How to apply for a Belgium Schengen visa from the UAE

Where you apply

Apply to Belgium if it is your main destination. Every visa application goes through VFS Global, at its centres in Dubai (Wafi Mall) and Abu Dhabi (World Trade Center Mall, level B2), not through the embassy; VFS then sends the file to the embassy in Abu Dhabi for a decision.

The appointment is linked to your Visa On Web form, and slots go on a first-come, first-served basis. The embassy says new slots are released every three months, with more added during each month and others freed by cancellations. If you travel for business with an invitation from a company or institution in Belgium, choose “business” as the main purpose of travel.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the form on Visa On Web

   Complete the application on Visa On Web, Belgium's online form. Every traveller, whatever their age, needs their own. Print it, then sign and date it on both pages.
2. 2

   Book at VFS Global

   When the form is done, Visa On Web sends you straight on to the VFS booking system. Book each family member separately and under the right category: VFS says an application booked under the wrong one is not accepted and the fee is not refunded. You may reschedule once, up to two days before.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against the UAE checklist, in English, French, Dutch or German; the main points are below.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   At least 15 days before you travel: hand in the form, passport and documents, give fingerprints, and pay the visa fee in cash or by card. The passport stays with the embassy until the decision.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   Two to three weeks as standard, according to the embassy; longer for some nationalities, and if the file goes to the Immigration Office in Brussels.

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.
• UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, 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 salary certificate or employer letter if you are employed.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, VFS Global's tourism checklist for Belgium in the UAE asks for:

• A UAE residence permit and passport valid at least three months beyond the stay; copies of every used passport page, and of Schengen visas from the past three years with their entry and exit stamps.
• A stamped and signed employment certificate giving your designation, start date, salary, the purpose of the trip, who pays for it and your travel dates; business owners and partners bring their trade licence.
• For dependants, a no-objection letter from the sponsor, with the sponsor's passport, residence permit, employment certificate and bank statements.
• Original bank statements for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank and showing regular income. Credit card statements do not count.
• A prepaid hotel reservation in your name for the whole stay, and a day-by-day travel plan.
• A language preference form: choose “no preference” to have the application handled in English.

The embassy adds that VFS accepts a passport only if you have signed it and it has two blank pages with no sticker on the back. Documents cannot be added after you apply unless the embassy asks for them.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90, paid in cash or by card at the centre (AED 396 on VFS Global's page, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45 (AED 198)

VFS service fee

AED 127.60, paid online when you book (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

Two to three weeks, according to the embassy (VFS Global says 2 to 6); at least two more if the file goes to the Immigration Office

The embassy does not answer status questions in the first 15 days. If your file is forwarded to the Belgian Immigration Office, you get an e-mail with its reference number, and from then on that office is your only point of contact.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Belgium in the UAE received 7,460 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 2.5% of all those lodged in the UAE, and the 12th most of any Schengen country. They refused 19.8% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UAE the rate was 24.2%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

7,460

Rank in the UAE

12th of 27 Schengen countries

Refused

19.8%

All Schengen countries in the UAE

24.2% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other 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 the UAE 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 at the Belgium visa application centre: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear. Right now our board shows no recent check in Dubai for Belgium.

These are the ways to get a date, including ours:

The live status of each Belgium route is on its own page, and every UAE route is on the UAE appointment board. For how the booking portal itself works, see how to book a VFS Global appointment in the UAE.

• Belgium visa appointment, Dubai

Questions

Is a Belgium visa appointment in the UAE free?

Yes. The Belgian embassy says a VFS Global appointment slot is always free of charge: you pay the visa fee and VFS’s service fee, and VFS’s extra services are optional. The embassy does not cooperate with any visa agent in the UAE.

When are new Belgium visa appointments released in the UAE?

The embassy says slots are made available every three months, with more released during each month and others freed by cancellations. They are first come, first served, and the embassy says neither it nor VFS interferes with the online booking system.

Can I get my passport back while my Belgian visa is being processed?

As a rule, no: the passport stays with the embassy until the decision. The embassy makes exceptions for cabin crew and pilots, who may apply with a full copy of the passport, and for documented emergency travel.

Do I need to register when I arrive in Belgium?

Yes. The embassy says anyone entering Belgium for a short stay must report their presence within three days of arrival, which can be done online with the “My Address in Belgium” form.

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

In 2025, the consulates of Belgium in the UAE refused 19.8% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 24.2% across all Schengen countries in the UAE, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 7,460 applications, the 12th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Embassy of Belgium in the UAE: visa for Belgium
• Embassy of Belgium in the UAE: how to get an appointment slot
• Embassy of Belgium in the UAE: processing time, tracking and passport withdrawal
• Embassy of Belgium in the UAE: visa fees
• Embassy of Belgium in the UAE: obligation to register in Belgium upon arrival
• Belgium: Visa On Web application form
• VFS Global Belgium, UAE: visa types, fees and processing
• VFS Global Belgium, UAE: how to apply
• VFS Global: Belgium tourism checklist for the UAE (PDF)
• 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 VFS Global and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Route status and our prices on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with VFS Global or any embassy, consulate or government.