Report a stay in Belgium of less than 3 months

You are in 1 of the following situations:

  • You are not a Belgian and you are coming to Belgium for no more than 90 days. You are staying at a private address.
  • You do not have the nationality of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland. Your stay of more than 3 months in Belgium is coming to an end. You want to stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days immediately afterwards. You do not require a visa type C for a short stay or you still have a valid residence card of another Schengen country.

Report your short stay to the Immigration Office of the federal authorities or to the city as soon as possible.

What do you need to do?

Step 1: Check whether you require a short stay visa

What is a visa?

A visa is a sticker which the consulate of a Schengen country places in your passport. It grants permission to stay in the Schengen area for a specific period.

More information on the visa type C for the Schengen area

Check whether you require a visa

Do you not have the nationality of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland? In that case, you require a visa.

2 exceptions where you do not require a visa

  • Your nationality appears on this list.
  • You have a valid residence card of another Schengen country.

Step 2: Apply for a visa (if required)

Apply for a visa at the Belgian embassy or consulate. They will provide you with more information about the visa and the conditions.

No Belgian embassy or consulate?
Then you apply at the embassy of the Schengen country which represents Belgium in the country where you live.

Step 3: Report your short stay

When to report?

As soon as possible after you arrive in Belgium.

Attention You must stay at a private address.
You cannot report your stay if, for instance, you are staying in a hotel or hospital.

Where to report?

You can report to the Immigration Office of the federal authorities or to the city.

If you report to the federal authorities, you will not receive any residence document. Do you need one? Then report to the city. In that case, you will receive a residence document valid for up to 90 days (declaration of arrival).

Attention

Are you not a citizen of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland?
In the following cases you may only report your stay to the city:

  • You have come to Belgium without a short stay visa (type C). You have a valid residence card of or a long-stay visa (type D) for another Schengen country.
  • Your stay of more than 3 months in Belgium is soon coming to an end. You want to stay in the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 days immediately afterwards. This is only possible if you do not require a visa for a short stay in the Schengen area or if you still have a valid residence card of another Schengen country.

Report to the federal authorities

Report your stay in Belgium to the federal authorities

Report to the city

Which documents do you require?

This depends on your situation.

Which nationality do you have? *

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National identity card or national passport 
    Front and back of ID card. 
    All pages of your passport, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements.
What is your situation? *
Are you coming to Belgium to work? *
Are you coming to Belgium to join a family member who legally resides in Belgium? And do they have the nationality of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland? *

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    All pages, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    All pages, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements
  • Work permit B
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    All pages, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    All pages, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements
  • Work permit B
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    All pages, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements
  • Valid residence card or valid D visa for another Schengen country
    Pay attention to the requirements.
  • Declaration on honour
    In this document you declare if and when you have been in Belgium in the past 180 days. 
    Download this document, and add it to your application, duly completed and signed. You must complete, date and sign the Dutch form. An English translation is attached on the second page.
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    All pages, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements
  • Valid residence card or valid D visa for another Schengen country
    Pay attention to the requirements.
  • Declaration on honour
    In this document you declare if and when you have been in Belgium in the past 180 days. 
    Download this document, and add it to your application, duly completed and signed. You must complete, date and sign the Dutch form. An English translation is attached on the second page.
  • Work permit B
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    All pages, including the blank ones.
    Pay attention to the requirements
  • Valid residence card or valid D visa for another Schengen country
    Pay attention to the requirements.
  • Declaration on honour
    In this document you declare if and when you have been in Belgium in the past 180 days. 
    Download this document, and add it to your application, duly completed and signed. You must complete, date and sign the Dutch form. An English translation is attached on the second page.
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old
  • Proof of the kinship with your relative 
    E.g. marriage or birth certificate
    Read the rules on translation and legalisation of documents
  • Belgian residence card or Belgian identity card of your family member
    Pay attention to the requirements.

Which documents do you require to report a short stay?

  • National passport 
    Biodata page.
    Pay attention to the requirements.
  • Residence card
  • 1 passport photo
    No more than 6 months old

How to report to the city? 

  1. Gather the documents 

You must add them to your application.

What you need to know before you start

  • Attach the documents in colour.
  • Preferably attach the documents in pdf (not applicable for photos).
  • Make a single file of documents consisting of several pages or belonging together, e.g. all passport pages.
  • A document may not exceed 10 MB in size.

  1. Apply for your declaration of arrival

Are you coming with your family? Request a declaration of arrival for each family member separately.

Apply for declaration of arrival

  1. We process your application

We process your application.

  1. Make an appointment to collect your declaration of arrival

You will receive an invitation by email to collect your declaration of arrival, by appointment.

How to make an appointment?

You can do so online or by phone.

Online

If you are not in Belgium, you can only make an appointment by phone.

Make appointment

Call us
What do you need to bring?
  • National passport or identity card
  • Invitation from the city
  • The documents mentioned in your invitation

Extension of short stay

Do you not have the nationality of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland? And are you unable to leave Belgium at the end of your short stay due to exceptional circumstances, e.g. for medical reasons? In that case, you can extend your short stay.

More information

Do you have a question? 

Contact us, we are happy to help you.

Call us

016 27 21 94

Mail us

nietbelgen@leuven.be
We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Something wrong or unclear on this page? Let us know.