Belgium Student Visa: Requirements, Funds and Application

The route covers full-time higher studies or a preparatory year at a higher education institution organised, recognised or subsidised by a Belgian community. You need an enrolment certificate on the official standard form, proof of admission, or registration for an entrance exam. For a first bachelor's degree, your secondary school diploma must first be recognised as equivalent to the Belgian upper secondary certificate by the competent community.

Students at private institutions that cannot award recognised degrees fall under a different, discretionary procedure (Article 9 of the Aliens Act) with a EUR 242 fee and a longer examination.

The Immigration Office sets the student amount every academic year; for 2026–2027 it is EUR 1,062 net per month. You can prove it with your own funds, a scholarship, or a formal obligation (Annex 32) signed by a guarantor.

A guarantor must be Belgian, an EU citizen with residence rights, a third-country national with unlimited residence in the EU, or a relative up to the third degree. They need net income of at least EUR 3,235.88 per month (EUR 3,279.47 from 1 September 2026) when taking on one student. A guarantor living outside Belgium has their signature legalised by the Belgian mission, which marks the form "sufficient solvency" if the check is positive.

Submit in person, because fingerprints are taken and you answer a questionnaire on the coherence of your academic background and study plan. If documents are missing, you have 30 days from the post's letter to complete the file, or it can be declared inadmissible. Documents not in Dutch, French, German or English need a sworn translation.

Report to the municipality of your place of residence within eight days of arrival to register in the foreigners' register. After a positive residence check (a local officer verifies that you live at the address) you receive an A card marked "Student" valid one year, or a four-month certificate of immatriculation if you still must hand in enrolment or insurance proof at least 15 days before it ends. Book the municipal appointment early, as waiting times can be long.

Renew the A card each year at the municipality with proof of enrolment, means and progress in studies. After graduating, apply at least 15 days before the card expires for a 12-month search year with free access to the labour market.

The visa is refused if the legal conditions are not met, if you are a threat to public order or health, if documents are false, if there are serious reasons to believe the stay serves another purpose than studies, or if the institution breaches its legal obligations, is penalised for illegal employment, mainly exists to bring in foreigners or is being wound up.

Refusals by the Immigration Office can be challenged before the Council for Alien Law Litigation (CCE/RvV), as a rule within 30 days of notification, by the person concerned or their lawyer. Decisions of the regional employment authority on the work component have their own appeal route stated in the decision. A new application with the missing evidence is also possible.