Who can apply for the right to return?

You meet these 4 conditions:

• You are not a Belgian.
• You reside in Belgium with a residence card which is still valid for at least 3 months, and for the entire duration of your absence.
• You are going abroad for more than 3 months.
• You will come back to Belgium when while you still have the right to return.
  The maximum duration of your temporary stay outside Belgium depends on your residence card.
  • A card for mobility student: Until the expiry date of your A card
  • EU+ or F+ card: No more than 2 years
  • M+ card: No more than 5 years
  • L-card:
    • Stay in an EU country: No more than 6 years
    • Stay in a country outside the EU: No more than 1 year
  • All other situations: No more than 1 year

Do you not meet the conditions?
Then you must deregister and your file in the national register will be closed.

Do you want to return to Belgium afterwards? Then you will have to register yourself again. If applicable, you first apply for a new long-stay visa (type D).

What does temporary stay outside Belgium entail?

There are 2 options:

• Right to return
  • After your temporary stay abroad, you return to Belgium but not to your current address in Leuven.
  • You will be deregistered from the foreign nationals register, but your residence card will remain valid.
  • Your right of residence will not be interrupted; upon your return, your file in the foreign nationals register will be reopened.
• Right to return with temporary absence
  • After your temporary stay abroad, you return to your current address in Leuven.
  • You remain registered in the foreign nationals register and your residence card remains valid.
  • This is only possible if you meet these 3 conditions:
    • Only your housemates may continue residing at this address. Were you living alone? Then no one may reside there during your absence.
      You are also not allowed to sublet.
    • You must be able to return to your address both during your absence and upon your return. This means that your personal belongings remain in your premises, and if you were living alone, that the premises remain furnished and unoccupied.
    • You must prove that it is necessary for you to go abroad.

Attention You must apply for extension of your stay in good time.

Did you not request ‘temporary absence’? Before we can reopen your file, the local police officer must first confirm that you are indeed residing at your address in Leuven following your return. You can only submit your extension of stay application from that moment on.
During busy periods, such as the start of the academic year, the address check may take a long time. Keep this in mind when planning your return.

When to apply?

At the earliest 1 week and at the latest 1 day before your departure.

How to apply?

Step 1: Gather the information for your application

• Your address abroad
• Date when you will return (if you already know it)
• Documents:
  • Your national identity card (front and back) or national passport (biodata page)
  • Your Belgian residence card
  • Proof of the date of your departure abroad
    E.g exit stamp, airline ticket, train ticket, …
• Proof demonstrating your need to go abroad
  • This is only required if your opt for the right to return with temporary absence.
  • You are absent due to:
    • Studies: add a certificate from the educational institution. The document must state:
      • Confirmation that you need to go abroad for your studies
      • Period during which you need to be abroad
    • Work: add a certificate from your employer. The document must state::
      • Confirmation that you need to go abroad for work
      • Period during which you need to be abroad
    • Medical reasons: add a medical certificate from the attending physician
    • Other reasons: proof that you need to go abroad temporarily
  • Read the rules for translation if the document is not issued in Belgium.

Step 2: Apply for the right to return

Are you applying for more than one person? Complete the application for each person separately.

Apply for the right to return

Step 3: We process your application

1. We process your application.
2. No more than 2 weeks later, you will receive a confirmation by email with official proof of your right to return (an ‘annex 18’ and sometimes a ‘model 8’). Your residence card will remain valid.

How to report your return?

Read how you report your return