Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs quietly updated its consular guidance on 27 June 2026 to confirm a steep increase in the administrative charge for long-stay (type D) visas. From 1 July 2026 the basic fee rises from €200 to €250 for every application lodged at Belgian embassies and consulates worldwide. The notice, published on the Algerian embassy’s website but applicable globally, warns applicants who already hold an appointment after 30 June that the higher amount will be payable on the day of submission. The long-stay visa is the gateway to residence in Belgium for non-EEA nationals taking up work assignments, intra-company transfers, study programmes or family-reunification routes longer than 90 days. While the fee itself represents only a fraction of total relocation costs, the 25 % jump is significant for employers who sponsor multiple assignees, students on tight budgets and families applying for several dependants at once. The increase also comes on top of the €90 Schengen short-stay (type C) fee, which Belgium aligned with the EU-wide tariff earlier this year. Belgium outsources front-office visa handling to TLScontact in most countries, but the Ministry emphasises that the fee is a federal charge collected on behalf of the Immigration Office (DVZ/OE). Payment must now be made electronically; several posts have already stopped accepting cash as part of a wider drive to digitise consular services and reduce fraud.
![Belgium hikes long-stay (D-type) visa fee to €250 from 1 July 2026]()
For anyone uncertain about the revised fees or the switch to mandatory electronic payment, VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers up-to-date guidance, automated cost calculators and step-by-step filing support—an efficient option for HR teams managing multiple assignees as well as individual travelers who want to avoid costly mistakes.
Applicants who fall under EU free-movement rules (for example, family members of non-Belgian EU citizens) continue to enjoy fee exemptions. For global mobility managers the timing matters: applications lodged before 1 July are still charged €200 even if the visa is issued later, so accelerating dossiers in the pipeline could shave €50 per person off budgeted costs. Companies planning September intakes of graduate trainees or cross-border commuters should revise cost projections accordingly and brief candidates about the new payment process. Belgian regional authorities that issue single-permit work authorisations are unaffected, but the higher federal fee will still apply once the visa stage is reached. Long-stay fees in Belgium remain roughly in line with neighbouring Netherlands (€285 for most MVV categories) but are now noticeably higher than France (€99 for long-stay visa plus €200 residence-permit tax on arrival). The move underlines the trend across the EU towards passing more of the administrative burden of immigration control directly to applicants.
For anyone uncertain about the revised fees or the switch to mandatory electronic payment, VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers up-to-date guidance, automated cost calculators and step-by-step filing support—an efficient option for HR teams managing multiple assignees as well as individual travelers who want to avoid costly mistakes.
Applicants who fall under EU free-movement rules (for example, family members of non-Belgian EU citizens) continue to enjoy fee exemptions. For global mobility managers the timing matters: applications lodged before 1 July are still charged €200 even if the visa is issued later, so accelerating dossiers in the pipeline could shave €50 per person off budgeted costs. Companies planning September intakes of graduate trainees or cross-border commuters should revise cost projections accordingly and brief candidates about the new payment process. Belgian regional authorities that issue single-permit work authorisations are unaffected, but the higher federal fee will still apply once the visa stage is reached. Long-stay fees in Belgium remain roughly in line with neighbouring Netherlands (€285 for most MVV categories) but are now noticeably higher than France (€99 for long-stay visa plus €200 residence-permit tax on arrival). The move underlines the trend across the EU towards passing more of the administrative burden of immigration control directly to applicants.
