Belgium visit visa for Pakistan passport holders

Belgium checks that it really is your main destination. Its Immigration Office says an application is inadmissible if Belgium is not your sole or main destination, meaning the country where you will spend most of your time or where the main purpose of your trip takes place, and the embassy will refer you to the right Schengen country. If Brussels is only a short stop on a longer European trip, apply to the country where you will spend the most time.

The Belgian process has two parts. First, complete the application form online in Visa on Web, the Belgian foreign ministry's system. Then book an appointment with VFS Global, which collects applications for the Belgian Embassy at centres in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi. First-time applicants must go in person so their photo and fingerprints can be taken, and the fingerprints are reused for 59 months. VFS Global charges a service fee on top of the visa fee, and the Immigration Office stresses that service providers play no part in the decision.

Belgian officials are blunt about incomplete files. The Immigration Office says documents handed in after you lodge an application are generally not considered. It also says an incomplete file with no explanation can be read as a sign that you are not taking the application seriously. Have everything ready before your appointment. That includes a passport less than 10 years old with at least two blank pages, valid for three months after you leave the Schengen area. You also need the signed form, a photo, the fee receipt, proof of the purpose of your trip, accommodation and money, and evidence that you will return to Pakistan. Your travel medical insurance must cover at least €30,000 and must be bought in the country where you live.

Belgium publishes reference amounts for funds. If you are paying your own way, the Immigration Office says you should generally show at least €95 a day if you stay in a hotel, or €45 a day if you stay with a private host. Accepted evidence includes bank statements for at least the three months before you apply, pay slips and an employment certificate. If a large sum was deposited recently, explain where it came from. If your host is paying, they can sign a formal obligation of support (Annex 3bis) instead. For family visits, the invitation should name both of you and give your relationship, whether you will stay with your host and how long you will stay.

Applications are accepted from six months before travel up to 15 days before, and Belgium warns that holiday seasons bring longer waits. When a file is clearly in order, the embassy can issue the visa itself, usually within 15 days. Otherwise the file goes to the Immigration Office in Brussels, which can take up to 45 days, and the Office asks applicants not to contact its Infodesk before then. A refusal letter gives the reasons, and you can appeal or reapply with a file that addresses them. The Immigration Office says a past refusal does not automatically mean a new application will fail.