Practical guide for Canadian students
Organising your stay – Administrative procedures
Canadian nationals who would like to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days must submit a long stay visa application to the Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal. https://canada.diplomatie.belgium.be/en
Where and when to apply for a visa
Start by filling out your application form online.
Once it is filled out, print it. Then, assemble all necessary supporting documents and prepare your application package. Do not forget to add your application form, duly dated and signed.
When your application package is ready, send it by post to the Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal (express mail with tracking number, e.g. Xpresspost, FedEx, UPS, DHL or Purolator).
Visa applicants must pay two sets of fees before their application can be admissible: an administrative fee, which must be paid to the Immigration Office in Belgium (the fee), and consular fees, which must be paid to the Consulate General.
Please note:
- A long stay visa application cannot be submitted more than 6 months before the date of your travel.
- If your application package is incomplete (if you did not provide all necessary supporting documents), your application will not be processed.
- ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System), the equivalent of the Canadian eTA or the American ESTA, will be implemented in spring 2025 at the earliest.
- It will affect travellers who are not subject to a Schengen visa (among which Canadian nationals) and who will now need to get a travel authorisation to enter most of European countries.
To know everything about these new requirements, visit: www.travel-europe.europa.eu/etias
Applying for a Belgian authorisation for researcher as an international researcher
Since the 1st of March 2023, third-country nationals linked with a hosting agreement to a research organisation recognised in Belgium can benefit from the new legislation regarding the researchers.
To conduct a research activity in Belgium, the third-country national will need an authorisation for researcher.
This authorisation for researcher should be applied for by the recognised research organisation at the competent regional government through the single permit application.
When the recognised research organisation submits this application, the researcher generally has to be in a country outside the EU. Only if the third-country national already has been authorised for a short stay (i.e. maximum of 90 days) or long stay (i.e. more than 90 days) in Belgium, an exception is made, and third-country national may already be on Belgian territory at the time the recognised research organisation applies for the authorisation.
Visit the website of the Immigration Office to find out about:
- Application for authorisation for researcher (procedure, documents and examination period)
- Visa
- Renewal of the authorisation
Application for an authorisation to do an internship in Belgium
If you want to do an internship of more than three months (90 days) in Belgium, the “single permit
application” applies to you.
The first step is to get in touch with your future employer in Belgium.
Your employer will then contact the competent authority in Belgium to grant you a “single permit”
(= authorization to work + authorization to stay).
Please note that, as part of this procedure, you will need to apply for an apostille or legalise some Canadian documents.
Once the “single permit” is granted (and not before!), you will need to apply for a visa at the Consulate
General of Belgium in Montreal.
FOR STAYS OF MORE THAN 3 MONTHS, YOU MUST REGISTER AT THE LOCAL AUTHORITY OF YOUR RESIDENCY PLACE IN BELGIUM WITHIN 8 DAYS OF YOUR ARRIVAL. YOU ALSO MUST UNREGISTER WHEN YOU LEAVE.
You will have to go to the Immigration Office of the local authority with the following documents:
- your ID card/passport and visa;
- your housing lease agreement;
- an ID photo.
In the following days, the police will pay you a visit at home to check your address. You will then go back to the Immigration Office with the documents required by the local authority to complete the register process, for which the local authority will charge you €18 (±30 CAD).
When the local authority will be done with the registration process, they will send you your Certificate of registration in the Aliens’ Register.
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