

The Visa Policy for Belgium is based on requirements and laws for foreign travelers who wish to enter this country. These regulations are shared with all the other countries in the Schengen passport-free area, meaning that visa requirements shouldn’t be too difficult to follow.

If a traveler has a passport from any Schengen member state, then this traveler is granted freedom of movement to Belgium by offering a valid National ID card. This document is required at border checkpoints.

Visa-free travelers can also enter Belgium if they do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area. All they need is a valid passport, and to avoid exceeding the maximum stay allowed of 90 days. The visits can only be for tourism, transit, or business, but not for living or seeking paid work.

By 2022, the Schengen Area will launch a new visa policy called ETIAS, which will be mandatory for all those travelers who don’t need a visa to visit this area. However, the ETIAS will be quite easy to obtain, and it won’t be expensive.

Belgian visa regulations declare that visa-free citizens who want to stay in the country for a longer period or want to stay there for other reasons must get an embassy visa by going to any Belgian diplomatic mission.

Over 90 countries can enter Belgium without a visa, but they will need an ETIAS soon.

Other 150 countries must get a paper visa before traveling to Belgium.

To see which countries require a visa or any other type of document to enter Belgium, we recommend reading the information below. It will also help travelers to understand the Belgium Visa Policy better.

Tourist Visa Policy for Belgium

Travelers wishing to visit Belgium for tourism should know that they may enter this country without a visa.

According to the official information of the Belgium Visa Policy, about 90 countries can now visit Belgium for tourism without applying for a visa, and many of them belong to the Schengen Area. By 2022, all visa-free countries outside the Schengen Area will have to apply for an ETIAS to enter Belgium for short-term stays. This type of visa will allow multiple short stays up to 90 days each in Belgium.

150 countries must get a tourist visa at an embassy or consulate in advance, meaning that travelers from these countries will have to schedule an appointment at a local embassy several weeks before their visit to Belgium.

Belgium ETIAS

The Online visa waiver for Belgium called “ETIAS” will be introduced by 2022, and it will be obligatory for all visa-free nationalities that want to visit Belgium for short-term stays.

The European Travel Information and Authorization System or ETIAS will be introduced to enhance border protection of the Schengen zone. With this program, travelers will only have to fill in an online form to obtain the online travel authorization. This authorization will grant entry to all of the 26 Schengen member states in the Schengen Area during its validity.

The ETIAS for Belgium can be used to visit any Schengen country for a total stay of 90 days per entry. It can be used for tourism, transit, business, or medical treatment.

The online authorization will be valid for 3 years from issue, or until the corresponding passport expires. Travelers wishing to apply for this document will have to get their passports t with a minimum validity of 3 months from the expected date of arrival.

Aside from the passport, the traveler won’t need many things because the process will be done through a simple online application form.

Once the authorization is ready, a copy will be sent directly to the applicant’s email address. It is recommended to print and hand-sign it before entering the country.

The following countries will be eligible for the ETIAS, and they’re currently the only countries that can enter Belgium and the Schengen Area without a visa:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• the Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominica
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Kiribati
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macau
• Macedonia
• Malaysia
• Malta
• the Marshall Islands
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Norway
• Palau
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• the Republic of Cyprus
• Romania
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Saint Lucia
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• the Solomon Islands
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tuvalu
• Ukraine
• the United Arab Emirates
• the United Kingdom
• the United States
• Uruguay
• Vanuatu
• Vatican City
• Venezuela

Embassy (Consular) Visa Required

More than 150 nations around the world must get a Schengen visa for Belgium in advance, regardless of the purpose and intended length of stay.

In that case, the traveler must schedule an appointment at the nearest Belgian diplomatic government office to complete a visa interview.

As for the Schengen visa requirements, they stipulate that the applicant must fill out an application form with personal and passport data. There might be other requirements needed depending on the traveler’s circumstances.

It is mandatory to indicate which type of Belgian Schengen visa the applicant needs, as several visa alternatives are available from an embassy. Some of these visas are tourist visas, work visas, study visas, and resident visas.

Travelers are advised to make the embassy appointment at least 2 to 3 weeks before their intended travel dates so that they can have their visas ready for their travel.

To see which countries require a Consular Visa to enter Belgium, we recommend checking our Visa checker. This tool is based on the latest updates of the Belgium Visa Policy so that the traveler can know exactly what documents are required before entering Belgium.

Other Visa Information for Belgium

According to the Belgium Visa Policy, only 90 countries can enter Belgium without a visa. These visa-exempt travelers can stay in the country for a maximum visit of 90 days per entry, within every 180-day period. The purposes can be tourism, business, medical treatment, or transit.

Due to the recent coronavirus pandemic, travelers are also encouraged to apply for the Belgium Passenger Locator Form as it is mandatory for any traveler wishing to enter Belgium.