Travel visa for Belgium

Guide to Belgium Transit Visa

Complete Guide to Belgium Transit Visa Requirements, Eligibility, Application Steps, and Guidelines

If you are traveling to another country and need to change flights or ships in Belgium, you will need to obtain a transit visa. Generally, transit visas fall into two categories:

Airport transit visa. This visa allows you to stay in the international area of the Belgian airport while waiting for your next flight.

Transit visa for seafarers. A Schengen transit visa for seafarers is a visa that allows you to leave your ship in one of the Schengen seaports for a short period. However, you cannot leave the Schengen seaport, even if you have to spend the night in Belgium.
Visit for:

Belgium Visa from Pakistan

It depends on whether you are traveling by plane or boat and whether you need one of the above visas.

Who needs a visa to transit through Belgium?

In spite of the fact that they do not leave the international transit zone, citizens of the following countries require a transit visa for Belgium:

Afghanistan
Bangladesh
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Ghana
Iran
Iraq
Nigeria
Pakistan
Somalia
Sri Lanka
Dominican Republic
Guinea
Guinea Bissau
Nepal
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Yemen
Palestinians

Exemptions from the transit visa requirement

Even if you are from one of the countries listed above, if you belong to one of the categories listed below, you do not need a visa to transit through Belgium:

You have a diplomatic passport.
You hold a uniform visa, a residence permit issued by a Member State, or a valid national long-stay visa.
You have a residence permit issued by Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino, or the United States.
You have a valid visa or residence permit for a country in the Schengen area, the EU, or the EEA.
You have a valid visa for Japan, Canada, or the United States, or when you return from these countries after using your visa.
You have a relative who resides in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland.
You are a flight crew member at work, national of a contracting party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO).

In the event that you do not depart the international transit region

If you are not from one of the countries listed above, you can transit through Belgium without a visa, as long as you remain within the international transit zone. You should check with your airline if you will need to leave the transit area to change flights or collect your baggage before departing.

Countries with a visa-free agreement with Belgium

If you come from a country that has a visa-free agreement with Schengen (such as the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, etc.), you can transit through Belgium without any problem, even if you leave the zone for international transit.

Can I leave the airport with a Belgian transit visa?

No, you cannot leave the airport with a transit visa unless:

Your nation is a member of the EU, the EEA, or the Schengen region.
You come from a country that has a visa-free agreement with Schengen.
You hold a Schengen tourist visa.

Belgian transit visa requirements

When you apply for a transit visa for Belgium, you must collect several documents required by the Embassy of Belgium. You must be accurate with all documents to have a better chance of receiving the visa. See the list of paperwork needed for a seafarer's transit visa and an airport transit visa below.

Requirements to apply for an Airport Transit Visa (ATV):

Visa application form. You must print the application form, fill in all the required information and sign it.
Two pictures. You need two identical photos; one attached to the application form and one to take to the embassy or consulate. Photos must be recent.
Valid passport. Your passport must be valid and must have at least two blank pages to leave room for your visa.
Proof of your final destination.

You must present your flight ticket reservation for the country you are going to.
You must show the visa of your final destination if you need it.

Travel insurance. You must have travel insurance that covers at least €30,000 in the event of an emergency such as:

Sudden illness.
Physical injury, serious injury.
Evacuation.

Proof that you have paid your transit visa fees. You must prove that you have made the payment of €80 for your transit visa. You should review the Schengen visa fees to make sure you have to pay for the visa or if you have to pay a reduced fee.

Requirements for applying for a Schengen transit visa for seafarers:

Visa application form. You must complete and sign it.
Two recent photos. You should have two photos depending on how the Schengen visa application requires the photos.
Passport. Your passport must have been issued for less than ten years and it must be valid for at least three months after your exit from the Schengen area. You might also need to produce a copy of the data pages from your passport.
Letter of invitation from the shipping company. The inviting shipping company in the Schengen country must issue you with a letter proving that you will disembark in the Schengen area.
The Seaman's Book. Your Seaman's Book should be in both the original and a copy.
Travel insurance. You should have emergency travel medical insurance. It is valid for all countries belonging to the Schengen area.
Flight reservation. (If applicable).
Employment contract. You must bring the contract you made with the ship or the shipping company in order to board the ship.
Proof that you have paid the visa fee. You must prove that you have made the payment for your transit visa of €80. To be certain of the cost, check the Schengen visa costs.

How to apply for a Belgian transit visa?

When requesting a transit visa, you must:

Make an appointment by contacting the Belgian embassy or consulate. If there is no Belgian embassy/consulate, you need to know where they have outsourced visa applications. This may be the embassy or consulate of another country or a visa application center.
Complete the Belgian transit visa application form. The visa application form should be available online at the Embassy/Consulate or Visa Application Center website. Alternatively, you may need to pick up a physical copy of the form from their offices.
Prepare the required documents. Gather the documents required for a Belgian transit visa application.
Be present at your appointment and bring the required documents with you.
Pay the visa fee.

Duration of a Belgian transit visa

You can enter the Schengen region for a brief amount of time even though the Belgian transit visa is only valid for a short time. Whether you are seeking an airport transit Schengen visa or a Schengen transit visa for sailors will determine how long your Belgian transit visa will be valid.