Family reunion - Dependent Visa for spouse

You need to have either an agreement with only your name, or with your and your wife's name. This agreement has to be registered with the Office of the Collector of Registrations (Bureau du Receveur de l'Enregistrement, Rue de la Régence 54, 4th floor, 1000 Brussels, tel. 02 578 09 73, open 8.00 to 12.00).

The consulate / exterior ministry does verify with the registering authority, the genuineness of the agreement and its registration.

Thanks very much for your quick reply.
OK..So it means I need to rent a new apartment and get it registered with the above mentioned office.
Great. 

good luck

Hello,


My wife received her Dependent Visa today. It took less than a month after submission of the documents.
It seems they process faster with the Module 2 doc as compared to RP.

So, my question is, Is there any timeline within which she needs to travel?
She has some work in India till May end.


Thanks & Regards,
Arup

She can enter any time during the validity of the visa.

Hello Mishrar

can you provide the exact dates of visa submission, queries from consulate, date of requested documents etc.

I applied for D VISA for my baby boy (7 weeks old). Not sure how long they take to issue visa in this case. We have deadline to have my travel back to Belgium by June 20th because her residence card expires.

Thanks.

Normally kid's visa is approved without much hassle.

Are you sure consulate sent the application to Belgium for a decision ? If yes, you can contact dofi (ministry) (either directly or via an attorney) to explain them the situation and request to speed up the process.

Dear all,

I have the rent contract by a third party (EUREMA company) when I live I Brussels. I wonder how to proof the accomodation to pick my wife up here? do I have to register the housing contract by myself? or just send the original contract to my wife for her submitting VISA? many thanks

Better register it and then send a registered copy of the agreement to your wife for her visa processing.

Thank you very much,
I will do so... ^^

Hi,
I have applied for dependent visa for Belgium on March 2014. Can anyone let me know how long it takes for approval after the decision for my visa file in dofi website changes to "en traitement" ?

Much Thanks in advance

4-5 or even 6 months is the current waiting time for a decision.

OMG...4-6 months??? really? I thought that would be the worst case... it is normally 2 months...some guys told me... but I am not sure...

Oh..Thats too worse  . Is there any way to fasten the process?

fasten=close or lock

If you meant to speed up, if there is a genuine cause that requires your sooner entry to Belgium and if you have sufficient documents to justify it, you can appeal for a faster processing (it is approved in rare cases like for example the applicant has to join a university, the course start date is approaching and the university can give you a paper regarding this.)..

How to track the VISA status? I have the tracking number but when I put into the tracking site: dofi.ibz.be/sites/dvzoe/EN/Application-guides/Pages/What_is_happening_to_my_visa_application.aspx., it told like below, Do we have to call directly to ask them?


Het feit dat uw zoekopdracht geen resultaten oplevert, kan te wijten zijn aan de volgende omstandigheden:

-u heeft verkeerde gegevens ingeput

-u heeft een nummer opgegeven van een visumaanvraag die behandeld wordt door een diplomatieke of consulaire post die nog niet over de nodige middelen beschikt om een visumaanvraag via elektronische weg te versturen (raadpleeg lijst); op dit ogenblik is het nog niet mogelijk om de stand van behandeling na te gaan van een visumaanvraag die per diplomatieke valies overgemaakt wordt aan de Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken

-de diplomatieke of consulaire post heeft de visumaanvraag niet verzonden omdat het de bevoegdheid heeft om ambtshalve visa uit te reiken 

-de visumaanvraag werd niet ingediend bij een Belgische diplomatieke of consulaire post, maar bij een post die België vertegenwoordigt (raadpleeg lijst) 

-de diplomatieke of consulaire post heeft de visumaanvraag nog niet verzonden of de Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken heeft de visumaanvraag nog niet ontvangen van het Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken

What do you mean "Module 2 doc as compared to RP"? you are so lucky.... I have to wait more than 2 months... but I have to wait more....

mishraar wrote:

Hello,


My wife received her Dependent Visa today. It took less than a month after submission of the documents.
It seems they process faster with the Module 2 doc as compared to RP.

So, my question is, Is there any timeline within which she needs to travel?
She has some work in India till May end.


Thanks & Regards,
Arup

@Tuan,

DOFI website will start showing the status if the file is sent is sent to Belgium. If your local consulate tells it is sent to Belgium for further processing, your file number will take at least 2-3 weeks to be in the system here (2-3 weeks from the date it is sent from local consulate).

I have no idea about Module2. The visa is approved faster if the local consulate makes the decision without sending the file to Belgium. That may be what happened in the case you quoted.

We have a plan going to move to Belgium next few months later, and i need to know if its allowed to change my schengen visit visa to be as a family reunification visa ,while i am already in Belgium ?my husband Netherlands citizen and i am a non EU Citizen .Thanks for advance

sussie123 wrote:

We have a plan going to move to Belgium next few months later, and i need to know if its allowed to change my schengen visit visa to be as a family reunification visa ,while i am already in Belgium ?my husband Netherlands citizen and i am a non EU Citizen .Thanks for advance

In my knowledge, it is not more possible to convert to long term visa when you are here in Belgium on a short term visit visa. You have to go back to home country and apply fresh for the long term visa type.

sussie123 wrote:

We have a plan going to move to Belgium next few months later, and i need to know if its allowed to change my schengen visit visa to be as a family reunification visa ,while i am already in Belgium ?my husband Netherlands citizen and i am a non EU Citizen .Thanks for advance

The same question you asked in another thread was already answered. While being in Belgium on a short term visa type, I dont think it is possible to convert it to a long term visa type. It used to be possible in the past, but not anymore. You have to go back to the home country and apply for the new visa type (for the purpose of marriage or so). If you are here on a visa that was granted for marriage purpose, then it is possible to get long term stay permit after completing the marriage procedures.

There is a thread: https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=351224 which is contributed by a lot of expat-blog members who moved to Belgium for the purpose of marriage. If you read through it or post a question there, I am sure you get more accurate answer.

Good day,
My fiancee and i plan to get married here in philippines,
Its that possible i can apply spouse visa after we got married?

Thank you Aneeshks,

And now i ve arrived in Belgium and we have a home rent in Antwerpen already, I am Indonesian and my husband is Netherlands nationality.

We are on registering process in gemeente huis ,do you know how long it will be takes to be registered in Belgium ? and what kind of visa that will i get in Belgium ?

Is it possible to invite my children in indonesia to living here with us soon ?  my children are up 21 YO... thanks

mishraar wrote:

Hello,


My wife received her Dependent Visa today. It took less than a month after submission of the documents.
It seems they process faster with the Module 2 doc as compared to RP.

So, my question is, Is there any timeline within which she needs to travel?
She has some work in India till May end.


Thanks & Regards,
Arup

Arup - how long you been in Belgium when you wife submitted her document for Visa?

Dear Team,

Need your suggestion/ help to apply visa for my spouse.

I am working for a private company in Pune location, and got selected for Belgium (Brussels) based role from my company for which company is providing me long term type D VISA. Yesterday only i got work permit and yet to start for VISA process.

I wish to take my spouse also along with me as an dependent/family reunion(whichever is possible). So i would like to know here

1. Is it possible that i can apply for her (dependent visa) and my visa parallel in embassy, so that we both can travel together. (I had agreement with my company that, they will allow my wife to stay with me in the initial accommodation provided to me by company).
2. Kindly suggest with best travel agent if any who can made this possible in the given time.
3. How many days it will take to get her VISA.
4. Also let me know the procedure if any to apply for her VISA with list of documents.

I am eagerly waiting for response. Thanking you in advance.

Hello Kartheek,

1. Yes. And it is highly recommended to apply for your and your spouses visa together. As you may already have read in many threads in this forum, the process is complex when you apply for dependents visa once you are already in Belgium, compared to when you apply it along with your visa when you initially travel to Belgium.
2. The paperwork is complex, but straightforward. It is something you can do by yourself.  For attestations, legalization and apostile of documents you may have to get the services of an agent.
3. with all the documents in place, D type visa is approved in max 3-4 days.
4. List of documents are available in VFS website. VFS is the agency through which consulate handles visa applications. http://vfs-be-in.com/
There are several threads in this forum that had discussed in the past, documentation for spouses visa. Some threads are:
https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=528729https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=619029https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=434496https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=358220

if you have specific questions, feel free to ask here !

Good luck with everything.

Aneesh

Hi Aneeshks,

Thanks for your quick reply.

I have few doubts regarding birth and marriage certification apostille.

1. I recently got married on 9-Dec-2017 and marriage certification registration is done on the same day and her(my dependent) birth certificate is also recently issue in less than 3 months. So kindly let me know whether i need to again revisit local municipal corporation for attenstation before apostile or i can directly do the apostile as the documents are less than 6 months.

2. It is necessary for my birth certificate need to be apostile ( Yesterday i received my work permit to belgium).

3. For my spouse do i need to apply for Type D visa directly or i need to apply work permit and then visa for her?

Kindly clarify these three doubts. I have been in contact "Udan" team for my spouse visa application.

Hello Kartheek,

1. You can use the ones you already have. No need to re-issue them as they are not more than 6 months old.

2. It is not a must. As you apply with work permit, you dont need a birth certificate with the application.

3. Apply for visa directly as she is your dependent. Work permit is only for the employee, in this case - you. The idea is, you get employed in Belgium via your work permit. You ask for a visa based on your work permit, Your wife asks for a visa as your dependent.

Hi Aneeshks,

I have few queries regarding dependent VISA for my spouse, would request you kindly clarify.

1. Do I need to take health/ travel insurance for her for one year? If so kindly recommend which insurance policy i need to take for her. And also preferred insurance company if any?
2. Do I / she need to give any declaration to embassy when applying for her VISA? If any kindly provide the format of that declaration.
3. Do I / she need to give any request form to embassy when applying for her VISA? If any kindly provide the format of that document.
4. As i read in the link https://dofi.ibz.be/sites/dvzoe/EN/Application-guides/Pages/The_spouse_or_alien_linked_by_a_partnership_considered_to_be_equivalent_to_a_marriage_in_Belgium_Art10bis.aspx, is she need to be above 21 yrs of age only to apply for VISA? By February 1st week, she will turn to 21.
5. Kindly let me know which article will be applicable for her VISA (Article 10 / Article 10bis).
6. Currently i am holding all the below documents for her VISA. Please add if any i missed out here.
a. Her birth certificate apostle
b. Marriage certificate apostle
c. Her PCC apostle
d. Her Valid passport
e. My Work Permit Copy
f. She will stay with me in company residence ( do we need any mail for this from company?).
g. Two VISA applications filled by her with recent photos (35*45, 80% face).

It would be much helpful to receive answers on this. Thanking you in advance.

Thanks & Regards,
Kartheek Matta

Man, I am no immigration consultant These "please provide me the format, etc" is not something I can fulfill

I can only give my insights based on experience.

I have few queries regarding dependent VISA for my spouse, would request you kindly clarify.

1. You need to prove to the consulate that she will be covered by a medical insurance when she is in Belgium.
This can be your employer-provided insurance or one you pay for. Most of the employers provide medical insurance cover to the employee and the spouse. If your employer is not providing coverage for your spouse, you must buy an insurance. In VFS website you can find the list of approved insurance providers. (http://www.vfs-be-in.com)

2. No special declaration.

3. No special request other than the application forms.

4. I dont know about this clause, but as your marriage is already registered in India, it must not be a problem. You are not going to register your marriage here.

5.  Not clear. Do you have a link from where you got this info ?

6.
a. Her birth certificate apostle
b. Marriage certificate apostle
c. Her PCC apostle
d. Her Valid passport
e. My Work Permit Copy
f. She will stay with me in company residence ( do we need any mail for this from company?).
-> Yes, you need a letter from your company stating she will live with you in the company residence. Also, a booking reference or booking confirmation of the residence can be attached as an additional proof.
g. Two VISA applications filled by her with recent photos (35*45, 80% face).

missing:
- Proof of medical insurance
- Your work contract
- Booking reference of accommodation in Belgium

Hi Anneshks,

Recently i had call with VFS belgium help line no. As per them

1. Medical insurance for my spouse is a supporting document only not a mandatory for VISA submission, however they said, embassy can ask to submit in later stages.

2. As mentioned in Article 10bis, my spouse is not completed 21 years as on today (just 10 days short). As per them, it is recommended for applicant to have min 21 years to apply for long stay VISA, but they are not stopping to apply for.

Could you please confirm whether above mentioned need to be complied for sure.

Dears,

Could anybody reply on my earlier queries.

Also please let me know, do i need to do any payment in advance (called Belgium contribution fee) prior to submit Dependent VISA (long stay type D) to Belgium.

Hi Aneeshks,

In my case, my company insurance will not cover my spouse. So do let me know do i need to apply for her fresh medical insurance certificate in Belgium.

Secondly regarding travel insurance, i am thinking when i book the flight tickets i will also take recommended travel insurance by the airlines when booking the tickets. Kindly let me know whether that is correct or not? or do i need separate travel insurance for my spouse.

VFS website has a list of approved medical insurance providers.

Hi Girls / Guys

How long does it take to receive a residence card from the gemeente once registered.

Kind Regards,
Melissa

To all the people who are waiting for family reunification visa for their wife, this information may be helpful:

My wife applied for long term family reunification visa in September 2016 and the file was received by immigration server in Brussels in mid October. And her visa was approved recently. So it took almost 4 months after the file started showing up in the Belgium immigration visa application tracking website. But the overlap of Christmas holidays may have delayed it by few weeks.
But be sure to submit all the documents perfectly at one go.

Also do remember that in July 2016 the timeline was increased to 9 months from 6 months for the family reunification visa by the Belgium immigration department.

Cheers and good luck. :-)

Good info Ramesh.. Thanks for sharing..

Hi All, recently I applied for reunification visa 5 weeks ago. It came to brussels a month ago.

But the file is not seen on the website. A call to Dofi mentioned that it is in treatment.

So general waiting time of 3 months is counted after we see the application in the online system ?