Visa and proof of solvency

Student Visa

Once you have your letter of enrolment, this is your most urgent next step!

If you are a non-EEA student, you are required under Belgian immigration law to obtain a long-term ‘D’ visa before you arrive in Belgium.

  • It can take up to three or even five months for a visa to be granted and the academic year 2024 begins 16 September.
  • Therefore, we strongly recommend applying for your visa as soon as possible and by the middle of June at the latest.
  • We will not be able to provide visa support for the 2024-25 academic year after 1 July 2024. This includes provision of any supporting documents such as a proof of solvency certificate.

  • The immigration office will not grant any applications after 10 October 2024. Any student arriving in Belgium after that date will not be able to join the 2024-25 academic intake.

  • You have to initiate the visa application via the Belgian embassy or consulate for your country of residence.

What do you need to apply for a visa?

  • Valid passport
  • KdG’s letter of enrollment
  • Certificate of good conduct
  • Medical certificate
  • Proof of payment of the supplementary administrative fee. KdG is a public university (and not a private one) so you have to pay 237 euros. Note that you must transfer this directly onto the immigration office’s account. Please find more information and payments instructions here on the immigration office’s website.

Here you'll find an example visa application form with some fields already completed that you can copy for your own application.

Read more information on visa requirements and the necessary steps at Study in Flanders

Proof of Solvency

When applying for a visa, you will need to prove that you have sufficient funds to cover your studies. To do so, we strongly recommend following our proof of solvency procedure.

We have had several accepted students whose visa was denied because they chose to go with a sponsor instead. 

  • To prove that you have sufficient funds, the minimum amount specified by the Belgian government is currently 800 euros per month. Keep in mind that in reality you will need more than this to comfortably support yourself. Read more about the cost of living.
  • If you wish to use the proof of solvency procedure, you will need to pay 9.840 euros (12 x 820 euros).
  • You can split the payment into different instalments if the amount exceeds your credit card limit. Please let us know if you prefer to transfer the money using a traditional bank transfer instead, in which case it takes a few days longer to process the payment. 
  • Once we have received the funds, we will email you the certificate to apply for your visa so that you can include this in your visa application.
  • On arrival in Belgium, you open a local bank account (any European account with an IBAN number is fine) and KdG will return your money in 12 monthly instalments. Note that transaction costs from the initial payment will be deducted before KdG refunds the money (approx. 100-400 euros). 
  • In case your visa is denied, KdG will return the money to the account that was used when paying the fee. 
  • Be aware that the amount of the proof of solvency is set by the Belgian Government and is subject to change at any given time. If any changes should occur, we will notify our students. 

Note that you will need to prove solvency for each year of your stay in Belgium.

This amount usually rises each year with inflation.

Sponsor

If you decide to go for a sponsor instead, also called ‘formal obligation’, you can find more information on that procedure on the immigration office’s website.

In that case, your sponsor or guarantor confirms that they will cover your stay in Belgium. Usually, embassies ask salary slips to prove that the sponsor earns enough to sponsor a student. Please contact the local Belgian embassy as they will provide you a document that needs to be signed and legalized. As mentioned above, we have had several accepted students whose visa was denied because they chose to go with a sponsor, so we strongly recommend the proof of solvency procedure.