Belgium long-stay (Type D) visa
Required documents, fees and processing time for a Belgium long-stay (Type D) Schengen visa when you apply from Canada.
SCHENGEN · VISA C✈ DOCUMENTS
🇧🇪 Belgium·····✈·····🇨🇦 from Canada
To
Belgium
Type
D · LONG STAY
Apply at
CANADA
Centre
VAC
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Action neededLong stay — national (Type D) · applying from Canada.
Documents ready00 / 09
Competent authority
Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal (all residents of Canada). Belgian Immigration Office decides on residence.
Application centre
None - apply directly to the Consulate General in Montreal. Complete the form on VisaOnWeb and send the full file by tracked express mail (no in-person appointment required); lodge no more than 6 months before the intended start.
Recommended — commonly expected even when not on the official list
Cover letterA letter of introduction stating who you are and why you are travelling.
Travel itineraryA day-by-day plan of your trip to attach to the application.
Fees
Consular (Type C)
€90
Service fee
—
Est. total (adult)
—
Long stay (Type D)
—
The short-stay (Type C) consular fee is harmonised at €90 for adults across all Schengen states; collected in CAD · centre: unknown.
Fee notes
Embassy Ottawa + Consulate General Montreal. Channel likely direct; also processes Luxembourg visas. Fee unverified.
Timeline
high confidenceProcessing
15–45 days
End-to-end
4–10 weeks
Centre
VAC
Appointment wait
Approximately 1 month per the official consular page, longer during peak season.
Application centre
Consulate-direct (NO VAC). Belgium explicitly states no private provider (VFS/TLScontact) is authorized in Canada. Applications lodged in person at the Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal after completing the VisaOnWeb form and booking there.
Timeline notes
Single point of submission: Consulate General of Belgium in Montreal for all of Canada. No VFS/TLS operator despite TLScontact handling Belgium elsewhere. Official appointment wait ~1 month.
Funds to show
high confidenceThe figures below are the short-stay (Type C) means of subsistence. A long-stay (Type D) visa sets its funds requirement nationally by purpose (study, work, family reunification, income) — check the consulate for the amount that applies to your case.
Per day
Scale
Minimum
—
In EUR ≈
as shown
staying with a private individual (no financial credit)
€45 / day
staying at a hotel (no financial credit)
€95 / day
Notes
Approximately EUR 45/day (hosted by a private individual) or EUR 95/day (hotel), per person, plus a return travel ticket. A signed, municipally-authenticated letter of guarantee (declaration of liability) by a solvent host can substitute for personal funds. Per day of planned stay.
Consulates apply discretion and may expect a buffer above this figure — treat it as a floor, not a guarantee.
Funds source ↗⚠ Special cases & caveats
- Canadian citizens and all other nationalitiesA D visa is required for any stay over 90 days (Canadians only exempt for short stays).
- Third-country nationals resident in CanadaMust be a temporary/permanent resident of Canada to lodge from Montreal.