Belgian visa resources
Fees for a Belgium visa application
Belgium charges two distinct national payments for a long-stay application: the visa handling fee and the contribution (redevance/bijdrage), with amounts set by category.
Important
Belgium's national long-stay process involves two separate, non-refundable payments that applicants must not confuse. The first is the visa handling fee, paid to the consular post when the application is lodged. The second is the contribution fee (redevance / bijdrage), paid to the FPS Home Affairs to cover the administrative cost of processing a national long-stay visa (more than 90 days) or a residence application. Both are due per person and are non-refundable if the application is refused, withdrawn, or the applicant does not travel.
The contribution-fee amounts are adjusted every 1 January in line with the consumer price index, so always confirm the current figure on the Immigration Office page before paying. The figures below are those the Immigration Office publishes as effective from 1 January 2026.
Visa handling fee
- The long-stay (visa D) handling fee is 250 euros for applications with an appointment from 1 July 2026 (it was 180 euros before that date)
- Paid in local currency to the Belgian consular post when submitting the application
- Non-refundable; certain family members of EU citizens and some nationalities may be exempt
Contribution fee (redevance / bijdrage) - amounts from 1 January 2026
Paid to FPS Home Affairs (IBAN BE57 6792 0060 9235, BIC GEBABEBB), one fee per non-exempt person:
- 152 euros - single permit / highly qualified workers, researchers, seasonal workers, intra-corporate transferees
- 202 euros - EU long-term resident permit, authorisation to return, re-acquisition of long-term resident status
- 218 euros - family members of Belgian citizens, family members of foreigners with authorised stay, students' family members
- 242 euros - study at private institutions, au pair, professional cards, humanitarian reasons, marriage/cohabitation, Working Holiday Scheme
- 251 euros - students in public higher-education institutions
- 377 euros - residence applications lodged in Belgium under exceptional circumstances
Exemptions
- Applicants under 18 years old
- Recognised stateless persons meeting the criteria
- Various protected categories, including beneficiaries of international protection, scholarship holders, resettled refugees and indigent applicants
Next steps
Official sources
For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always refer to the official government sources.
Verified against official sources · last reviewed 2026-08-21. Information only — not legal advice.