Apply for Belgium Student Visa from Zambia
Applying for your student visa and residence permit
Once you have a place, non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals must apply for their visa from the Belgian embassy in their home country. If the course is more than three months long, you’ll need to complete an application form for a long stay in Belgium, and provide certain documents.
For your application, you may be asked to provide:
- a valid passport/travel ID;
- proof that you have a place at a recognised institution (see options below);
- copies of educational certificates;
- details about the course;
- evidence of sufficient funds to cover your living costs, study, healthcare and repatriation costs (EUR 617 per month for the 2015-2016 study year);
- a medical certificate;
- proof that you don’t have a criminal record, if you’re older than 21 years.
To prove your acceptance at a recognised institution, you can provide one of the following:
- the official confirmation of registration for the program;
- an attestation which indicates you have access to the anticipated studies. The attestation must
- clarify the conditions that you need to complete your registration upon arrival in Belgium and must be issued by the relevant educational institution;
- proof of your registration for the entrance examinations.
You may also be asked to provide a letter outlining why you have chosen your particular course, why you want to study in Belgium and how this will benefit you. Additionally, you may also be asked to show some language proficiency in the language the course will be taught in, often by showing that you’ve taken a language course.
You may need to have your foreign documents translated into German, French or Dutch by a sworn translator, and legalised or carrying an apostille stamp. More information is detailed in Expatica’s complete guide to Belgian visas and permits, and by the Belgian Foreign Ministry.