Belgium Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for Belgium?

British, Irish and EU citizens do not need a visa to visit Belgium for up to 90 days in any 180. Most other nationals living in the UK do, even with settled status, a Skilled Worker visa or a family visa.

That includes, among others, nationals of India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, South Africa, Turkey and the Philippines. UK residence does not exempt you, but it does let you apply from the UK rather than your home country. Plan on UK permission that lasts at least 3 months beyond the day you leave the Schengen area; TLScontact’s FAQ gives different minimums in different answers, so if yours is close to expiring, check with the embassy and read our guide to UK visa validity for a Schengen visa. If you are in the UK on a standard visitor visa, you should normally apply in your home country instead; see Schengen visas on a UK visitor visa.

You prove UK status with a UKVI eVisa share code, not a BRP. Our eVisa share code guide shows how. ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers such as British citizens, has no launch date yet and does not replace a visa for anyone who needs one.

Belgium visa appointments in the UK

Belgian short-stay applications in the UK are lodged in person at TLScontact, which runs centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh for the Embassy of Belgium. The embassy asks applicants to use these centres rather than the embassy, and there is no regional jurisdiction: TLScontact says UK residents can use any of the three.

TLScontact checks your file, takes fingerprints, collects the fees and returns your passport. It has no say in the outcome. The embassy in London decides most files, but some are decided by the Immigration Office (part of the Federal Public Service Home Affairs) in Brussels, which adds time. Third-country family members of EU citizens covered by EU free movement rules may instead apply directly at the embassy, free of charge, by emailing the visa section ([email protected]) for an appointment; the embassy warns that its own appointment capacity is very limited and suggests TLScontact instead.

London

The London centre is in the Ram Quarter, Wandsworth (address in the table below). Passport return without an appointment runs 8.30am to 4.30pm. Do not go to the embassy itself for a standard application.

Manchester

The Manchester centre is in the city centre on Portland Street. Passport return without an appointment is 1pm to 4pm.

Edinburgh

The Edinburgh centre is in Argyle House. Passport return runs during the same morning hours as submission, and TLScontact warns these hours can change at short notice.

All three close on UK public holidays listed on the TLScontact site. Check the live address and hours page before you travel, as they can change.

How to book

Belgium uses two websites in a fixed order.

1. Complete the Visa On Web form for each applicant. Your answers must match your documents exactly: dates, addresses, employer and your host’s details. Travelling as a family or group, add the people travelling with you and submit the group form.
2. Print the form and sign it. Keep a copy of your reference.
3. Click “Make an appointment” on Visa On Web to go to the TLScontact Belgium UK site.
4. Create your account, choose London, Manchester or Edinburgh and pick a date.
5. Pay the service fee online to confirm the slot. TLScontact cancels the appointment if payment is not received by its deadline. You then receive a confirmation email.

Beyond the mandatory service fee there is no charge for a standard appointment, and it is always made in your own name on the official TLScontact site.

Important: We do not book, hold or supply appointments, and nobody can legitimately sell you a TLScontact slot. We help you create your account and complete the booking correctly in your own name on the official system, and prepare your file so it is ready for the day.

Availability by season

The embassy says the TLScontact calendar shows 4 weeks of appointments, that new slots are released into the system each day for 7 days ahead, and that they are booked up very quickly, so it advises arranging an appointment several weeks before travel. Summer and the weeks before Christmas are usually the busiest. Compare all three centres and keep your file complete so you can take a short-notice slot. The embassy cannot find you an earlier slot, does not work with external agencies, and offers a very limited number of expedited appointments only in exceptional, urgent and unforeseen circumstances such as a medical emergency, requested by email with evidence; it says tourist trips and last-minute school or university trips do not count. TLScontact also sells optional Prime Time slots at 7.30am and 8am, outside standard hours; they do not affect the decision or its speed.

On the day

Arrive shortly before your appointment time with your appointment confirmation, printed Visa On Web form, passport, originals and copies, and remove staples from your documents. Staff check the file against the checklist, take payment of the visa fee by card, then take fingerprints (unless you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months, or you are under 12). If you are late or miss the slot, you must book again. TLScontact offers paid extras such as photocopies, photos, Visa On Web help, SMS updates and, in London, courier return of your passport (amounts in the fee table below), but none is required.

Belgium visa document checklist for UK residents

Belgium’s checklist is standard Schengen with two distinctive points: the Visa On Web form, and the Annex 3bis guarantee for private stays. The embassy says it decides on the file as presented and may treat an incomplete file as a sign the application is not serious, so completeness matters more than volume.

Your passport must be under 10 years old, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area, with two blank pages. Proof of UK status is your eVisa share code with the printout from GOV.UK; a share code lasts 90 days, so generate it close to your appointment. Insurance must give at least €30,000 of medical and repatriation cover in every Schengen state for every day of the trip; TLScontact says it should be taken out with an insurer based in the UK or a Schengen state, and a quotation is not accepted.

Accommodation must cover every night. For a family visit, bring the host’s invitation letter and a copy of their Belgian ID card or residence permit. If the host is also paying, add the original Annex 3bis (engagement de prise en charge or verbintenis tot tenlasteneming), with their proof of income and family composition:

• Who can sign: a Belgian national registered in a Belgian municipality, or a foreign national with unlimited residence in Belgium (cards such as C/K, D/L, E/EU, E+/EU+, F, F+ or M). Holders of limited-stay cards cannot sign.
• Income: stable, declared income of at least €2,217.47 net a month (indexed on 1 September 2026), plus half that amount again for each extra person guaranteed, with limited exceptions for minor children travelling together.
• Where: the town hall (commune or gemeente) where the host lives legalises the signature.
• Timing and liability: it must be presented with the visa application within 6 months of legalisation; the host is jointly liable for your stay, healthcare and repatriation costs for 2 years from your entry into Schengen.

Ask your host to start early and post you the original; a scan is not accepted. If the visa is granted, keep the original with you while you travel.

Employed

An employer letter on headed paper confirming your role, salary, start date and approved leave, plus 3 months of payslips. The salary should match the credits on your bank statements.

Self-employed

Proof of registration (Companies House or HMRC), your latest SA302 or tax return, and business statements alongside personal ones. Explain irregular income in your cover letter; see our self-employed guide.

Students

An enrolment letter showing the trip falls in a break, plus your own statements or a parent’s sponsorship letter and statements. See our students guide.

Retired

Pension statements and 3 months of bank or savings statements. A regular pension reads well; property or long UK residence helps show your ties.

Sponsored

A signed letter from the person paying, their statements, proof of their status and evidence of your relationship. A host in Belgium who guarantees your costs should use the Annex 3bis rather than a simple letter.

Children

A full birth certificate, a consent letter from any parent not travelling with a copy of their passport, and the child’s own eVisa share code. If one parent has sole custody or has died, bring the court order or death certificate. Our children’s guide covers custody situations.

How much money do you need for a Belgium visa?

Belgium publishes reference amounts: about €95 a day if you stay in a hotel and about €45 a day if you stay with a private host. They come from the Immigration Office and are a guide, not an automatic pass mark.

Officers want to see that sum available on top of your normal outgoings, on 3 months of statements; a large unexplained deposit invites questions. If a host’s Annex 3bis is accepted, it counts as proof of sufficient means, although you may still be asked for evidence of your own resources. Our guide to bank statements for a Schengen visa explains what officers look for.

Belgium visa fees from the UK

An adult pays £81 (the €90 visa fee in sterling, at a rate set by the embassy) plus TLScontact’s £34.70 service fee, about £115.70 in total. Payment is by debit or credit card; American Express is not accepted.

These figures come from TLScontact’s UK pages, checked in October 2026; the sterling visa fee follows the embassy’s exchange rate and can change, so confirm before you pay. Fees are not refunded if you are refused or withdraw. A reduced visa fee (£31.50 on TLScontact’s fee page) applies to some nationalities covered by EU visa facilitation agreements, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine. Family members of EU citizens covered by free movement rules pay no visa fee if they bring proof of the relationship. Our Schengen visa fee guide compares countries.

How long does a Belgium visa take from the UK?

The legal standard is 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 in individual cases, and the embassy’s FAQ says it aims to decide within ten working days of physically receiving a complete file. Files referred to the Immigration Office in Brussels take longer: TLScontact’s FAQ allows 30 to 60 days for these and lists nationalities, including Bangladesh, Nigeria, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, whose files need authorisation from Brussels. If your file is referred, you are emailed an Immigration Office file number and from then on only the Immigration Office can tell you its status. TLScontact passes applications to the embassy on the next working day, so a submission just before a weekend or bank holiday starts later.

Some nationalities face longer timelines under EU measures: the embassy’s current notice keeps a 45-day processing period for Gambian applicants in scope, and since 10 July 2026 Somali and Guinean nationals receive single-entry visas only, with 45-day processing. In summer, the wait for an appointment can be longer than the decision. You can apply up to 6 months before travel and no later than 15 calendar days before.

TLScontact keeps your passport while the file is processed, so avoid other trips in the meantime. See our guide to Schengen processing times.

Belgium visa types for UK residents

Most UK residents need a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa for tourism, a family visit or business. The purpose you choose on Visa On Web sets the evidence the embassy expects.

Tourist. Bookings for every night and a simple day-by-day plan. Belgium must be your main destination: the most nights, or by purpose or first entry if nights are equal. A Benelux trip with more nights in Amsterdam is a Dutch application. See which country to apply to.

Family or friend visit. An invitation, a copy of the host’s Belgian ID or residence permit and proof of the relationship, plus the original Annex 3bis if the host is paying. See our family visit visa guide.

Business and official visits. Brussels hosts the EU institutions and NATO, so these are common. Bring an invitation from the Belgian company or institution with dates and purpose, plus your UK employer’s letter confirming who pays. See our business visa guide.

Events and medical treatment. Performers, athletes and delegates need the organiser’s invitation; medical visitors need a letter from the Belgian hospital and proof that costs are covered.

Airport transit. Only certain nationalities need an airport transit visa. Since 28 June 2024 holders of valid UK residence permits have been exempt when changing planes at a Schengen airport, with conditions; the embassy’s and TLScontact’s notices were written for BRPs, so confirm with the embassy how it applies to an eVisa.

Students on holiday apply as tourists, with an enrolment letter.

Stays over 90 days need a Belgian long-stay (type D) visa, also completed on Visa On Web. TLScontact says the D visa fee rose to €250 (£225) on 1 July 2026. Belgium introduced a new framework for cross-border workers on 15 August 2026, and TLScontact recommends that UK residents affected apply for a D visa as soon as possible.

Belgium-specific tips

A few points regularly catch UK applicants out with the Belgian embassy.

• Form first, slot second. You book TLScontact from Visa On Web, and the form must match your final plans. If dates change, update it before the appointment.
• The Annex 3bis is the usual bottleneck. The host’s town hall legalises the signature, and the form must be presented within 6 months of legalisation, so plan the timing with your host.
• Register on arrival. Unless you stay in a hotel, you must declare your address within three working days of arrival. Since 10 April 2026, travellers registered in EES can use the online My Address in Belgium (MAB) form instead of visiting the town hall.
• Eurostar checks happen in London. For Eurostar trains from St Pancras, Schengen entry checks, including your EES registration (fingerprints and photo), take place before you leave the UK. Arrive early on your first crossing.
• Use the visa well. A clean record can lead to a longer multiple-entry visa. Stay within the 90/180-day rule.

Why Belgium visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Most Belgian refusals trace back to a few avoidable problems, usually missing or inconsistent evidence rather than an ineligible applicant.

• Unclear funds. Balances below the reference amounts, or statements that do not match your payslips.
• Doubts about returning. Weak UK ties, or UK permission that ends soon after the trip.
• A defective Annex 3bis. A scan instead of the original, legalised over 6 months before you apply, or signed by a host without unlimited residence or below the income threshold.
• Inconsistent details. Different dates or addresses on Visa On Web, the cover letter and the employer letter.
• Unproven purpose. A family visit with no evidence of the relationship, or a business trip without an invitation.
• Insurance that falls short. Below €30,000, missing days, or excluding a Schengen state.

If refused, the decision is issued in French, Dutch or German, and the letter sets out the grounds and the appeal route; the embassy publishes a free template translation on its FAQ page. You can appeal to the Council for Alien Law Litigation (CALL), Rue Gaucheret 92-94, 1030 Brussels, generally within 30 days of notification, by registered post or electronically via its J-BOX app. The CALL reviews whether the decision was lawful and can annul it; it does not grant the visa. The embassy does not comment on refusals or appeals. Many applicants instead submit a new application, with a new appointment and fees, that answers each ground; the embassy’s FAQ confirms there is no waiting period before you can reapply. Our refusal guide explains how to choose.