Belgium imigration info please

[iamanisland]

Been trying to find some good upto date info on status of belgium imigration.

I will give you brief outline and if anyone has advice then I will welcome all sugestions.

Been offered a job full time back in belgium starting in november. Its quite a tempting offer so I am considering giving up my comfy life here and going back for a while.

Ok as for my status im british born already have belgium residency have id card have held id card for 6 years.

My wife married thai here. Her, high power job in the city with international company. English written is A+ English spoken is about A or as good as it gets for thai pronounced english. Understanding of english is about a B+.

Educated to master degree in Europe in english. She has already held 3 shengen visas and worked and lived in malyasia for 3 years so I think has good track record with visas. She has money lots of it, infact more than me.

Obviously I can return to belgium and have automatic right to work and live there.

So now for the questions..

Can she join me in belgium?

What visa does she need? (She will plan to work there too at some point)

What infomation do we need to provide to embassy?

How long is the process?

I can find much on UK visas and US but not much detail on belgium.

Any info will be grate. She is going to try to call belgium embassy in bkk but I would like some indipendant info.

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[7by7]

As you are an EEA (British) national exercising a treaty right to live and work in another EEA state (Belgium) then your non EEA national (Thai) wife has the right to live there with you.

Each EEA state has their own method of processing such applications (in the UK they are known as an EEA Family Permit), but the regulations are the same for all EEA states.

You should contact the Belgium embassy in Bangkok to see what they require.

Such applications should be processed with the minimum of delay, and be free.

[iamanisland]

Ok. Thank you for that Info. In process of contacting embassy here in bkk.

Will post results for info as and when I get them.

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[iamanisland]

Ok finally manged to get someone to answer at ther belgium embassy. And yes it was a real person as well. But conversation was very short and unhelpful and not really any infomation given.

Just got the answer to write all on an email and we will answer then...

Ok we will do this I guess and see what the answers will be.

The only other thing said by them was that cant apply there at the belgium embassy have to go to the uk embassy???

Really confused now. All info read about eea family permits on uk website is in regard to people wanting to remian in the uk and this is not the case.

Have another question now from reading forums.

Does the eea family permit have to be applied for her in thailand ??

Read a few times now on other boards about applying for std shengen visa to enter her into the country and then just apply for eea part there??

Info reading was not for belgium, only for nederlands, spain and italy.

Is this true and is this a good way to go. If I want to start work in november not much time left to get this sorted.

Thanks in advance for all replies.

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[7by7]

Unlikely as it seems; maybe it is possible that you confused the embassy official by asking about EEA family permits; only the UK refers to them as such.

So they may have thought you were a Belgian asking about the UK: I can't think of any other reason for them telling you to contact the British embassy.

She wants to enter and live in Belgium; she applies to the Belgian embassy.

I do know that for some Schengen states people in this position apply for a standard Schengen visa and then apply for residence once there. I don't know if this applies to all Schengen states.

Sticking strictly to the letter of the regulations, she doesn't actually need a visa at all.

If she turns up at Belgian immigration with proof that she is your wife, she is travelling with or to join you, you are an EEA national, but not a Belgian citizen, and you are exercising a treaty right in Belgium then they have to let her in.

I wouldn't recommend it, though. Apart from the difficulties and delays she may encounter at Belgian immigration while she sorted this out, it is unlikely that any airline would carry her without some form of visa.

[Jay Sata]

Ian

You say your wife has already had a couple of Schengen visa's so why not just get her another on the basis you are going on holiday and then if the job pans out you've got six months to arrange things in Belgium. Her tourist visa does not stop you having a working holiday that may develop in to something more permanent.

[iamanisland]

Hey guys Thanks for the help here.

Cant beleave how difficult to get this info. All other countries I can find but belgium??? Not much info at all, I can even read french to a certain point and have a good guess at dutch too but I find nothing.

This is my main concern, the the belgie have somthing else in place. Knowing the belgie quite well they dont exactly follow eu regs or law. Think its only the brits that do the following of eu stuff??

So general consensus is "A" follow up with email to embassy in regard to the equivalent of family permit exercizing my treaty rights

Or "B" apply for schengen long stay was it a "b" visa?? Take her with me and apply at local office? She can get schengen for 6 months correct?? Then apply there?

If it is that easy why are more ppl not doing this?? Or is it a fact most ppl want return to there home country??

Once again thanks all

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[7by7]

I would suggest option 'A' first.

I know that for some Schengen states option 'B' is the procedure; but can't say for sure that is the way Belgium handles it.

I guess more people don't do it because to qualify under the regulations the EEA national family member must be exercising an economic treaty right in an EEA state other than the one of which they are a citizen, or entering the country at the same time in order to do so.

These rights are:

• Jobseeker; but only for a limited time, usually 3 months
• Worker, employed or self employed
• Student
• Living off independent means, for example a pension.

Remember that these rights do not apply if the EEA national is living in or moving to the state of which they are a citizen. Unless they have been living in another EEA state first and the EEA national has been working there, employed or self employed, in which case they can use the Surinder Singh route to return home.

[iamanisland]

Ok yes been reading all day again.

I like option "A" too but if refused etc how to apply for std schengen after that?

As stated at the begining I already have belgium residency and id card and im british so that should be no problem.

Letter of intent/ contract for work all possible. No accommodation for now which kind of makes me alittle ileagle on reporting with local office with id card but this is a minor thing for sure and accommodation can be sorted easily. Have bank account there and work contract.

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[iamanisland]

Sorry press send by accident.

Ment to ask what am I missing??

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[Jay Sata]

If you go down the option A route you'll probably close the door on option B if you run in to problems.

However if B fails A remains open.

[7by7]

If option 'B' is the correct procedure, how would asking about it close the door?

[monty]

Welcome to the lovely world of the Belgian foreign diplomatic posts

You really have to squeeze the info out of them, either by e-mail or in person. Very hard to find out something over the phone.

The info on their website is useless, a lot of it is out of date, so relying on that would probably set you up for lots of unwelcome surprises.

About 5 months ago I checked the website for more info on marriage and the required documents. One item was that Belgians living in Thailand need to have a yellow house book (Tabien Baan). Thinking this is rather odd (not that many foreigners are registered in a yellow housebook, and it's not exactly an easy procedure either unless owning a condo).

So I wrote an e-mail, and I did receive a reply within 2 working days, stating that I "correctly noticed the info on the website needs to be updated". They wrote it will happen "very soon". Almost 6 months later the wrong info is still there for all to mislead!

They did immediately inform me of the proper requirements though, so I guess you'll be informed per email on the proper possibilities soon.

[iamanisland]

Hehehehe.... (childish giggle) sorry.

This is my worry.

I will say it and im sure you guys have herd it a million times but now its my turn.

"Im not trying to cheap the system" just trying to find what doors are open and which doors will close when I open the first door. Being that, if I put myself there I will be on such a short time scale just want the best.

I have the mind that if all goes wrong we return to asia she can work easy for sure and I put my feet up again.

But we have a shot at "somthing better" so want to give it ago.

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[iamanisland]

Welcome to the lovely world of the Belgian foreign diplomatic posts 

 

You really have to squeeze the info out of them, either by e-mail or in person. Very hard to find out something over the phone.

 

The info on their website is useless, a lot of it is out of date, so relying on that would probably set you up for lots of unwelcome surprises.

 

About 5 months ago I checked the website for more info on marriage and the required documents. One item was that Belgians living in Thailand need to have a yellow house book (Tabien Baan). Thinking this is rather odd (not that many foreigners are registered in a yellow housebook, and it's not exactly an easy procedure either unless owning a condo).

 

So I wrote an e-mail, and I did receive a reply within 2 working days, stating that I "correctly noticed the info on the website needs to be updated". They wrote it will happen "very soon". Almost 6 months later the wrong info is still there for all to mislead!

 

They did immediately inform me of the proper requirements though, so I guess you'll be informed per email on the proper possibilities soon.

 

Belgium you either love it or hate it.... but I actually love the place. Thanks for the post. Sounds soo soo familiar!

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[Jay Sata]

Belgium you either love it or hate it.... but I actually love the place. Thanks for the post. Sounds soo soo familiar!

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I love it as well. Ostende is one of my favourite places for wandering around town and enjoying the seafood in those wonderful little restaurants

on the harbour. Sadly a place very few tourists see as they are usually en route to elsewhere in Europe. I've got just about every little Belgian airfield in my log book over the last 30 years.

The general attitude to life is similar to France.

Shame about the weather. You'll miss the Thai climate arriving in November.

[iamanisland]

True westende not quite the same as thailand in november!!

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[monty]

Quite nice late summer though at the moment, currently an agreeable 23 C...expected to get closer to 30 C in the next few days.

Yeah, so very true, most people who "have been" in Belgium actually simply passed trough on the way to some other European country!

Not hard to do in a country so small, that driving in whatever direction you choose for over 3 hours (and likely a lot less) will see you out of the country (280 km long by 150 km wide)

[Jay Sata]

You are right Monty for a small country there is lots to see. I love the faded grandeur of the Thermae Palace where I have stopped many a time when the weather has turned bad and I can't fly back to Norfolk. I've done all the battlefield in the area.

I'm going to Bruges in a few weeks time and always get the bus from the airport to Ostende and then the train which only takes about 15 minutes.

It's a shame the airport does not have more traffic. Very often it's deserted and I don't see a customs guy anywhere. However the restaurant is always full at lunchtime.

Seems the place is just a base for some of the old freighters flying to and from Africa.

You'd better get your wife some wet weather gear and a big umbrella for November Ian.