VISAS, ENTRY RULES, CUSTOMS REGULATIONS in Belgium
To visit Belgium for business, tourism or private purposes (to visit relatives or friends), you need to obtain a short stay visa, which is a Schengen visa allowing you to travel to both Belgium and the Schengen countries.
If the main country of residence is Belgium, the Schengen visa is issued by the competent service of the Belgian Embassy – the Visa Application Center in Moscow (127030, Moscow, Struggle Square, 15/1) or St. Petersburg (191028, St. Petersburg, Gagarinskaya Street, bld. 34).
To submit documents to the Visa Application Center, the personal presence of the applicant is not required. All documents, including the original passport and a questionnaire signed by the person requesting a visa, can be submitted by his representative without a power of attorney. However, the Embassy reserves the right to invite the applicant for a personal interview.
Basic documents required for any short stay visa application:
– One visa form filled out in a foreign language and duly signed, and one photograph;
– A valid foreign passport (valid for at least 3 months after the expiration of the visa). Persons under the age of majority (18 years) can be entered in the passport of one of the parents who accompanies them on the trip.
– Travel health insurance valid in the Schengen countries with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros covering possible medical expenses and repatriation.
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS:
For a tourist trip:
– Detailed trip plan in a foreign language (cultural program);
– Hotel reservation for the entire stay;
– Proof of personal financial solvency for the period of the trip to Belgium (at least 50 euros per day, not including funds for hotel accommodation);
– A certificate from the place of work indicating your position, length of service in this company, your salary, as well as a certificate of leave for the period of a trip to Belgium; for students and schoolchildren – a certificate from the place of study.
According to Top-mba-universities, Belgium.if a tourist visa is requested an unemployed person supported by a spouse or other family member, or a student / student supported by parents traveling separately, then, in addition to proof of personal creditworthiness, it is necessary to provide a sponsorship letter from the spouse (parent) and proof of his / her income (salary). The letter may be written on plain paper and must be accompanied by the sponsor’s personal signature.
– Booking a round-trip ticket;
– For foreign citizens, a valid Russian visa allowing you to return to Russian territory
For a private visit to your relatives or friends living in Belgium:
– An invitation letter from the inviting person indicating the nature of your relationship, as well as the purpose of your trip to Belgium; in the case of a trip to close relatives – documentary evidence of kinship (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.)
– Commitment to take care in form 3 bis (it is desirable to receive an invitation to your home address), signed by the inviting person in Belgium. A commitment form for maintenance can be obtained from the commune of your place of residence in Belgium. The obligation to take care must be submitted in original (+ 1 photocopy) and accompanied by the following required documents:
1) Salary certificate of the inviting person for the last three months or a document issued by a state body certifying his/her monthly or annual income, net or gross, (pension certificate, extract from the tax register);
2) A document confirming the Belgian nationality of the guarantor, or, if it is a foreigner, a document giving the right to unlimited stay in Belgium
– A certificate from the place of work indicating your position, length of service in this company, your salary, as well as a certificate on granting you leave for the period of your trip to Belgium; for students and schoolchildren – a certificate from the place of study;
– Medical insurance for the period of travel, valid in the Schengen countries, with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros and covering possible medical expenses and repatriation;
– For foreign citizens, a valid Russian visa allowing them to return to Russian territory.
For a business trip (as well as for cultural and sporting events):
– Original invitation letter from the company or organization inviting you to Belgium (the invitation is sent to the address of the person requesting the visa or his place of work);
– Certificate from the place of work indicating your position, length of service in this company, your salary and the purpose of your trip to Belgium;
– Guarantees of payment of expenses for staying in Belgium, provided by the host (in the invitation) or the sending organization (in the certificate of employment). If you are traveling at your own expense: proof of personal creditworthiness (bank statement or currency exchange certificate) at the rate of at least 50 euros per day + funds for hotel payment.
– Booking a round trip ticket;
– For foreign citizens, a valid Russian visa allowing them to return to Russian territory.
Note:
1) Truck drivers must also attach a
copy of their driver’s license and CMR to their file.
2) For groups of more than 5 people, it is necessary to provide a list of group members on the letterhead of the Russian party responsible for organizing the trip, indicating their names, surnames and positions.
Unaccompanied minors (under 18) must provide a notarized permission from both parents to travel abroad and a copy of their birth certificate.
From Russia to Belgium, you can freely import up to 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 gr. tobacco, up to 2 liters. wine, up to 1 liter spirits, up to 50 gr. perfume and 250 ml. toilet water, up to 0.5 kg. coffee, up to 100 gr. tea or other goods in the amount of not more than 50 euros. In the case of entry from an EU country, the rules for the import of such goods will be more liberal.
There are no restrictions on the import and export of local or foreign currency in Belgium.
Belgium, Embassy website: http://www.diplomatie.be/moscowru/default.asp?id=27&mnu=27