Embassy of Belgium in Pakistan

Student visas

Information for Pakistani citizens wishing to obtain a visa for academic studies in Belgium.

An administrative fee has to be paid in Belgium before submitting your visa application. Please consult the website of the Immigration Office for an overview of the administrative fee.

 

Procedure regarding fingerprints:

Fingerprints will be collected for all visa applications (short stay - type C - and long stay - type D). This concerns all applicants from the age of 12 (C visa) or 6 (D visa). Applicants will have to come in person to the Visa Application Center of Gerry’s International to get the fingerprints of 10 fingers collected.

Exceptions are foreseen for the following applicants:

- Persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible (e.g. because of a physical impairment).
- Diplomatic and consular personnel accredited to an Embassy or Consulate of their country in Belgium, as well as their family members, in possession of a  diplomatic or official passport.

 

Legalization of documents: Procedure as from 1 November 2018

  • Legalization of documents as part of visa applications:
    All documents as part of a visa application for long stay have to be legalized first. The visa applicant sends the documents to the Embassy of Belgium in Islamabad via the Visa Application Center (VAC) of Gerry’s International to be legalized. Once the documents have been legalized, they will be sent back via the VAC to the visa applicant, who submits a complete visa file with the application form and all the supporting documents.
  • Legalization of documents which are not part of a visa file:  no change in the previous system. Please read the “legalization of documents” section for complete details.

 
Documents required for obtaining a visa for Academic study

I. General Information

Required documents to be submitted under the following form:

A - All necessary Pakistani documents must be original, legalized by the competent Pakistani Authorities and must be legalized later by the Embassy of Belgium in Islamabad. Applications for D visas containing documents yet to be legalized will be sent to the Embassy together at the same time in a single file. A D visa applicant will visit the VAC just twice - once to submit everything, and once to collect both their processed visa application and legalized documents.
Information regarding previous legalization by the Belgian Embassy in Islamabad and about translations into French is available here. Translation into French concerns only Pakistani documents. Diplomas written entirely into English do not need to be translated. Translation advice: make sure, before getting your translated documents attested by the Ministry of foreign Affairs, that there are no translation errors in them. Any translation error might lead to the rejection of your file by the concerned authorities.

B - All documents that constitute the file must be copied twice, before the legalization. In this way, the original file must be presented with two accompanying files made of copies of each document.  Photocopies should be made on normal paper (A4 size).

C - Read attentively the information below about the necessary documents to be provided before submitting your file. All documents part of a visa application must be submitted at once. It is therefore requested to send the visa application only once the file is complete, and once the necessary documents have been translated into French by Alliance Française for the Pakistani documents. If the Consulate needs to ask for additional documents before being able to take a decision or before sending your file to the Immigration Office, you might not receive your visa on time.

D - Please do provide in your application form a phone number in Pakistan as well as a correct email address of the applicant if available.

E - Do not wait until the last moment to submit your visa application. The processing time of the applications might be longer during some periods  (summer months, holiday season). Therefore, make sure to submit your visa early enough. After submitting the complete visa application, the applicant is kindly requested to wait until he or she is contacted by the Embassy for an interview.

 
II. Documents to be submitted

The documents must be presented according to the following order.

  1. Two forms of visa application - available at Gerry’s-Fedex offices - with 3 clear and recent colour photographs.
  2. Original admission letter of a Belgian higher educational institution recognized or subscribed by the public authorities mentioning Final Admission or provisional admission. Please note that a provisional registration certificate issued by a higher education institution will not be taken into account when examining a visa application.
  3. Original Educational Diplomas and original certificates attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan and to be legalized by the Royal Embassy of Belgium in Islamabad. You should provide detailed Marks Sheet.
  4. Proof op payment of the administrative fee in Belgium (if required). Please consult the website of the Immigration Office for an overview of this administrative fee per category as well as all the cases in which an exemption is granted.
  5. A recent Police Character Certificate for the applicant older than 21 years (the certificate must cover the last 5 years). If the applicant has remained in various countries during this period, several Police Character Certificates must be produced. If the certificate is written into English, no translation needed. The certificate must be legalized by the Embassy of Belgium in Islamabad.
  6. Medical certificate, from a doctor accredited by the Embassy, attesting that applicant is not suffering from any disease putting public health at risk. The medical certificate will be handed over by the doctor to the visa applicant in a sealed envelope, and should be submitted along with the other supporting documents at the Visa Application Centre.
  7. National passport + copy of the first pages. The validity of the passport must be minimum 1 year after the expiry of the visa.
  8. Financial Cover: A certificate of grant of scholarship issued by a Belgian or European institution or the Pakistani Government or the prove of payment for the 1st academic year in Belgium or an original sponsorship certificate for studies (annex 32) duly fulfilled and signed by the guarantor and legalized by the proper authority.
  9. Motivation letter on the choice of the studies

 
III. Proofs of solvency

Only one guarantor can support one student.

A. Information concerning Annex 32.

1 - The Annex 32 is available here: French version - Dutch version.

2 - The Annex 32, legalized, must be accompanied by a copy of the identity card, passport or residence permit of the guarantor which must contain his signature. 

3 - This Annex 32 can be fulfilled only by the guarantor.

4 - This Annex 32 must be legalized by the proper authority of the place of residence of the guarantor (Belgian Embassy in Islamabad if the guarantor resides in Pakistan). The solvency of the guarantor will be after while properly checked and investigated.

5 - The Annex 32 has to be accompanied by documents which prove the Evidence of solvency of the guarantor. See here under.

B. Evidence of solvency of the guarantor:

1 - Salary slips of the last year.

2 - Employers certificate or work contract.

3 - Tax papers. (Extrait de Rôle).

4 - Family Composition/Registration Certificate issued by the competent authority.

5 - Registration No, with the VAT + registration with the trade register and payment of the social security contribution (for people carrying on an independent activity) + bank statement over the last three months. 

Or 

Tax papers document of last year + bank statement bearing over minimum the last three months + copy register of trade (if available) + licenses of Patent (idem) + Banking certificate certifying the capacity of the guarantor to finance the student, comprising the following elements: the minimum allowance of 670 €/month shall be transferred from bank account number (guarantor's personal account number) to bank account number in Belgium which shall be opened by the student upon arrival in Belgium. This banking certificate must be signed by two responsible managers of the bank. Their capacity must be mentioned as well as a direct contact.

NB: In the case of study in a private institution, the following documents are necessary besides the documentary previously mentioned:

  • Original admission certificate by a private educational institute mentioning:
     
    • Final Admission.
    • Admission (Provisional) + 2 copies.
  • Police Character Certificate starting from the age of 18 years.

 

IMPORTANT MESSAGE

A. All fees (legalization, etc.) have to be paid to 'Gerry’s International', except the administrative fee (if required) that has to be paid in Belgium. In case of rejection of the visa, fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.

B. Visa application files have to be introduced through 'Gerry’s International - Visa Drop Box' facilities.

C. ALL FEES (HANDLING FEES OR CONSULAR FEES), EXCEPT THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEE IN BELGIUM,  ARE TO BE PAID TO 'GERRY'S INTERNATIONAL'. NOBODY (STAFF / LAWYERS / PRIVATE CONSULTANTS OR TRAVEL AGENCIES) IS ENTITLED TO CHARGE ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY DIRECTLY TO THE CLIENT OUTSIDE OF GERRY'S INTERNATIONAL OR OUTSIDE OF THE EMBASSY.