Arriving in Belgium with a D visa: the steps and deadlines for your type of visa

Information checked on 25 October 2026.

With a D visa, your first deadline in Belgium comes quickly: you must report to the commune administration (the local town hall) where you live within 8 working days of your arrival. A neighbourhood police officer then checks that you really live at the declared address, and the commune issues your residence card: an A card for a student, a worker, a researcher or the family member of a non-European, an F card for the family member of a Belgian. Then come health insurance, the bank account and, every year for an A card, a renewal to request on time: no later than 15 days before expiry for a student, between the 60th and the 30th day before expiry for most other permits.

This guide first covers the steps shared by every D visa, then goes through each case. Each step has its own article, linked in the text. To compare with other countries, see our entry page on the steps on arrival in Europe with a long-stay visa.

What applies to every D visa

The commune within 8 working days

Article 12 of the law of 15 December 1980 is clear: the registration request must be filed within eight working days of your entry into Belgium. You file it at the commune administration (foreigners' or population department) of the commune where you live, not the one of your university or employer.

Many communes only receive by appointment. The Immigration Office itself advises taking that waiting time into account: book an appointment before leaving if your commune allows it, and keep proof of your request. The list of documents varies from one commune to another; it always includes your passport with the D visa and the documents linked to your reason for stay. All the details are in our guide to declaring your arrival at the commune in Belgium.

The residence check

After your visit, the commune sends a neighbourhood officer (agent de quartier) to check that you actually live at the declared address. If the check is positive, you are entered in the foreigners' register and the card is ordered. Put your name on the letterbox and the doorbell from day one: an officer who cannot find you can delay everything else. That is also why you need a real home on arrival; our guide to finding housing in Belgium lists reliable sites, and the one on the rental deposit in Belgium explains what a landlord can ask for.

The temporary document, then the card

While the electronic card is being made, the commune gives you a paper document that covers your stay: an annex 15 for a family member, an annex 49 valid for 45 days (renewable) for a worker or a researcher. This document lets you stay in Belgium, not travel. The price of the card and the production time depend on your commune: check its website or ask at the counter.

The national register number

Your entry in the foreigners' register gives you a national register number, printed on your card. Your employer, health insurance fund, bank and tax authority will ask for it: write it down as soon as you get it.

Health insurance

In Belgium, compulsory health insurance goes through a mutualité (health insurance fund). A non-European student must prove they are insured to get the A card. UCLouvain states that with a temporary residence document you can join in the “student” category, for a statutory contribution of 78.93 euros per quarter in 2026, then switch to the “resident” category once you have the card. An employee also joins a fund, and their rights flow from their job. Choices and deadlines are in our article on joining a health insurance fund when you arrive in Belgium.

The bank account

Any consumer legally resident in an EU country is entitled to the basic banking service: a payment account and the essential transactions. The FPS Economy specifies that this service gives no right to credit and is not necessarily free. If a bank refuses, ask for the reason in writing.

Change of address

Moving? Declare your new address to the commune where you settle within eight working days of actually moving in. A new residence check follows. An up-to-date address matters for renewal: that is where the commune writes to you and where the officer calls.

Case by case, according to your D visa

Student: one-year A card

If you show your enrolment certificate and health insurance, and the residence check is positive, the commune issues an A card valid for one year, marked “Student” and “Labour market: limited”. Missing the enrolment or the insurance? You get a certificate of registration (attestation d'immatriculation) valid for 4 months; the missing documents must be shown no later than 15 days before it expires, otherwise the Immigration Office issues an order to leave the territory.

Renewal is yearly. You apply at the commune no later than 15 days before the A card expires, with enrolment for the following year, the certificate of academic progress, proof of means (1,062 euros net a month for 2026-2027) and health insurance. Since the 2026-2027 academic year, new credit thresholds apply. Everything is in our guide to renewing your student A card, and the first month in the one on the steps for a foreign student in Belgium. The procedure before departure (equivalence, admission, visa) is in our guide to studying in Belgium from Africa.

After graduation, you can ask to stay for up to 12 months to look for a job or set up a business: apply at the commune no later than 15 days before your card expires, and you receive an A card marked “job search”.

Family member of a non-European: A card

You are joining a non-European spouse or parent admitted to stay in Belgium. At the commune you receive an annex 15 while waiting for your A card, valid for one year (less if the stay of the person you join is shorter). After 5 years of legal stay on this basis, you normally receive a B card (unlimited stay).

Renewal is requested at the commune between the 60th and the 30th day before expiry. The Immigration Office lists the proofs when the sponsor has unlimited stay: a CPAS (public social welfare centre) certificate showing you do not depend on public funds, a criminal record extract if you are 18 or older, proof of your integration efforts if you are subject to them, stable, regular and sufficient means of the person you join, adequate housing if you have moved, health insurance. Actual cohabitation is checked by a residence inquiry. The details are in our guide to family reunification in Belgium after arrival.

Family member of a Belgian: F card

The spouse or partner of a Belgian falls under article 40ter of the law. With a D visa obtained abroad, you receive an annex 15 at the commune while waiting for your F card, valid for 5 years. After 5 years of legal stay, you can obtain an F+ card, valid for 10 years since 11 October 2021. Living together with the Belgian you join remains a condition until the F+ card. Note: if your Belgian spouse lived in another EU country and your family life developed there, the rules for reunification with a European apply instead.

Worker with a single permit: A card, the Region decides on work

The single permit is requested by your employer from the competent Region, through the social security single window. The Region decides on work, the Immigration Office on residence, within 4 months of the application being declared admissible. Once in Belgium, you have 8 working days to register at the commune with your passport, annex 46 or 47 and both decisions. You receive an annex 49 valid for 45 days, renewable twice, then an A card marked “single permit” if the residence check is positive.

Renewal also goes through the employer: the request must reach the Region no later than 2 months before the A card expires. If the decision is late, the commune gives you an annex 49 of 30 days, renewable twice.

Researcher: A card “researcher permit”

The researcher comes with a hosting agreement signed with an approved research organisation. They report to the commune within 8 working days at the latest, receive a renewable annex 49 of 45 days, then an A card “researcher permit” after the residence check. This permit covers both residence and work; its length follows the work authorisation set by the Region.

Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders: what changes

• Language: the commune receives you in French in Wallonia (in German in the German-speaking communes), in Dutch in Flanders, in French or Dutch as you choose in the 19 communes of Brussels.
• Work: work authorisation is a matter for the Region (Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders) and, on its territory, for the German-speaking Community. Each has its own site and forms; the employer uses the same single window.
• Integration: each Region runs a programme for newcomers (parcours d'accueil in Brussels, parcours d'intégration in Wallonia, inburgering in Flanders). It is compulsory for some non-European nationals, with exemptions. The rules depend on the Region and your status: ask the commune whether it applies to you.
• The commune itself: appointments, document list, card price and production time vary from one commune to another, even between two neighbouring Brussels communes.

Table: your visa, your steps, your deadlines

Table: the steps in order

The guides for each step

• Declaring your arrival at the commune in Belgium: the deadline, the officer's visit, the card.
• Foreign student in Belgium: the steps of the first month.
• Family reunification in Belgium: what happens after arrival.
• Joining a health insurance fund when you arrive in Belgium.
• Renewing your student A card in Belgium.
• Weighing up France? The twin page details the steps on arrival in France according to your visa.

Finding your compatriots

The first weeks go faster with someone who has done the same steps in the same commune. On Compatri, join your community: Cameroonians in Belgium, Congolese in Belgium, Moroccans in Belgium, every community in Brussels, Liège and the other cities of Belgium. To start before you even leave, read how to join your community before leaving.

Compatri is not a Belgian government service and does no paperwork on your behalf. Your commune, the Immigration Office and the competent Region remain the only authorities.

Official sources

• Law of 15 December 1980 on access to the territory, residence, settlement and removal of foreigners, article 12 (Justel)
• Immigration Office: first residence authorisation for studies, arrival and A card
• Immigration Office: renewal of the student A card
• Immigration Office: sufficient means of subsistence (1,062 euros a month in 2026-2027)
• Immigration Office: job search year after studies
• Immigration Office: extending a visa or a residence card (60th to 30th day window)
• Immigration Office: national mentions on the D visa and renewal conditions
• Immigration Office: family reunification with a Belgian
• Immigration Office: cards for family members of an EU citizen (F and F+)
• Immigration Office: single permit
• Immigration Office: researchers
• Immigration Office: fee
• National Register: circular of 13 June 2025 on registration in the registers (address declaration within 8 working days)
• Single window for the single permit (social security)
• Wallonia: foreign workers
• FPS Economy: basic banking service
• UCLouvain: health insurance for students from outside the European Union
• Flemish Agency for Integration and Civic Integration
• Droits Quotidiens: residence documents after family reunification with a Belgian