Visa's in Belgium

[spicer650 0]

My fiancee is Belgian and we would like to have our wedding there, and then come back to the US to live but we also would like to stay there for more than 90 days, are there any visa's for this? Also it would be nice for in the future when returning to see her family during summers or whenever.

[payxibka 10,044]

My fiancee is Belgian and we would like to have our wedding there, and then come back to the US to live but we also would like to stay there for more than 90 days, are there any visa's for this? Also it would be nice for in the future when returning to see her family during summers or whenever.

Visas for which country?

[spicer650 0]

For Belgium, I'm American.

[payxibka 10,044]

This site is predominantly for individuals who are in process of gettin a visa to the USA... not sure you will find a lot of help... The Belgian Embassy to the USA might be a good place to begin.

[Catt 6]

My fiancee is Belgian and we would like to have our wedding there, and then come back to the US to live but we also would like to stay there for more than 90 days, are there any visa's for this? Also it would be nice for in the future when returning to see her family during summers or whenever.

Hey Spicer,

I hope this reply still comes in time.

As you probably know, US citizens do not need a visa in order to travel to Belgium (and Belgian citizens do not need a visa to travel to the US either, since in general they travel under the visa waiver program). This applies to the short stays (for no less than 90 days).

Once you are here, it is in itself no problem for you and your fiancee to get married (my husband is a US citizen living in the US and we got married here two months ago when he was visiting). However, first you have to file an application in the city where your fiancee has her place of residence. Before you can file your application, you have to submit documents.

If your fiancee will submit the application to marry by herself and you won't be there, make sure that you have given her a power of attorney to do so. Just type a statement with your name, address and birth date where you say that you intend to marry your fiancee and that you give her POA to file all necessary paperwork. Date your letter. Go to a notary public (you find addresses closeby online or in the yellow pages) and sign it in front of the notary public. Do not forget to have an apostille attached to this POA (an apostille is a sort of rectangular stamp that proves to the Belgian authorities that this document was signed by a US official (in this case the notary public)).

Make sure in advance that you know which documents they require. since you'll have to bring them from the US/send them to your fiancee in advance.

The documents they asked us to submit are (but since this could in practice vary from city to city, have your fiancee check with them first):

For you (US citizen):

- birth certificate (you can order this online)

- (if applicable) proof you are divorced

- I would also include a copy of your passport (copy ALL pages, also the ones that are blank)

You also need an attestation of where you live, proof that you are unmarried and proof of nationality. However, in the USA such official documents do not exist. In the city where we married, the registrar accepted a declaration by my husband, stating his address, that he was unmarried and that he had the US nationality. He was required to sign this statement in front of a notary public. But make sure to check the specific requirements in the city where you'll marry, since they may require something else in practice.

Every document coming from the US in principle needs to have an apostille stuck on it. Contact your local authorities to know where you can obtain these.

Also make sure to have all documents from the US translated to Dutch or French (depending on where your fiancee lives) by a translator. (Again have your fiancee ask her city authorities first if this is necessary, since that may vary in practice.)

For your fiancee - Belgian citizen, you need:

- birth certificate

- attestation of where she lives ("attest van woonst")

- her ID (but she is by law required to have that with her anyway)

You also need a "gewoonterechtsverklaring" (declaration de droit coutumière). Your fiancee can easily get this at the US Embassy/Consulate in Brussels, just send them an email/call them about it and they'll give you the necessary info, no sweat.

This is also the link to the US Embassy website in Brussels www.usembassy.be

Once you have submitted your application to get married in Belgium, you have to wait for 14 days before you can get married and you have to get married within 6 months of the application. At that time you can also choose your specific marriage date.

Before you get married, check with the registrars office if you need a translator to be present (they have lists available there). In our case it was demanded.

If you plan to travel over here for more than 90 days, then you might have to submit additional documents. The Belgian Consulate/Embassy near you should be able to help you with that. Also check the US Embassy in Belgium (see link above), look under US citizen services. They might have the info you need also.

This is also a link to the website of the Belgian Department of State, where you can in a nutshell find useful info: http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa/default.asp

And finally this is a link to a Belgian site that for a big part treats asylumn legislation in Belgium, but it also contains some info on visa to Belgium. They also have a telephone helpline your fiancee could call. This site is in Flemish.

http://www.vmc.be/vreemdelingenrecht/wegwijs.aspx

I hope this helps you further. Should you need some more help about the requirements to get married here, send me a message. But it should be pretty straightforward.

Take care

Cat

Edited April 3, 2008 by Catt