Belgium Visa Application Processing Time (90 Day Visa)

[dean999]

Hello all,

I am a British national who is working in Belgium for the next two years. my wife applied for a 90 day visa to come here to live with me. Going the family permit route once she arrived.

In the invitation letter I stated, once she was here I was going to apply for a family permit. Starting to regret writing that now. But I wanted to be honest.

On the Belgium website it says the following -

Time for processing the visa file

It normally takes up to 15 calendar days to process a visa application once the application has been declared admissible. This may be extended to 30 calendar days if further investigation proves necessary. In exceptional cases, an investigation may take up to 60 calendar days.

If you are travelling for the first time, you should definitely apply for your visa well in advance to ensure that you can travel on the dates you have planned. Generally speaking, we would advise that you apply for a short-stay visa (for stays of up to 90 days) at least three to four weeks prior to departure.

Am I write in thinking that they mean once all additional paperwork has been received, that is when the application is declared admissible? Or is that the further investigation bit?

Plus what do they mean by calendar days? Is it supposed to mean working days?

The only reason I'm asking these questions is, the wife and I are a little confused why are application is taking so long.

Here is the process so far –

Application handed in AM and interview PM – 21^st February 2011.

I had to send a fax to the embassy with a copy of my visa stamps – 8^th March 2011.

Sent an email to the embassy to confirm they received the fax, got a reply 8^th March 2011 saying," We received the fax in good order. The file has now been sent to our Immigration department in Brussels for approval". (Do not know if it has been sent via post or electronic copy via email.)

So far we have been waiting 35 days from hand in. Has anyone else been through this process and how long has it taken you?

[dean999]

Ok so I’m replying to my own post. LOL.

My wife has received a message from the embassy saying to bring flight details. So that means she has got her visa.

My wife has spoken to people about what I wrote in my post. Basically, I should of said nothing about my plans of applying for a family permit, once she got here. Personally I disagree. What would of happened if at her interview she slipped up by telling them are plans. Would of looked like we were hiding something. Maybe they wouldn’t look at it like that, but who knows.

My wife was talking to some Thai girl at the embassy and she was hiding the fact she was a bar girl. They saw through that and didn’t issue her visa. It’s just not worth hiding anything.

Anyway, I’m as happy as Larry as I applied for a settlement visa for my wife to the uk and that got rejected, for stupid reasons.

Due to me being in the British Navy I got myself posted to Belgium and lucky enough, there was the EEA family route. I never even knew about it till I got here. I just thought it would be easier to get a settlement visa in Belgium than Thailand.

Wife fly’s in a couple of days so we are both frilled.