Studying in Belgium from Algeria, Morocco or Tunisia: equivalence, admission, D visa and budget for 2027

Information checked on 6 October 2026.

Studying in Belgium attracts school leavers and graduates from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia every year: classes in French in Brussels, Liège, Louvain-la-Neuve, Namur or Mons, degrees recognised across Europe, and a long-established North African diaspora. But the procedure has nothing in common with France's. No Études en France platform, no Campus France interview (Campus France being the French agency for international students), no single file: you deal directly with the equivalence office, then the institution, then the Belgian consulate through its outsourced provider. And the 2026 intake changed the financial rules: the Immigration Office (Office des étrangers) now requires 1,062 euros a month. This guide takes each step in order, with the amounts and dates published by official sources. If you are still weighing France, compare with our complete Campus France guide.

Studying in Belgium: two systems, two languages

Belgian higher education falls under the Communities, not the federal state. The language you choose therefore decides your steps.

Most North African students choose the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, because of the language. That is the system this guide details. On the Flemish side, the Belgian embassy in Morocco states that institutions do not require an equivalence but ask for Dutch at B2 level; they often offer a preparatory language year.

Two kinds of institutions coexist in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation: universities, and hautes écoles (universities of applied sciences) and arts colleges, which are more vocational. Their dates and tuition fees differ: always read the page of the institution you are aiming for.

Step 1: the equivalence of your diploma

For a first enrolment in the 1st cycle (bachelor's) in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the Immigration Office points out that non-European students must obtain the equivalence (équivalence) of their baccalauréat. The secondary education equivalence office in Brussels issues it. For a master's, the university assesses your bachelor's degree during admission.

The dates for the 2027-2028 academic year are published: filing from 15 November 2026 to 15 July 2027 at the latest. Do not wait until July, though. The office announces processing of at least 4 to 12 weeks, and in the previous cycle, decisions went out from 1 March at the earliest. Yet universities close admission for non-Europeans at the end of March.

The documents vary with the country of the diploma:

The office warns that a diploma obtained outside the European Union will probably receive an equivalence with restrictions, limited to certain fields. Proof of access to higher education in your country serves precisely to open the field you are aiming for.

Step 2: the admission application

There is no central platform: you apply institution by institution. For non-European students living outside the Union, universities close early, because the visa needs time.

The dates for 2027-2028 are still to be confirmed: none of these universities had published them by 6 October 2026. The calendar repeats from year to year, so prepare to apply in February and March 2027. Hautes écoles set their own dates.

Afterwards, the institution gives you an enrolment or admission certificate on the official model set by the ministerial order of 28 March 2022: the central document of your visa application. ULiège warns about intermediaries selling fake documents: apply yourself, on the university's website.

What studying in Belgium costs a North African student

Many find this out too late. In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, universities charge non-European students an additional contribution of 4,175 euros, unless they come from an exempted country. ARES circular no. 2026-001 (ARES being the umbrella body of French-speaking higher education), applicable from 2026-2027, lists these countries: least developed countries, countries at the bottom of the Human Development Index, and Lebanon. Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are not on it.

The circular lets universities grant reductions case by case from their social funds. Hautes écoles and Flemish institutions apply other scales: ask for the exact amount before committing. The 2027-2028 amounts are still to be confirmed.

Student D visa: Belgium is not Campus France

The confusion comes back every year. Campus France only handles studies in France. For Belgium, you apply for a national long-stay visa (D visa) at the Belgian diplomatic post responsible for your place of residence, which has an outsourced provider receive the files:

• Algeria: TLScontact, since the Belgian embassy in Algiers outsourced its applications; appointment, filing, payment and passport collection all go through TLScontact.
• Morocco: TLScontact, to which the embassy's « Étudier en Belgique » page refers.
• Tunisia: TLScontact; the embassy states that all applications for Belgium are filed with TLS.

The Immigration Office lists the documents of the file:

Documents in a language other than German, English, French or Dutch require a sworn translation. The 250-euro visa fee comes on top of the redevance, as do the provider's service charges. Neither the redevance nor the visa fee is refunded if the visa is refused.

Timing matters more than anything. The authorities have 90 days from the acknowledgement of receipt to decide, and the Immigration Office asks you to file at least 90 days before classes resume. For a mid-September start, aim for June at the latest. An incomplete file gives you 30 days to complete it, otherwise it may be declared inadmissible.

Proof of means: 1,062 euros a month in 2026-2027

For the 2026-2027 academic year, the Immigration Office sets the minimum at 1,062 euros net a month, compared with 835 euros the year before. The amount is indexed every year: the 2027-2028 figure is still to be confirmed. Four kinds of proof are accepted.

Annexe 32 requires an adult sponsor who meets one of these conditions: Belgian nationality, an EU citizen residing in the Union, a foreign national with unlimited residence in Belgium or the Union, or a family member up to the 3rd degree, with the link proved by official records. The sponsor must show at least 3,279.47 euros net a month since 1 September 2026 (3,235.88 euros before), i.e. 120% of the Belgian minimum income plus your 1,062 euros. Social benefits do not count. If the sponsor lives neither in Belgium nor in your country, the Belgian consulate where they live must add the mention « Solvabilité suffisante » (sufficient solvency). The sponsor commits, jointly with you, to health, housing, study and repatriation costs during the stay and for 12 months after.

Arrival: the municipality and the A card

Within 8 days of arrival, report to the municipal administration where you live. After a residence check, the municipality issues an A card marked « Étudiant » (student), valid for one year and renewable. If you entered with only an admission certificate, you first receive a 4-month registration certificate, and you must present your enrolment certificate no later than 15 days before it expires.

Hence the importance of having real accommodation from arrival: no address, no residence check, no card.

Housing: kot, flat-share, deposit

The Belgian embassy in Morocco points it out: many universities offer rooms or lists of housing around campus. Start there. For the private market, our guide to renting a flat in Belgium lists reliable sites and the scams that target newcomers. Then read the rules of the student lease, often signed for ten or twelve months, those of flat-sharing in Belgium, and what to know about the rental deposit in Belgium, capped and paid into a blocked account. Never send money for a place nobody has seen.

Calendar for the September 2027 intake

Finding your compatriots before you arrive

The first weeks go better when you already know someone. On Compatri, the community of your country in your future city brings together those already studying and living there: Moroccans in Belgium, Algerians in Belgium or Tunisians in Belgium, and every community present in Brussels. Join before you even have your visa to ask which neighbourhood to choose, which municipality issues the A card quickly, or who is looking for a flatmate. The group « Étudiants africains » (African students) also brings together students from several cities around equivalences, grants and housing.

Compatri is not a service of the Belgian state or of Campus France, and does not replace official sources: only the Immigration Office, the equivalence office and your institution are authoritative.

Official sources

• Immigration Office: sufficient means of subsistence (1,062 euros a month in 2026-2027)
• Immigration Office: first residence authorisation for studies, D visa
• Wallonia-Brussels Federation: secondary education equivalences
• ULB: application dates
• ARES: circular no. 2026-001 on the additional contribution
• Belgian embassy in Algeria: visa for Belgium