Belgian visa resources
Belgium's immigration authority
The Immigration Office (Office des Etrangers / Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken), Belgium's federal body for entry, residence and removal, and its official website.
Important
Belgium's national immigration authority is the Immigration Office, known in French as the Office des Etrangers and in Dutch as the Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken (commonly abbreviated IBZ or DVZ). It operates under the Federal Public Service Home Affairs (SPF Interieur / FOD Binnenlandse Zaken). The Office is the competent body for access to the territory, residence, settlement and removal of foreign nationals.
The Office decides national long-stay visa (visa D) and residence applications. Applications from abroad are lodged at the competent Belgian diplomatic or consular post, which forwards the file; applications from within Belgium are generally lodged at the municipal (commune) administration, which forwards them to the Office for a decision. Its official website is dofi.ibz.be.
What the Immigration Office does
- Border control and entry procedures
- Visas (short and long stay) and residence permits
- Family reunification and work-related residence
- International protection / asylum matters and return procedures
How to reach it
- Official website: https://dofi.ibz.be
- Contact details are published on the Office's contact page
- Applications from abroad go through the competent Belgian consular post; applications in Belgium go through the local commune
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.