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Migration and Home Affairs
  • 18 September 2025

Student in Belgium

Are you a non-EU citizen wishing to study in Belgium? You can find information below on the conditions to fulfil and procedures to follow, as well as the rights you can enjoy during your stay.

Conditions

You are authorised to come to Belgium to study if you are legally enrolled in an institution of higher education or university recognised by the Belgian authorities to follow a full course of study or to undertake a preparatory year.

If you fulfil the conditions, you will be issued a residence permit and a long-stay visa type D.

Procedures

Where and how to apply

D Visa

To obtain a D visa to travel to Belgium, you need to submit an application containing all required documents (cf. ‘Documents required’) to the Belgian diplomatic or consular post of your place of residence.

The authorities take your fingerprints and a digital photo.

You can check the status of your visa application online by entering your reference number and the location of the diplomatic or consular post.

Documents required

To apply for a long-term visa (D visa), you need to submit:

  • a copy of your valid passport or a copy of an equivalent travel document;
  • a medical certificate;
  • a certificate attesting to the lack of any convictions for crimes or offences under common law (if you are 18 or older);
  • proof of payment of the administrative fee (scholarship holders are exempted from this requirement if the scholarship is granted by the Belgian or EU authorities);
  • proof of enrolment in the educational institution or in an entrance examination or test;
  • proof of sufficient means of subsistence;
  • proof of health insurance for the duration of stay-;
  • if you are under 18, proof of consent from parents or legal guardians.

Further requirements

Residence permit

After your arrival in Belgium, you need to register at the municipality of your place of residence within 8 working days. The municipality issues a residence permit for a limited period of time (A-card).

Duration of validity of permits

The residence permit for students is valid for a period of up to one academic year + one month. The permit is renewable.

Conditions for renewal

You need to apply for renewal to the municipality of your place of residence at the latest 15 days before your residence permit expires.

The authorities assess if you fulfil the conditions for renewal. Your application can be rejected if there is insufficient study progress.

You have made sufficient study progress as a graduate or bachelor student if you obtain a total of 45 credits in the first two years and 45 credits for each subsequent year. As a Master's student, you need to obtain a total of 60 credits in the first two years and 60 credits for each subsequent year.

Appeals

If your application for a long-stay visa has been rejected by the Immigration Office, you can lodge an appeal against this decision before the Council for Alien Law Litigation (CALL) within 30 days after you received the decision.

Further information

Higher education in Belgium

Rights

Employment during studies

You can work up to 20 hours a week, provided your work does not interfere with your studies (and without limit during school holidays).

Stay and employment after studies

After completing your studies, you may ask to be authorised to extend your stay for a maximum of 12 months, in order to look for work or set up a company, with the aim of obtaining a residence permit for employment or self-employment purposes.

Change of status

If your personal situation or purpose of stay changes during your legal stay in Belgium, you can apply for most other statuses.

Family members

Your family members have a right to stay in Belgium if they meet the conditions for family reunification.

Long-term residence

As a student, you do not qualify for the EU long-term resident status. You can apply for the EU long-term resident status on the basis of another status after 5 years of uninterrupted legal stay in Belgium (and provided you have sufficient, regular and stable means of subsistence and health insurance). In this case, your previous study period in Belgium is taken into account at 50%.

Mobility

Since the entry into force of Directive (EU) 2016/801, you can make use of a simple procedure to arrange your stay in different EU Member States for the duration of your studies. Your course must be part of a Union or multilateral programme that comprises mobility measures or of an agreement between two or more higher education institutions, and your stay in another Member State will be limited to 360 days. If you leave Belgium temporarily as a student, it suffices to obtain a notification of temporary absence with annex 18 'attestation of departure' via the municipality.