Extension of stay as a foreign student

This is your situation:

  • You do not have the nationality of an EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
  • Your residence status is 'student'.
  • Your residence card is about to expire and you wish to continue your studies in Belgium.

What you need to do to extend your stay depends on where you are studying.

How to apply for extension of your stay?

This depends on where you are studying. 

Recognised educational institutions are included on one of the following lists: 
Where are you studying? *

When to apply for extension?

  • As soon as possible once you have all the documents
  • At the latest 15 days before the expiry date of your residence card
    • Even if you don’t have all the documents yet at that time
    • Even if you are moving within Leuven and your new address has not yet been confirmed.
    • Even if you are moving from another municipality to Leuven: submit your application with your previous municipality if it is necessary to meet this deadline

 

Step 1: Gather the documents

Digitally or on paper?

You provide the documents all in hard copy or all digitally.

  • For digital documents: first go to step 2.
  • For paper documents: go to step 3.

Exception: annex 32
Is your guarantor coming along to the appointment to have an annex 32 verified and authenticated? Then they may present the required documents on paper.

Which documents?

  • National passport
    • This must be valid.
    • You cannot submit this document digitally. Bring the original with you to your appointment.
       
  • Proof of enrolment at your university or college ('standaardformulier')
    • Regarding the new academic year.
    • You will receive it from your university or college.
    • Are you applying for extension in the course of the academic year? If so, it may be no more than 1 month old.
    • View an example of a ‘standaardformulier'.
  • Proof of financial solvency for the new academic year
    • A scholarship, blocked account or annex 32.
    • Are you submitting an annex 32 for the first time or are you submitting a new annex 32? Check whether you need to add additional documents.
  • Proof of health insurance
    • No more than 6 months old.
    • E.g. a ‘declaration of affiliation’ (‘verklaring van aansluiting’).
  • Standard form for study progress during the past academic year ('standaardformulier')
    • You will receive it from your university or college.
    • Not required if you are exempt, e.g. PhD students.
      Is this your first year as a PhD student? If so, you will still need to provide proof that you graduated in the previous academic year.
    • View an example of a 'standaardformulier' for study progress.
  • Transcript of your exam results of the past academic year
    • Not required if you are exempt, e.g. PhD students.

Step 2: Submit digital documents

  • Currently have all the documents digitally?
    Provide them to us in advance. That way, we can go through them together during your appointment.
  • Don’t have all the documents as yet, but must meet your deadline?
    Then already provide some of the documents digitally.
    Have you meanwhile gathered any of the missing documents before your appointment? Then submit these digitally in advance as well. We will not accept any documents on paper during your appointment.

Attention This is not yet an application for extension
We don’t do anything with these documents as yet. We keep them for a maximum of 6 weeks, after which they will be deleted. We will only go through the documents during your appointment at the city office.
Make an appointment as soon as possible, so that you meet the extension deadline. The date of your appointment counts as the date on which you apply for extension.



Submit documents

Step 3: Make an appointment in the city office

How to make an appointment?

You can do so online or by phone

Do you wish to submit an annex 32 as proof of financial solvency and does your guarantor reside in Belgium?
If possible, ask your guarantor to come along to your appointment. This way, we can authenticate the annex 32 at the same time.
Read which documents your guarantor must bring along

What do you need to bring?

  • Valid national passport
  • Residence card
  • Documents for your extension
    • If you have all the original documents in hard copy, you bring them with you.
    • If you provided them digitally in advance, we already have them and we will go through them together during the appointment.

What happens during your appointment?

Your application must meet the requirements of the Immigration Office of the federal authorities. For instance:

  • You must have obtained sufficient study credits.
  • You must have sufficient financial means.

Meet the requirements?

Then the city will extend your stay and you may immediately apply for a new residence card.

  • You do not need to bring a passport photo. We will take one free of charge during your appointment.
  • You can pay using cash or a debit/credit card:
    • Regular procedure: € 24
    • If you apply before 2 pm, delivery the following working day: € 130

Don’t meet the requirements or are we in doubt?

In that case, your application must be approved by the Immigration Office of the federal authorities. During busy periods this can take a long time, such as the start of the academic year. We will invite you as soon as we receive their decision.

When to apply for extension?

  • As soon as you are able to re-enrol for the new academic year
    Your application must be approved by the Immigration Office of the federal authorities. During busy periods, this can take a long time.
  • Before the expiry date of your residence card
    • Even if you are moving within Leuven and your new address has not yet been confirmed.
    • Even if you are moving from another municipality to Leuven: submit your application with your previous municipality if it is necessary to meet this deadline

Step 1: Gather the documents

Gather these documents:

  • National passport (biodata page)

    It must be valid.

  • Residence card (front and back)
     
  • Proof of enrolment
    • Regarding the new academic year.
    • You will receive it from the private institution.
    • You are extending your studies within the same degree programme.
  • Proof of financial solvency for the new academic year
    • You must deposit a bank guarantee with one of the financial service providers approved by the Immigration Office of the federal authorities
    • Did you have an annex 32 which was valid for the duration of your studies? If so, you may no longer use it.
  • Proof of health insurance
    • No more than 6 months old.
    • E.g. a ‘declaration of affiliation’ (‘verklaring van aansluiting’).
  • Proof of study progress during the past academic year
    • You will receive it from the private institution.
    • It confirms that you were registered for the end-of-year exams and includes a detailed exam transcript.
  • Certificate  of no OCMW support 
    Proof that you are not financially dependent on the social services of the city (OCMW).
     
  • Extract from the criminal record
    No more than 1 month old.
     
  • Other documents
    You may add additional documents to your application if you feel this is necessary. E.g. a statement explaining why you made insufficient study progress.

Have you previously applied for extension and, hence, received a decision from the Immigration Office of the federal authorities?

Belgian legislation will change at the start of the 2026–2027 academic year. Therefore, check that the documents mentioned in your decision correspond to those listed above. This will prevent your application from being rejected.

Step 2: Apply for extension 

You can do so online or at the city office. Preferably submit your application online.

Online

Apply for extension

At the city office

Make an appointment. You can do so online or by phone.

What do you need to bring?

Bring the original documents. You may not present them digitally.

Step 3: We await a decision from the Immigration Office of the federal authorities

We forward your application to the Immigration Office of the federal authorities. They must approve your application.

Step 4: Apply for new residence card

Has your extension application been approved? Then we will invite you to apply for a new residence card.

Temporary absence from Belgium

Will you be spending more than 90 days abroad next academic year as part of your Belgian studies? E.g. for an Erasmus exchange or a mobility programme.

If so, don’t forget to apply for your right to return.

  • Before your departure
    Is your residence card due to expire during your stay abroad? Apply for extension of your stay in good time before you leave, so that you always have a valid residence card.
  • After your return
    Apply for extension of your stay again before the deadline.
    Did you not request ‘temporary absence’? Before we can reopen your file, the local police officer must confirm that you are residing at your address in Leuven again. You can only apply for extension from that moment on. At the start of the academic year, the address check may take a long time. Keep this in mind when planning your return.

Changing from a private institution to a recognised institution or vice versa

Would you like to continue your studies, but are you switching from a private institution to a recognised one or vice versa? If so, you apply for a change of residence status. This must be approved by the Immigration Office of the federal authorities.

What after graduation?

Graduated and want to work in Belgium?

Apply for the residence status 'work migrant'

Not yet found a job?

Then you can give yourself one year’s time to do so by applying for a search year.

Attention AttentionDid you graduate from a private institution? If so, you may not apply for a search year.

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.