Visa for Belgium
All the information concerning visa applications for Belgium is available on the website of the Immigration Office of the FPS Home Affairs.
Long term visa (D visa) applications
The Embassy of Belgium in Helsinki handles all visa applications for residents in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. You need a valid residence permit in one of these countries to apply for a visa. Please note that citizens of EU member states, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland do not need a visa for Belgium, but if staying longer than three months in Belgium, they must register themselves at the municipality where they will be living in Belgium.
The entire application process can take up to several months. It is important to submit your application in time.
The required visa application documents depend on the visa category. Below you will find lists of needed documents per category. Before proceeding to collect the requested documents, please read the description at the top of the document carefully. Should you feel unsure which category applies to you, please contact the embassy at helsinki@diplobel.fed.be. Please also contact us in case of a family reunion visa.
Student in a mobility programme (joint degree)
Researcher with a host agreement
Self-employed (professional card)
All documents to be presented in a visa application must be originals, and if so requested legalized by means of an apostille according to the legal procedure between the issuing country and Belgium and translated by a sworn translator.
Below you find the standard forms. You should fill in only those forms that are mentioned in the list of your visa category.
The visa procedure is as follows:
1. First, all required documents need to be sent by e-mail to helsinki@diplobel.fed.be preferably in pdf format.
2. Second, if all your documents are in order, we will invite you to either send the original documents or come in person to the embassy:
A) Sending your application file
Please send your original application documents, including your passport and identity photos by registered mail or via a courier service to: Embassy of Belgium, Kalliolinnantie 5, 00140 Helsinki, Finland. When the visa has been issued, we will send you an email to discuss the modalities of sending back the passport with the issued visa. You can choose either for a registered letter or courier service.
Depending on the file, the visa may either be issued directly by the embassy or the file may be sent to our central administration for an additional examination.
B) Coming to the embassy in person
Please book an appointment. Take all your original visa application documents with you to your appointment.
The visa application processing times depend on the file and a possible examination of it by our central administration in Brussels.
Short stays in Belgium
Within the Schengen zone, a valid passport with a valid residence permit of a Schengen country allows a short-term tourist visit to Belgium (less than 90 days) and it is thus not necessary to apply for a short term visa (VISA C).
For further inquiries concerning short stays please contact us by e-mail helsinki@diplobel.fed.be or by phone +358 9170412.