Studying in Belgium

Students in Oman

If you are a resident in Oman and wish to apply for a long stay student visa to Belgium, you can lodging your application at the Belgium honorary consulate in Muscat.
Please contact the honorary consulate per email on belgium@omantel.net.om.

You need to have the following ready to submit at the consulate in Muscat:

your passport
the required documents
payment in cash of 846 Saudi Riyal as visa fees, unless you have a scholarship from a Belgian university.
Shipment fees: your file will be shipped from Muscat to Riyadh (where your application will be processed) and back.

Required documents for your application:

Print and complete Visa Application Form in English and sign it.
Photo (35mm x 45mm) not older than 3 months, light background, not stapled.
Original Passport valid for at least 1 year, 1 copy of the relevant passport pages (data page and, if applicable, pages containing previous visas). The passport must contain at least 2 blank pages and must be issued within the previous 10 years.
Copy of valid ID (Omani ID) or Omani resident permit for expats.
Administrative fees: The applicant must provide the proof of payment of the administrative fees to our Immigration office at the submission of his/her application. Otherwise, the visa application will not be admissible.
For info about the amount and exemptions, please check: https://dofi.ibz.be/fr/themes/faq/long-sejour/redevance
Admission or Enrolment Letter: A certificate of enrolment from a Belgian university or institution of higher education, recognized or subsidized by the public authorities.
Copies of last obtained degree.
Proof of financial support by one of the following options:

Proof of the scholarship you have been/will be granted.
Blocked account: your guarantor needs to wire the money to the university bank account. Then, the university will deposit the money into the student’s bank account on a monthly basis (an official certificate from the university has to be provided). This option is strongly recommended.
Proof that a guarantor is supporting you financially (Annex 32) :
If the guarantor doesn’t live in Oman, he/she should contact the Belgian Embassy in the country where he resides.
If the guarantor lives in Oman, he/she needs to go in person to the Honorary Consulate in Muscat and provide the following documents:
- Identity proof of the sponsor and the student being sponsored.
- Annex 32 form, filled in. The guarantor has to sign the form in front of the Honorary Consul at the consulate in Muscat.
- Proof of family composition.
- An officially stamped bank statement showing regular and constant salary deposits for the past 3 months.
- An employment letter attested by the chamber of commerce.
- Payment of 94 Saudi Riyal (legalization fee)

Medical Certificate: please use this form ONLY. This certificate (attesting that you do not carry any disease that may endanger public health) needs to be filled and signed at Muscat Private Hospital or Starcare Hospital. The certificate must be:
- max 6 months old from the date of issuance, and
- must contain an apostille from the Omani government.
Non-Criminal Record Certificate for students over the age of 21:
- a non-criminal certificate attesting no convictions for crimes or offences under common law, and
- a translation of that certificate (max 6 months old from the date of issuance)
Both need to be stamped by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Oman.

NOTE:
Non-criminal record, medical certificate and any other supporting document issued by the Omani authorities do NOT need to be legalized by any Belgian Embassy, since Oman is part of the Apostille Convention. Hence, the apostille stamp on the document is enough.
Nevertheless, the Embassy sometimes receives documents from Oman that are issued and legalized by some other country’s representation. In this case, we do attest stamps affixed to those documents as Oman falls under our jurisdiction. If this is your case, please contact the embassy of Belgium in Riyadh before sending those documents.

The Embassy of Belgium has the right to ask applicants for additional documents considered necessary and may call the applicant for an interview.

The visa fee is non-refundable under any circumstances.

Context

In Belgium, the Communities are responsible for taking decisions on services for individuals, such as education. The Flemish Community is therefore responsible for education in the Dutch-speaking part of the country whilst the French Community is the competent authority for the French-speaking part of Belgium, and the German-speaking Community for education in German.

Entry requirements for Belgium

If you are a national from a non-European Union country, you may need a visa to enter Belgian territory. For questions regarding visa and related matters, you should contact the Belgian embassy or Belgian consulate in your country or a neighbouring country.

All the information concerning visa applications for Belgium is available on the website of the Foreigners Department of the FPS Home Affairs, which is the competent Belgian authority for access to the territory, stay, residence and removal of foreigners in Belgium.

Once you have arrived in Belgium, details of your country's embassy or consulate may also be useful.

Grants

The Development Cooperation subsite lists all official bodies which offer grants in Belgium.

Accommodation

Many schools and universities have rooms available for students or provide lists of rooms which are available to rent locally. As such, it is advisable to contact your educational establishment to find out this information.

Education in the Flemish Community

You will find a comprehensive overview of all possibilities on the website Studying in Flanders.

Higher Education in Flanders is a brochure in pdf format. This brochure lists and explains the various degrees and diplomas which can be obtained from Flemish educational establishments. It also provides information on the range of study options in Flanders. The brochure gives a comprehensive overview of higher education establishments and financial information on all types of courses (e.g. grants).

The NARIC website and ENIC-NARIC website inform you whether your foreign diploma receives the same recognition in the Flemish Community as in your own country.

Education in the French Community

You will find a comprehensive overview of all possibilities on the website Study in Belgium.

On the website Venir étudier en Belgique you can find an overview of opportunities for studying in French-speaking Belgium.

The Service Equivalences deals with the equivalence of foreign primary and secondary education certificates. To find out if your university degree receives the same recognition in the French Community as in the country where you obtained, you can visit the website of the French Community.

Allocation d’études provides useful information on how to submit an application for a student grant or student loan.

Education in the German-speaking Community

On the website of the German-speaking Community, you can find an overview of opportunities for studying in German-speaking Belgium.