Belgium visa requirements for Indian passport holders

Check your circumstances

Read these conditions alongside the entry rule. Where official guidance does not state a condition, that is not confirmation that no condition applies.

Passport type Confirmed for this scope

Belgium's Immigration Office lists India among the nationalities that need a visa for a short stay. Diplomatic, service and special passports have separate rules, so this guide covers ordinary passports only.

Official sources: Belgian Immigration Office, FPS Home Affairs (dofi.ibz.be).

Trip purpose Confirmed for this scope

The Embassy publishes a separate checklist for a tourist visa (Visa C for Tourism). The purpose of the visit cannot be changed later and the visa cannot be extended; either needs a new application.

Official sources: Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs).

Age Conditions to check

A minor under 18 travelling alone or with only one parent needs a notarized affidavit of the parents' consent, apostilled. The Embassy's India page sets a lower fee for children from 6 to 12 and none under 6.

Official sources: Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs).

Residence Conditions to check

Indian nationals and other nationals legally residing in India can apply there. Someone who does not live in India may apply there only if legally present and able to justify not applying where they live.

Official sources: Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs).

Other visas or residence permits Conditions to check

A valid residence permit or long-stay visa from another Schengen state allows visa-free visits of up to 90 days in any 180. Documents from Cyprus and Ireland in principle do not count.

Official sources: Belgian Immigration Office, FPS Home Affairs (dofi.ibz.be).

Carrier and arrival route Conditions to check

India is not on Belgium's airport transit visa list, so changing planes airside at a Belgian airport needs no transit visa. Leaving the airport means entering Schengen with a visa.

Official sources: Belgian Immigration Office, FPS Home Affairs (dofi.ibz.be).

Stay and visa validity Conditions to check

A Schengen visa allows at most 90 days in any 180-day period. The sticker shows its validity and whether it allows one entry, two or multiple (MULT); stay only within those limits.

Official sources: Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs).

Where and how to apply

Apply to Belgium if it is the only or main destination of your trip by length or purpose; if there is no main destination, apply to the Schengen country whose border you cross first. In India you create an account on VisaOnWeb, fill in and send the form, then print it and take it with your documents and fees to the VFS Global centre you chose. The printed form is valid for 30 days.

At the centre your photo is taken live, and fingerprints are recorded unless you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months; children under 12 do not give fingerprints. The Belgian Embassy or Consulate General then processes the file. Family members of EU citizens covered by Directive 2004/38 can apply directly at the Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai by appointment.

Official sources: Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs); Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs).

Documents for a tourist visa

Follow the Embassy's Visa C for Tourism checklist: a passport valid at least 3 months after the end of the trip, the signed form with a recent color photo, copies of your passport and latest Schengen visa, a detailed itinerary, hotel bookings for the whole stay in Belgium and other Schengen countries, and a flight reservation. Add a letter from your employer with your income and leave, or your business registration, or a school certificate if you are a student, plus bank statements, a passbook, tax papers or salary slips.

Travel medical insurance must be valid in all Schengen countries for the whole trip with at least €30,000 of cover; the Embassy publishes a list of approved Indian insurers. It asks for as much proof as possible of your family, work and finances in India, because it assesses whether you will leave before the visa expires, and it can ask for more documents.

Official sources: Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs); Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs).

Fees, timing and funds

The short-stay visa fee is €90, €45 for children from 6 to 12 and free under 6, paid in rupees at the Embassy's exchange rate. VFS charges a service fee of INR 2,750 on top, even for applicants exempt from the visa fee, and neither fee is refunded if the visa is refused.

Submit at least 1 month before you travel and no earlier than 3 months before. Belgium's Immigration Office expects visitors to have about €45 a day if they stay with a host, or about €95 a day in a hotel, and usually a return ticket.

Official sources: Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs); Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs); Belgian Immigration Office, FPS Home Affairs (dofi.ibz.be).

Existing permits and transit

A valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Schengen state lets you visit Belgium without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180, within the document's validity; the name, sex, date of birth and nationality on it must match your passport. Permits from Cyprus and Ireland in principle do not count.

India is not on Belgium's airport transit visa list, so changing planes airside at a Belgian airport needs no transit visa.

Official sources: Belgian Immigration Office, FPS Home Affairs (dofi.ibz.be); Belgian Immigration Office, FPS Home Affairs (dofi.ibz.be).

After you arrive

Your visa conditions apply again at the border and during your stay. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, and ETIAS is not yet operating; it would not replace the visa an Indian tourist needs.

Unless you stay in a hotel, you must report your presence within three working days of arriving in Belgium. If you were registered in the EES at the border, you can do this online with the My Address in Belgium form instead of going to the municipality.

Official sources: European Commission; Belgian Immigration Office, FPS Home Affairs (dofi.ibz.be); Embassy of Belgium in India (FPS Foreign Affairs).