How to apply for a Belgium Schengen visa from Ireland

Where you apply

Apply to Belgium if it is your main destination. You lodge the application in person at the visa section of the embassy, 1 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, and you must be resident in Ireland; the embassy may accept a non-resident only in certain circumstances, and it then takes longer. Appointments run Monday to Thursday, 09:00 to 12:30; passports are collected on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 14:00 to 15:00.

The only way to book is the “Make an appointment” feature in Visa On Web. If the online system shows no dates, the embassy is fully booked: it does not give earlier appointments by phone or email, and asks you to check for cancellations and new dates. Only documented emergencies, such as urgent medical treatment, go to dublin.visa@diplobel.fed.be; tourism never counts as one.

If you are the spouse or a dependant of an EU citizen, your trip is four to six weeks away and you have checked regularly without finding a date, you can email your Visa On Web number, travel dates and the EU citizen's passport, and the embassy tries to give you an appointment within two weeks.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the form on Visa On Web

   Complete the application on Visa On Web and print it. You sign it on the spot at the embassy. If you got your name or date of birth wrong, fill in a new form; new travel dates or trip details you simply bring to the appointment.
2. 2

   Book from Visa On Web

   Use “Make an appointment” with your Visa On Web number; the embassy advises doing it at least three months ahead. Each person needs their own appointment, and only the first applicant's name is copied across, so add the others by hand. A booking is confirmed by email; with no email, it did not go through.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Originals and copies, from the embassy's list of requirements; the main points are below.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Bring the printed form, your passport, your residence card, the documents and a bank card. Without an accepted means of payment, or with an incomplete file, the application is not taken and you have to book again. Children under 12 give no fingerprints.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   About ten working days from the appointment, according to the embassy; longer if the file goes to Brussels or to a Schengen partner.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• Your Irish Residence Permit (IRP) card, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the embassy's list of requirements for Ireland asks for:

• A passport valid three months after your return, with at least four blank pages, and an IRP valid at least one month after your return.
• If employed, your work permit and latest payslips; if you need no work permit, an employer's letter or contract and your last three payslips. The self-employed bring the company registration certificate and a recent printout from the Companies Registration Office; students a letter from their college.
• Bank statements for the last three months showing your name and address, or a Belgian host's guarantee (annex 3bis) from their town hall. Cash is not accepted as proof of funds.
• Travel insurance with €30,000 cover including repatriation; the European Health Insurance Card is not enough, because it does not cover repatriation.
• Tourists: confirmed accommodation for the whole stay and a detailed itinerary; when you collect the visa, proof of full payment or a credit-card guarantee.
• A reservation for the return journey (plane, ferry, rail or bus) when you apply; the ticket itself is bought once the visa is approved and shown when you collect it.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90, paid by bank card at the embassy on the day and not refundable (Embassy of Belgium, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45, the EU Visa Code rate (the embassy's list gives no child rate); under 6, free

Service fee

None: the embassy says the handling fee is the only fee

Processing

About ten working days from the appointment, according to the embassy; longer for files referred to Brussels or a Schengen partner

The embassy's list says the visa is free if you are married to an EU citizen, or for a child with an EU-citizen parent, with the marriage or birth certificate and the EU citizen's passport as proof. To have the passport posted back, leave a self-addressed, stamped registered envelope.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Belgium in Ireland received 1,006 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 3.3% of all those lodged in Ireland, and the 8th most of any Schengen country. They refused 8.9% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in Ireland the rate was 3.1%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

1,006

Rank in Ireland

8th of 21 Schengen countries

Refused

8.9%

All Schengen countries in Ireland

3.1% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of Ireland of many nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

Not enough applicants in Ireland have reported a Belgium visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 25 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 10 days.

Reports

25

Appointment to passport back (median)

10 days; typically 7–15 days

Approved

92% of 25 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

3 months

Multiple entry

73%

See every Belgium report · how the statistics work

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with the Embassy of Belgium in Ireland: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.

These are the ways to get a date:

Every route we do track is on the Ireland appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in Ireland.

Questions

Does Belgium use VFS Global or TLScontact in Ireland?

No. You lodge a Belgian visa application in person at the Embassy of Belgium, 1 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4, after booking through the “Make an appointment” feature in Visa On Web. The embassy says there is no other way to book.

What can I do if there are no Belgium visa appointments in Dublin?

The embassy says an empty calendar means it is fully booked, that it cannot give earlier dates by phone or email, and that you should check the online system often for cancellations and new dates. Only documented emergencies, such as urgent medical treatment, can be raised by email; tourism is never an emergency.

Can I apply for a Luxembourg visa at the Belgian embassy in Dublin?

Yes. The Embassy of Belgium in Dublin says it accepts visa applications for Luxembourg, following the same procedure as for Belgium.

Is the European Health Insurance Card enough for a Belgian visa?

No. The embassy says the EHIC issued in Ireland is not sufficient because it does not cover repatriation; you need travel insurance valid in every Schengen country for the whole stay, with at least €30,000 of cover including repatriation.

What is the refusal rate for Belgium Schengen visas in Ireland?

In 2025, the consulates of Belgium in Ireland refused 8.9% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 3.1% across all Schengen countries in Ireland, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 1,006 applications, the 8th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Embassy of Belgium in Ireland: visa for Belgium
• Embassy of Belgium in Ireland: visa FAQ
• Embassy of Belgium in Ireland: Schengen visa requirements, version 09/2024 (PDF)
• Belgium: Visa On Web application form
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.