TRAVELING TO BELGIUM

Visa for Missionaries

To determine the consular office where you should introduce your application and to check office hours, please , click here.

DO YOU NEED TO APPLY FOR A TEMPORARY RESIDENCY VISA?

A citizen of the United States of America or of any country other than a Member State of the European Union who intends to reside in Belgium for a period longer than 90 days, or for a succession of periods totaling more than 90 days per 6 months, must first obtain a temporary residency visa.

APPLICATION FOR THE TEMPORARY RESIDENCY VISA:

Please present the following documents in person at the visa office:

1. A valid national passport (validity 15 months)

2. Two visa application forms duly completed, dated and signed.

3. Language form : (in French, Dutch or German); Choose one of the forms and indicate your language preference (or no preference). The option you choose will be used by the Belgian Home Office to communicate its decision regarding your visa application. There is no English version of this document. Please retain a copy for your records.

Indicate your name: full name as it appears on your passport (nom du demandeur, naam visumaanvrager, name visumbewerber)
Number of the file will be indicated by this office (numéro du dossier – dossiernummer - aktenzeichen)
Indicate in what language you wish your file to be handled

have no preference (geen voorkeur, pas de preference, keiner sprache den vorzug)
prefer French (français, frans, französischer sprache)
prefer Dutch (néerlandais, nederlands, niederländischer sprache)
prefer German (allemand, duits, deutscher sprache)

Date the form (format : DAY MONTH YEAR (NOT: MONTH, DAY, YEAR)
Sign the form (no need to notarize it)

4. Three recent and closely resembling passport-size photographs

Include three sets of the following documents (one original set of documents and two copies) collated and stapled:

The originals will be returned to you together with your passport and visa. You will need them to register at city hall in Belgium.

5. A work permit or proof that you belong to a recognized religious organization.

6. A notarized declaration from the head-office of the mission explaining the missionary assignment and duration in Belgium.

7. An official invitation from the representative office(mission) in Belgium

8. a copy of the by-laws of the religious organization in which you will be involved, as published in the official Belgian paper “Le Moniteur Belge – Het Belgisch Staatsblad”

9. A medical certificate (MS Word) (PDF) according to the model enclosed. For a list of doctors affiliated with the Embassy or the Consulate General, click here.

If you choose your family physician, the doctor's signature needs to be notarized. The medical document should be less than 3 months old from the date of your application.

10. A nationwide criminal history record (FBI Identification Record) covering the last five years, obtained from the FBI CJIS Division (Record Request, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306), dated within six months of your date of application for the visa.

The FBI offers two methods for requesting your FBI Identification Record or proof that a record does not exist.

Option 1: Submit your request directly to the FBI.

Option 2: Submit to an FBI-approved Channeler, which is a private business that has contracted with the FBI receive the fingerprint submission and relevant data, collect the associated fee(s), electronically forward the fingerprint submission with the necessary information to the FBI CJIS Division for a national criminal history record check, and receive the electronic record check result for dissemination to the individual. Contact each Channeler for processing times.

ONLY FBI CHECKS PRINTED ON TAMPER PROOF PAPER ARE ACCEPTED

Note: An FBI-approved Channeler cannot authenticate (apostille) fingerprint search results. A request for your FBI Identification Record or proof that a record does not exist must be submitted directly to the FBI if an authentication (apostille) is needed.

For more information, please go to the FBI website.

11. A pre-paid envelope if you wish to have your passport and visa sent back to your home address. The embassy or Consulate General is not responsible for lost items during shipping.

12. Visa application fee (this price includes consular taxes and handling fees): click Here. The fee may be paid in cash at some locations (exact change please), certified check or money order. Personal checks are not accepted. Certified checks and money orders have to be paid to the order of:
• "the Embassy of Belgium in Washington" if you apply at the Embassy in Washington
• "the Consulate General of Belgium" if you apply at the Consulate General in Atlanta, Los Angeles or New York.

Incorrect money orders or certified checks will be rejected and returned to the applicant. Processing will only begin once the proper payment is received.

In the Embassy in Washington, you can now also pay with a credit card. In New York you can only pay with a money order or certified check.

The visa application fee is non-refundable, whether your visa is actually issued or not.

A personal appearance is required and you must apply in person at the Embassy or Consulate General in whose jurisdiction you reside.

If you wish to make the application by mail (this is possible at the consulates in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, but not at the Embassy in Washington, DC), the following requirements apply:
(1) your signature on the application form must be notarized (certified) by a notary public of your place of residence in the U.S.

(2) do not send your application documents to an Honorary Consul. The application will be processed by the Embassy or by a Consulate General. Always make sure you mail your application to the competent Embassy or Consulate General. Only the Honorary Consuls in Nassau (Bahamas) and San Juan (Porto Rico) may accept visa-applications and they will send them to the Embassy..

After verification of your application, a personal appearance will still be necessary to collect your passport with the visa.

For your dependent family members:

The American (US) spouse and dependent children (under 18 years) of an American missionary who has obtained a temporary residency visa, are not obliged to apply for a type D visa but have the option. For more detailed information please contact the Embassy or Consulate of your jurisdiction prior to entering Belgium.

The family members must have valid US passports and must submit the following documents at the municipality where they have to register within 8 days after arrival in Belgium.

1. A valid national passport (validity 15 months).

2. A certified true copy of the birth certificate for the spouse and the children with an apostille (not older then 6 months).

3. the marriage certificate for the spouse with an apostille (not older then 6 months), issued by the Authentication Office of the Department of State in which the certificate was issued.

4. A medical certificate (MS Word) (PDF) according to the model enclosed. For a list of doctors affiliated with the Embassy or the Consulate General, click here.

If you choose your family physician, the doctor's signature needs to be notarized. The medical document should be less than 3 months old from the date of your application.

5. A nationwide criminal history record (FBI Identification Record) covering the last five years, obtained from the FBI CJIS Division (Record Request, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306), dated within six months of your date of application for the visa. For more information, please go to the FBI website.

You will need translations (in French or Dutch) of the US birth certificates and marriage certificates to register in the commune where you will reside.

DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR DEPENDANTS OF NATIONALS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. PLEASE CONTACT THE CONSULATE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

UPON ARRIVAL IN BELGIUM:

It is important that you register yourself and your family with the City Hall of your place of residence in Belgium within 8 days of your arrival. Make sure that all passports are endorsed by the immigration authorities when first entering Belgium (at airport or other border post).

The local authorities will process your registration identity document that will allow you to enter and leave the country as a legal temporary resident of Belgium.

Search | Site Map | Downloadable Forms | Legal Disclaimer | Comments

Copyright © Embassy of Belgium in Washington
FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Coop. Belgium
Belgian Federal Government