No. In order to get a visa, you need to have a passport.

Yes, for a number of countries, a Belgium identity card is sufficient, namely:

The type of visa depends on the purpose of the journey. The most common visa are tourist visa and business visa. Furthermore there are special visa for e.g. transit, family visit, voluntary work or study purposes. A visa is always valid for a limited amount of time, and grants a limited “duration of stay”. Furthermore there are visa for single journeys, and visa for multiple journeys.

Usually the validity is mentioned in the visa. Sometimes a visa is issued strictly for the exact dates of travel, but in general a visa is valid for 3 or 6 months time. So you should not apply for a visa to long upfront or the visa might have expired even before your date of travel!

Of course we’ve got a keen eye for that at the VisumBuro. If necessary we keep your application “on hold” until the right time to apply has come.
 

Yes, that is possible. Do note however, the difference between “rejected” and “not accepted”. If an application is not complete, e.g. because not all questions on the form have been answered, the passport is not valid long enough anymore or no residence permit has been attached, then the application is simply not accepted. When you re-submit later with all required documents attached, all is fine

A refused visa is something more unpleasant. The embassy reserves the right to refuse to issue you a visa, without clarifying the reasons. Most refusals are related to nationality, profession, personal history or political reasons. Usually the fees paid will NOT be refunded. The embassy is not obliged to return the fees paid, as it’s considered a “handling fee”. Payment of visa fees is no guarantee that the visa will be issued. Visa are granted, not bought…

Yes. To fulfil a lawful requirement you are allowed to give someone your passport. On applying for a visa it concerns the lawful requirement of a different nation, but a lawful requirement nevertheless. They demand that you apply for a visa at their embassy prior to travelling to their country.

In Belgium everyone must carry valid identification at all times. This may be a driving licence or an identity card. A photocopy of a passport is not considered legal identification, however, should this be your only form of identification then we could make a copy of you passport, and put our office stamp on it. This only gives you something to show authorities upon demand, but it is NOT legal identification.

As long as you send it by registered mail there is no serious risk involved. In fact track-trace enables you to “follow” your passport 24 hours a day. Under no circumstances should you send you passport by normal post though.

You may also opt for sending a courier, a friend or bring it to our office personally.

Yes. Except for journeys to Cuba, Australia and the USA. For the USA you must personally apply on-line for an “electronic (ESTA) visa”. For Cuba and Australia we only need a copy of your passport details.

Reliable and easy! We have been specialised in this line of business for over 15 years. Travel agents, tour operators, airline companies, businesses…they all let us handle their applications. So why would you take 2 days off to apply for a visa, when you know you much rather spend those days on your holiday? Of course you are free to download any form from our website and then personally submit your application with the embassy. In the end it will be more expensive though: bear in mind petrol, train ticket, parking fees (if there is place to park at all), taking the day off…And all that twice, since you must go back again a few days later to collect your passport. Not to mention queuing up at the embassy… and maybe finding out that you didn’t bring all necessary requirements…

The VisumBuro thoroughly checks your visa application prior to submitting it with the embassy. We know all procedures and exceptions by heart. Should an application not be complete, then we will sort it out. This could be by phoning you, or by e-mail. You can be sure your application is in good hands and that the application will be dealt with without delay.

No. We don’t issue visa ourselves but take your application to the embassy or consulate. This takes time, sometimes a few days. However, with our on-line track-trace system you can check the status of you application 24 hours a day. This way you will always know the whereabouts of your passport.

Practicly all. There are only a few exceptions. Some embassies (e.g. Angola) insist you complete an original form (not printed). In those cases where no form can be downloaded, we can simply send you a form by post.

No. For all applications it is important (required) that the forms are completed truthfully and entirely by yourself. As we do not know all your personal details we cannot assist in this. Besides, often the applicant must sign the form personally.

It may indeed seem that some questions asked are irrelevant. Like the address of your employer or your fathers full name. Please answer these questions though, as they ARE relevant to the embassy. Failing to answer some of the questions asked, may result in delays or refusal of issuing the visa.

Then the easiest option is to apply online on www.visumonline.be select English language.

If you insist to complete the application in writing it by hand, then you’ll need to ask for help from friends or colleagues. Naturally we’d be more than happy to assist at the counter of one of our offices.

On this website you only find the most common information. Prices may differ when an embassy charges higher fees, e.g. when you want a quicker service than the normal procedure, or when additional authorisation is required. The embassy fees stated on this website are based on Belgian passports. Embassy fees for foreign passports may differ. Also it may happen that we have to make a last-minute decision to send your passport to you by courier. In all these cases we will contact you by phone. Should we be unable to reach you, we might be forced to take an “executive decision” on your behalf, in order to not jeopardise your scheduled flight. Therefore it is important that we are able to contact you at all times

Once we have arranged your visa, we cannot return money. You may be able to claim money from your travel (cancellation) insurance. Sometimes it is possible to cancel an application even after the procedure has already started. It is vital that you contact us without delay should the need to cancel arise. In such case we do charge handling fee, but if we haven’t paid any embassy fees, then obviously we will not charge you for that.

That depends on the visa. Some countries (Russia, Algeria) issue visa for the exact dates mentioned on your ticket. You may then only travel to and from that country within those days. Other countries issue visa for 6 months. Please refer to question #4. Once a visa has expired, you will need to apply for a new visa and pay the fees again.

Emigration is a different story. For that too you need visa but the application procedures are totally different. Usually the procedure has to be started IN the country you wish to move to. These are complicated and time consuming that we do not have any information about. Please refer to one of the specialised agents at http://emigratie.2link.be/

Check out http://www.lonelyplanet.com or elsewhere on the internet. For information in Dutch you may refer to the brochure of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.wijsopreis.nl. Or the Belgian ministry http://www.diplomatie.be

If you intend to travel for a long period of time you need to consider that not all visas can be obtained in Belgium, for the simple reason that they will expire before you enter the country. Be well prepared and check locations of embassies before you go on your journey, as well as the visa procedures.

Some agents are specialise in one specific country. Others cater for younger people and another is not such a good choice for budget travellers. We cannot recommend one in particular that caters for all needs. We do recommend however that you go and explore the world: there is so much to see!

Het VisumBuro only caters for “outgoing traffic”. For “incoming traffic” you need to seek information from http://www.just.fgov.be/index_nl.htm. We do not mediate in these matters.

A foreigner with a Schengen-visa or a Belgian residence permit can travel travel within all Schengen countries as long as the visa is valid. Schengen countries are Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, Holland, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Switzerland (not a Schengen-country) tends to grant permission to entry to those holding Schengevisa. NOTE: Great Britain and Ireland are not part of the Schengen-treaty, therefore a visa is required for these countries.

Seek advice from the Public Health Department, your general practitioner, or internet: http://www.vacciweb.be/ , http://www.travelclinic.com/ www.gezondheid.be

Some countries insist you show a declaration of good conduct to support your visa application. Foreigners need to seek information from the authorities of their country of origin.

A carnet de passage needs to be obtained from the ADAC (German RAC). A carnet de passage enables you to enter and leave certain countries without paying import/export duties for the vehicle you travel with (car / motorbike). For a carnet de passage you need to pay a deposit or bank guarantee, equal to the value of your vehicle. (to be returned upon coming home with your vehicle). Don’t buy one if you intend to leave your vehicle behind in the country of destiny. For detailed information: www.adac.de

Since 2004 every pet within the European Union, Norway and Switzerland needs to have a European Animal Passport. Animals must be vaccinated against rabies and an identification chip or tattoo is required. For trips to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Sweden and countries outside the EU, a veterinary surgeon needs to take blood samples a few months prior to travelling. For more information please refer to your vet or the Dutch Rijksdienst voor de Keuring van Vee en Vlees.

The rules for Belgian customs can be found on http://fiscus.fgov.be/interfdanl/