At present, the travel restrictions for non-essential travel are still in place. The Belgian Federal government decided not to re-open the borders for the 15 white-listed countries (Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, and China *subject to confirmation of reciprocity).
Effective July 2, 2020, Belgium has extended the list of specific categories of travellers with an essential function or need to mariners, persons attending meetings of international organisations, students and highly qualified personnel whose work cannot be carried out at a distance (taking into account the visa procedures currently in force).
Furthermore, EU+ citizens and third-country nationals legally residing in the European Union, as well as their family members, can travel wherever they wish in the EU+, including Belgium, and no longer only in their country of residence.
As of July 6, 2020, the Belgian embassy/consulate general in the United States has resumed accepting some visa applications by mail only, such as:
- Third-country nationals travelling for the purpose of study;
- Highly qualified third-country workers if their employment is necessary from an economic perspective and the work cannot be postponed or performed abroad (Single Permit holders).
- Family members of EU citizens, citizens of Schengen associated countries and third-country nationals: receipt and processing of D-type visas, but without issuance of visas until further notice. C-type visas for short stay visits, by mail unless the traveler has not applied for a Schengen visa during the last 5 years. If this is the case, please contact the consular mission you wish to visit to schedule an appointment.
Anyone travelling to Belgium must complete a Passenger Form which must be submitted to the designated authorities upon arrival. This is a sanitary measure imposed by the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment. The form may be downloaded here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.