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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q.
What is a Visa?
Ans. A Visa is an authorisation issued by the representative of the Government
of a country permitting a person not resident in that country to enter its
boundaries.
Q.
Who issues Visas for
Belgium
in
India
?
Ans. In
India, The Embassy of
Belgium in
New Delhi
and The Consulate General of Belgium in Mumbai are the sole representatives of
Belgium
, who issue visas for their country.
Q.
How do I know if I need a visa?
Ans. Depending on your length of stay and
purpose of travel, you should log on to the website of the
Embassy/Consulate of
Belgium
to check if you are eligible/require a visa. Please visit
http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa/visumNodig.asp
Q.
Is the visa valid for
Belgium
only?
Ans. The Embassy and Consulate General of Belgium issues visas for
Belgium,
Luxembourg
and Schengen visa which is common to all Schengen States. The Schengen visa
issued by the Embassy/Consulate gives an applicant access to 25 Schengen
countries in totality.
However,
the Schengen Visa applications will only be accepted by Belgium Visa
Application Centre if
Belgium
or
Luxembourg
is the country of maximum stay. Should the duration of the stay be the same in
several
Schengen
States, then
Belgium
or
Luxembourg
must be the first point of entry.
Q.
Who is VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.?
Ans. VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. is the preferred outsourced partner to
Embassy & Consulate General of Belgium in
India
. VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd’s Belgium Application
Centres function as collection and processing centres for Belgian Visas.
Q.
How can I contact the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre?
Ans. You can contact a Belgium Visa Application Centre via our Helpline, Email
or in person. Please see the contact information section of our website for our
telephone number, email & contact address with centre timings.
Q.
How early can I apply?
Ans. Applicants are free to apply up to 90 days prior to their date of travel.
The Embassy/Consulate recommends that you apply atleast 3 weeks prior to your
date of travel to accommodate any unplanned processing delays.
Q.
Can the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre prepare my application for me?
Ans. The Belgium Visa Application Centre does not prepare visa applications,
but accepts and processes applications in accordance with the
Embassy/Consulate’s instructions.
Q.
What are the Submission timings at the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre?
Ans. Applicants can come to submit their applications between 0800-1300hrs
& 1400-1500hrs Monday to Friday in Mumbai.
Bangalore
Application
Center
will accept applicants between 0800-1200hrs & 1300-1500hrs Monday to
Friday.
Travel
Agents /Representatives can submit up to a maximum of 04 applications each,
before 1000hrs Monday to Friday. If the number of applications you wish to
submit is more than 05 at a time, please call our helpdesk a day prior to fix
an appointment for the same. We do not accept applications by courier or post.
Q.
Do I have to come personally or can I courier that application to the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre?
Ans. You can send a Friend/Relative/Representative or a Travel Agent to submit
and collect your Visa application. A letter of authorisation by you and ID
proof will be required to allow your Friend/Relative/Representative or a Travel
Agent to collect on your behalf.
However,
we are unable to accept any postal or courier applications as we are unable to
issue a receipt for your visa fees and passport during the acceptance of the
application.
Q.
What is the application procedure at the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre?
Ans. Applicants / Travel Agents / Representatives are given a token at the
entrance by our Security. Token numbers are displayed by the token display in
accordance with number being processed to help you know when it’s your turn to
be assisted.
Our
officers at the counter will collect your visa application form to check for
completion and to check if the photograph meets our required specifications.
Your passport will be checked for validity, empty pages and previous travel
information.
Your
fees will be collected in accordance with the visa category you have chosen and
the documents you submit will be arranged in the manner in which they are
required by the Embassy/Consulate. Once your application is processed, you will
be given a receipt for the fees received and an acknowledgement for the
passport that we have accepted. You will also be informed about our collection
procedure before you leave our counters.
Q.
Which visa [category] should I apply for?
Ans. The Belgium Visa Application Centre is an acceptance centre and does not
advise/recommend any visa type to a prospective applicant. The Applicant will
have to find out the visa category he is eligible for based on the purpose of
travel. He/she can do so by visiting the websites of the Embassy/Consulate
General of Belgium which are www.diplomatie.be/newdelhi
& www.diplomatie.be/mumbai
Q.
What are the documents required for a
Belgium
Visa?
Ans. After selecting an applicable visa category, applicants resident in
Northern and Eastern India can log on to
www.diplomatie.be/newdelhi whereas applicants resident in Western and
Southern India can log on to www.diplomatie.be/mumbai
or on to the Belgium VFS website
www.vfs-be-in.com/requisitedocuments.aspx
to check the recommended document list for the Visa category they have chosen.
Q.
What if I do not have all the documents?
Ans. If your application does not have the documents that are recommended by
the Embassy/Consulate, you will be asked if you wish to proceed with the
application as it is. With your consent, your application will be accepted and
processed by us.
Q.
What proof will I have that the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre has my visa application?
Ans. When your application is registered in our system, you will be issued a
receipt for the fees that you have paid. The visa fees receipt and an
acknowledgement of the acceptance of your passport in the form of copy of your
passport Bio/Data page stamped with the Belgium Visa Application Centre seal
will be given to you.
Q.
Will the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre give me acknowledgement of the documents that I have
submitted??
Ans. The
Belgium Visa Application Centre will not issue any documents other that the
receipts for fees collected and the stamped passport copy to an applicant.
Q.
What are the applicable fees?
Ans. Every Visa
application needs to be accompanied by a visa fee Bank Draft for the amount
applicable to your chosen visa fee. Please see www.vfs-be-in.com
for the applicable fees. Besides this, there is also an applicable logistic fee
of Rs.607/- per application.
Q.
Can I make a combined Bank Draft for the visa fees and logistic fees?
Ans. Only your
visa fees needs to be in a Bank Draft. The applicable logistic fees maybe paid
by cash.
Q.
Whom should the Bank Draft favour?
Ans. The Bank
Draft should favour ‘‘VFS Belgium – SCB A/C No. 24105038515” payable in Mumbai
Q.
Can the Belgium Visa Application Centre get the Bank Draft for me?
Ans. The
Belgium Visa Application Centre can provide an alternative payment option for
you at an additional fee of Rs.56/- per application (inclusive of applicable
taxes).
Q.
What is procedure to get my passport back?
Ans. You will
need to bring your receipt and acceptance proof with you the next working day
evening between 1630-1730hrs to check for the status of your application.
Q.
What if I cannot come back personally?
Ans. In your
absence, along with your receipt and stamped passport copy, an authority letter
for you in the name of your representative will also be required.
Q.
Can the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre courier my passport back?
Ans. The
Belgium Visa Application Centre can also courier your application to you as
long as the address provided by you is serviceable by our courier partners,
Blue Dart Couriers.
You
will be asked if you would like your application couriered back to you at time
your application is being registered in our system. You may make your
preference known at that time itself as once your receipt is issued; we are
unable to change your mode of return of your application after it has been
processed.
Q.
Is the courier service charged?
Ans. The
courier facility is an optional service with an additional fee of
Rs.200/-(inclusive of applicable taxes) per visa application. This fee has to
be paid at the time your document is being registered and cannot be opted for
later.
Q.
Is there a possibility that I won’t have my passport back the next day?
Ans. Under
normal circumstance, an applicant should have a status for his/her visa
application on the next working day evening after the submission at the Belgium
Visa Application Centre. However, if the Embassy/Consulate would like to see
additional documents or see you for a personal interview or would require
additional time to correspond with Home Office in
Brussels
, there can be a delay. We cannot guarantee that you will have your
passport back the next day at any time.
Q.
What are Information Letters?
Ans. If the
Embassy/Consulate is unable to return the application to you because they would
like to see additional documents or see you for a personal interview or would
require additional time to correspond with Home Office in Brussels, this update
is sent in an Information Letter individually addressed to the applicant which
remains at the Belgium Visa Application Centre until collected by the applicant
or an authorized representative.
Q.
Will the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre courier the Information Letters too?
Ans. The
courier fee that you pay is a one time fee for the return of your visa
application. The Information Letter from the Embassy/Consulate will not be
couriered; only your visa application will be courier to you when it is
returned by the Embassy/Consulate at the end of your application processing.
Q.
Will I get my visa at the end of the process?
Ans. As an
application centre, the Belgium Visa Application Centre will not be able to
guarantee you a visa. The issuance or refusal of a visa is the sole prerogative
of The Embassy/Consulate General of Belgium. The Belgium Visa Application
Centre cannot influence this decision in any way.
Q.
Will my fees be refunded if my visa is refused?
Ans. All fees
are non-refundable and will not be returned if your visa application is refused
by the Embassy/Consulate.
Q.
Who should I contact to find out why I was refused?
Ans. You will
receive a letter from the Embassy/Consulate of
Belgium
in your return application which will mention the reasons for refusal.
Q.
But the Refusal letter in not in English; will the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre translate this for me?
Ans. The
applicant will have to get the refusal letter translated externally as the
Belgium Visa Application Centre is not authorized to interpret this
information.
Q.
Are they any Embassy/Consulate authorized Translators?
Ans. You are
free to approach any bonafide Translator for the translation of your
letter/documents. The Belgium Visa Application Centre does not have any
information of Translators recommended by the Embassy/Consulate of
Belgium
.
Q.
When can I reapply; is there a timeframe after the refusal that I must to
reapply?
Ans. You are
free to reapply at anytime if your application has been refused earlier. There
is no time gap to be observed after a Refusal to make a fresh application.
However, it is recommended that you meet the reasons for the earlier Refusal
before submitting a new application.
Q.
What if I want to appeal against the refusal?
Ans. Follow
the instructions which are laid out in the refusal letter which is sent to you
in case your visa has been refused.
or
visit
the Belgium Consulate website
http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa/visumDetail.asp?TEXTID=43149.
Q.
Does the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre accept documents for Legalisation?
Ans. The
Belgium Visa Application Centre accepts documents for legalisation on behalf of
the Embassy/Consulate. Please visit the legalisation section of this website
for more information on this process.
Q.
Can my application be processed on the same day that I submit it at the
Belgium
Visa Application Centre?
Ans.
Applications cannot be processed on the same day unless authorized by the
Embassy/Consulate. Requests for Emergency visa processing cannot be
accommodated.
Q.
I live in
Bangalore; can I submit my application in the
Mumbai Centre instead of
Bangalore
Centre?
Ans. For the
convenience of its applicants, the Consulate General of Belgium has made
provisions for an additional Visa Application Centre in
Bangalore
. Applicants residing in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Lakshwadeep are strongly advised to submit their visa application via the
Bangalore
centre.
Q.
What if I am not happy with the response I receive from the person on the
helpline?
Ans. You can ask for the Supervisor/Manager at any time during your enquiry if
you are unhappy with the response you have received.
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