In this article we will talk about how to getvisa to belgium. This small but cozy kingdom is located in the very center of Western Europe, between the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands and France. Therefore, Belgium is convenient for visiting other EU countries. The state is part of the Schengen zone. Therefore, to enter it, you must open the appropriate visa. It's not easy to do. But with a visa to Belgium you can see not only magnificent Brussels, medieval Antwerp, romantic Namur, but also to travel to all the states of the Schengen zone. Indeed, between these countries there are no longer any protected borders. All EU countries live in peace and harmony and are not afraid of the intervention of a neighbor. Since Belgium is a small kingdom, not many Russians apply for a visa. And the lack of queues is a definite plus, especially when the date of the trip is “running out.”
Where to apply for a visa to Belgium
Permission to enter this beautiful country can bereceive absolutely independently, without overpaying to intermediaries. To do this, contact the embassy of the country. It is located in Moscow, on Malaya Molchanovka Street, 7. It is the center, the Arbat district. But in order to be accepted at the embassy, you need to register for an audience. And you can do this through the Belgium Visa Application Center by calling their phone number. If you submit a package of documents directly to the embassy, you do not pay any service charges. You only have to fork out the visa itself. Below we talk about its value. The option to open the document directly benefits only Muscovites. After all, you will need to appear for an interview at the embassy. And this, given the distances in Russia, can be very expensive. For this, the consulate of Belgium opened visa centers. They, in contrast to travel agencies, are authorized intermediaries of the embassy at the opening of permits to enter the country of Schengen.
Belgium Visa Centers
Previously there were only two - in Moscow andSt. Petersburg. Residents of the Kaliningrad region had to apply for a visa to Belgium at the Lithuanian Embassy. And residents of the eastern regions of Russia still had to fly to Moscow. But now visa centers have opened in many cities of the Russian Federation. These are Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Samara, Rostov-on-Don and Kazan. And in any of them a visa to Belgium can be opened for Russians living in this region. This significantly reduces the cost of obtaining permission to enter. Although you will have to pay for the services of this visa center. The cost of the service charge at the moment is 1 890 rubles. Previously, it was possible to apply to travel agencies that were taken to fully organize your trip to Belgium, including the hassle of opening a visa. But since the fall of 2015, new rules have been in place.
Why travel agencies are not taken to open a visa to Belgium
Travel agents can help you.find and pay for a convenient flight "Moscow - Brussels", issue an insurance policy and find a hotel. But they will not help in opening a visa. Since September 2015, new procedural rules have entered into force. According to them, each adult visa recipient must undergo fingerprinting and be photographed directly on the spot - by the staff of the consulate or visa center of Belgium. Children inscribed on their parents ’passport are exempted from fingerprinting. But even they, regardless of age, must appear at the consulate or visa center for photographing.
Features of opening a visa to Belgium
Королевство это, как мы уже писали, входит в зону Schengen Agreement. And because the process of opening a visa to Belgium is not much different from a similar procedure for obtaining such permission to enter Germany, France, Italy or Spain. But it has its own nuances. They may not be very popular with tourists traveling abroad. In order for a visa to be opened in Belgium, at least one sheet must be clean in the applicant's passport. And if he wants to take a child with him on a journey, there must be four adjacent pages free from stamps and inserts. Other countries are not so rigid in the requirements for the free space of the passport of the visa applicant. At least one clean page is required, where, in fact, the brand is pasted. But the lack of queues in service centers is a much greater advantage than this little inconvenience.
Do I need a visa if you fly in transit through Brussels (Belgium)?
The international zones of all airports areneutral territories. If you have chosen two connecting flights and are waiting for the next aircraft in this sector, then you do not need a visa to Belgium. You should only have permission to enter your country of destination (if such is required for citizens of the Russian Federation). Therefore, it is possible to fly to Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico through Brussels (Belgium). But this is on condition that you will not leave the international zone of the airport. If you want to make, albeit a short, even for a few hours, visit to the capital of Belgium, you will need to open a transit visa to this country. And for this you should go through a lengthy procedure for its receipt. And of course, the requirement for two free pages in your passport remains valid. As well as payment of a consular fee.
What are the visas to Belgium
Everything is simple.Belgium visas are short-term, long-term and transit. About the last we have already mentioned. It is important to know that you need to open a transit visa in advance if you fly with two transfers at Schengen airports (for example, Moscow - Brussels, Brussels - Munich, Munich - New York), even if you are not going to leave the international zones. The opening procedure and the cost of such a permit to enter Belgium are similar to a type “C” tourist stamp. This visa is given to the petitioner to stay in the country for a period not exceeding ninety days in the first half of the year. Sticker "C" can be requested with a one-time entry or the so-called "multi". But a tourist visa does not give the right to work or other business activities. For this is provided inset "D". And to get it you need a slightly different set of documents.
Visa "C"
To obtain it, you can contact one ofservice centers of the embassy or directly to the consulate in Moscow. What package of documents is required to provide to open a short-term tourist visa to Belgium? First of all, the passport, whose validity is more than three months at the date of the intended end of the trip. Next is a photocopy of the first page of this document, a personally signed questionnaire, which is completed in English, Dutch or French. You also need to attach a copy of your internal passport, the original and a photocopier medical insurance covering thirty thousand euros. If you are traveling on your own, you must submit a hotel reservation for the entire period of your stay in Belgium, electronic tickets (or a copy of paper tickets) with a fixed return date. Employees of the consulate must be sure of your solvency and intention to return to Russia. To do this, they require an extract from your account, certified by the stamp of the bank, on the movement of funds over the past three months, as well as copies of real estate certificates.
Visa for employees, students, pensioners
Helpers will need to provide a certificate.from the duty station - on the official form indicating the salary and position held, signed by the director and stamped by the organization. This document should indicate that the visa applicant will retain his workplace during a trip to Belgium. Students need a similar document from their university. Pensioners present a copy of the certificate. If they are traveling at the invitation of private individuals, then the latter should send by mail to your address a certificate of their solvency (sponsorship letter, photocopy of passport, certificate of employment with an indication of salary). All these documents are submitted as a single package to the Belgium Visa Center or the country's embassy in Moscow.
We are going with children
If both parents participate in the tripchild, the procedure does not look so complicated. Fill out the form, which is signed by mom and dad. A child older than six years old needs a photo pasted in the passport. If he is already fourteen, he must be the owner of his own document for traveling abroad. All persons under the age of eighteen must present a birth certificate. If the child has one parent, it is required to prove it with the appropriate document. A visa to Belgium is much more difficult if the child leaves only with the mother or father. In this case, the parent who remains in Russia must give his direct consent to such a trip. It must be notarized. Also this parent is obliged to provide a copy of his passport. If the child receives a visa "D", then such consent to leave must be authorized and translated. The same is required if children travel with third parties (as part of junior teams, with grandmothers or other relatives). In this case, the consent of both parents is required.
Long-term visa "D"
The “C” document is received both during a business visit and duringprivate trip to visit friends or relatives. But the period of stay in the country should not exceed ninety days. A type “D” visa to Belgium is issued if the applicant intends to stay in the country for a longer period. You can ask for such permission to enter, when the purpose of your visit is entrepreneurship (only participation in a company that is a legal entity), training, treatment, marriage or family reunification. In each case, you need your own package of documents in addition to the basic one that the applicant submits for obtaining a visa "C". The consular department reserves the right to request additional documents from the applicant or to invite him for a personal interview.
How much does a visa to Belgium cost and when does it open?
The fee is thirty five euros perruble equivalent at the time of payment. The visa to Belgium is paid in advance by bank transfer to the embassy account. The receipt is attached to the general package of documents. Children under the age of fourteen years old who are included in the parents ’passport, schoolchildren and university students leaving for education or student exchange programs, close relatives of Belgian citizens or residents residing there are exempted from paying the consular fee. The visa is issued within ten working days. However, the embassy may require additional documents. Then the visa issuance period will be extended.
