Foreign student registration (non-EU)

A residence authorisation and then a residence permit is required for any third-country student who resides in a third country and wishes to establish his residence in the City of Brussels in order to study. 

Please note: a third country is a country which is neither member of the European Union (EU), nor considered as assimilated to EU Member States - Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.

1. Before entering the country: temporary residence permit (visa D)

The future student from a third country must send an application for a temporary residence permit to the diplomatic or consular representation of Belgium from his country of origin in the form of a visa D with restrictive provision limiting the stay to the duration of the studies.

2. After entering the country: registration with the municipality

Do you have a visa D?

Do you have a temporary residence permit in the form of a visa D with restrictive provision limiting the stay to the duration of the studies?

In order to submit your application for registration and receive your residence permit, please contact the Municipal Administration of the City of Brussels to make an appointment by e-mail or by telephone at:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

After this appointment, a police officer in your district will carry out a check to verify your place of residence. If approved, a second meeting will be automatically scheduled for you by the Municipal Administration in order to proceed with your registration and order your residence permit ('Carte A').

You have a visa C or you do not have a visa

Do you have a temporary residence permit in the form of a visa C or are you exempt from the visa requirement?

You must contact the Municipal Administration of the City of Brussels to make an appointment in order to declare your arrival and submit your application for a residence permit by e-mail or by telephone at:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

* Amount of federal tax:

  • If you are enrolled in an establishment organised, recognised or subsidised by the public authorities, the amount is 208 euros.
  • If you are enrolled in a private educational institution, the amount is 201 euros.
  • Students registered as part of an exchange programme (Erasmus,...) and over the age of 18 pay an amount of 201 euros or 208 euros.
    • If you are exempt from paying this fee, please provide the standard form which stipulates this fact.

If your file is complete, it will be sent to the Immigration Office for processing and a police officer in your district will carry out a check to verify your place of residence. Upon receipt of the decision from the Immigration Office concerning your application for a residence permit, the Municipal Administration will contact you automatically.

For all information concerning access to the student labour market:

Renewal of your residence permit ('Carte A')

As a student, you must apply for the renewal of your residence permit no later than 15 days before the expiry date of the residence permit.

In order to renew your student residence permit, you must send the following documents:

  • Your valid passport
  • Your new school registration (PDF, 403.29 KB) certificate
  • External site Certificate of academic progress (required standard form) with the list of your credits (+ your transcript)
  • Proof that you have sufficient means of subsistence:
    • Either your support (External site appendix 32):
      • If your guarantor is abroad, the statement 'Sufficient solvency' must be specified (legalised by the Belgian embassy in the country of the guarantor)
      • If your guarantor is in Belgium, please provide his/her last three payslips
    • Either own resources (self-financing)
    • Either a stock exchange certificate
  • Your certificate of affiliation to a healthcare insurance which is valid in Belgium

If you change school, guarantor or if you have not taken all your exams, the extension cannot be carried out directly and you must send us the following documents:

  • new support (External site appendix 32) with the name of the new school stated therein
  • cover letter addressed to the Immigration Office to justify the change of school or the reason why you did not pass your exams

As soon as you have all the necessary documents, please send them by e-mail to the following address:

For any request for extension of stay subject to the positive opinion of the Immigration Office, the person concerned will be summoned as soon as the Foreigners' Office of the City of Brussels has received an answer.

Belgium is the first EU Member State where the mobility takes place

Do you have a visa D B35?

Do you have a temporary residence permit in the form of a visa D B35 with restrictive provision limiting the stay to the duration of the mobility programme?

In order to submit your application for registration and receive your residence permit, please contact the Municipal Administration of the City of Brussels to make an appointment by e-mail or by telephone at:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

  • National passport
  • Valid D B35 visa
  • School registration (PDF, 510.77 KB) (standard form)
  • 1 photo
  • 35 euros

After this appointment, a police officer in your district will carry out a check to verify your place of residence. If approved, a second meeting will be automatically scheduled for you by the Municipal Administration in order to proceed with your registration and order your residence permit ('Carte A').

You do not have a visa

Do you have a temporary residence permit in the form of a visa C or are you exempt from the visa requirement?

You must contact the Municipal Administration of the City of Brussels to make an appointment in order to declare your arrival and submit your application for a residence permit by e-mail or by telephone at:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

If your file is complete, it will be sent to the Immigration Office for processing and a police officer in your district will carry out a check to verify your place of residence. Upon receipt of the decision from the Immigration Office concerning your application for a residence permit, the municipal administration will contact you automatically.

Observation on the right of return for mobile students holding an A card:

As a student studying under a mobility programme, you will be required to travel to other EU Member States during various periods as part of your programme. As such, you can remain in possession of your Belgian residence permit. In addition, you must keep the permit and report any stay outside the country which exceeds three months to the municipal administration. The municipality will issue you a departure certificate (Appendix 18) and register your right to return. if your mobility programme includes a stay in different Member States, this duration can be longer than one year. ​

Belgium is not the first Member State where the mobility programme takes effect

Do you have a mobility certificate issued by your educational institution?

You must contact the Municipal Administration of the City of Brussels to make an appointment in order to declare your arrival by e-mail or by phone at:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

  • Valid national passport
  • Mobility certificate
  • Residence permit issued by a Member State of the European Union as part of your mobility programme

Have you come to Belgium in order to pursue an internship of more than three months as part of your studies in another Member State?

Do you have a visa D B12?

You have a temporary residence permit in the form of a visa D B12 with restrictive provision limiting the stay to the duration of the internship.

In order to submit your application for registration and receive your residence permit, please contact the Municipal Administration of the City of Brussels to make an appointment by e-mail or by telephone at:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

  • National passport
  • Valid D B12 visa
  • Internship agreement
  • 1 photo
  • 35 euros

After this appointment, a police officer in your district will carry out a check to verify your place of residence. If approved, a second meeting will be automatically scheduled for you by the Municipal Administration in order to proceed with your registration and order your residence permit ('Carte A').

You do not have a visa

You must contact the Municipal Administration of the City of Brussels to make an appointment in order to declare your arrival and submit your application for a residence permit by e-mail or by telephone at:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

If your file is complete, it will be sent to the Immigration Office for processing and a police officer in your district will carry out a check to verify your place of residence. Upon receipt of the decision from the Immigration Office concerning your application for a residence permit, the Municipal Administration will contact you automatically.

A cross-border student refers to a foreign national who:

  • is studying as a pupil or regular student in Belgium for more than 90 days
  • and has their main residence in a neighbouring country and who returns there in principle every day or at least every weekend.

You must contact the Administration of the municipality where you live or, failing that, where you study to make an appointment by e-mail or telephone in order to declare your arrival:

You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

  • Valid national passport
  • Registration certificate
  • Valid residence permit issued by the authorities of the neighbouring country
  • Proof of sufficient means of subsistence

Seeking a job or starting a business?

After completing their studies in Belgium, a student can ask to reside in Belgium for a maximum of 12 months in order to look for work or set up a business in the country.

Note on the diploma obtained:

The degree obtained must be a bachelor's degree, a master's degree or a postgraduate or doctoral degree. Diplomas obtained during the previous three years are accepted on condition that the foreigner still has a valid temporary residence permit as a student.

How to apply?

As a graduate student, you must apply for renewal of your residence permit no later than 15 days before the expiry date of the residence permit (A card).

You must send the following documents:

  • Valid passport or travel document
  • Diploma obtained in a Belgian higher education establishment or, if you have exercised your right to mobility, proof of receipt of a diploma in a higher education establishment located in the first or the second EU Member State other than Belgium
  • External site Health Insurance
  • Proof of sufficient means of subsistence:
    • Either your support (External site Appendix 32):
      • If your guarantor is abroad, the statement 'Sufficient solvency' must be specified (legalised by the Belgian embassy in the country of the guarantor)
      • If your guarantor is in Belgium, please provide his/her last three payslips
    • Either a blocked account at the educational institution where the diploma was obtained
    • Either proof of own income
  • If your diploma was obtained in another EU Member State: proof that you resided in Belgium as part of the mobility programme

As soon as you have all the necessary documents, please send them by e-mail to the following address:

If your file is complete, it will be sent to the Immigration Office for processing. Upon receipt of the decision from the Immigration Office concerning your application for a residence permit, the Municipal Administration will contact you automatically.

SEE ALSO