Belgium tourist visa from India: the official document checklist, decoded

The checklist, as published

Condensed from the official document linked above; wording is the mission's, shortened. Where the mission names an official form it is listed under "Forms". Always download the current version from the source link on the day you apply.

1. National passport with validity of at least 3 months after the end of the planned journey
2. Completed and signed application form with 1 recent colour photograph (5x3cm), white background, glued on the form
3. Copy of the passport identity page and copy of the most recent Schengen visa with stamps
4. Full detailed itinerary
5. Copy of hotel reservation for the total duration of stay in Belgium and other Schengen countries
6. Letter of employer stating income and allowed vacation days, or commerce-register / company inscription, or school certificate stating vacation days
7. Proof of personal financial means: updated passbook, recent 3-month bank statement, income tax papers, salary slips, or Annex 3bis
8. Minor under 18 travelling with one parent or alone: notary affidavit of parental consent, apostilled
9. Copy of travel insurance valid in Belgium and Schengen, minimum EUR 30,000 or rupee equivalent; recognised local insurers list
10. Copy of flight ticket reservation

Forms named by the mission

• Annex 3bis (formal obligation / guarantee letter under article 3bis of the law of 15/12/1980) if a Belgian host covers costs
• Online application form via VisaOnWeb, printed and brought to the VFS centre
• Approved travel medical insurers list (March 2026)

Notes the mission attaches

• Guarantees for return (assessment of migration risk): document family background, professional and socio-economic status, ownership of land or real estate.
• Submission of your old passport with previous trips can be useful; additional documents may be required by the Embassy.
• Submit a minimum of 1 month before travel; earliest three months before the planned visit; the visa fee is non-refundable if denied; no change of purpose or prolongation.
• Photo 5x3 cm colour, white background; insurance minimum EUR 30,000 or equivalent, covering the entire trip including arrival and departure dates.
• Biometrics: personal appearance for fingerprints and photo, except children under 12; the EU-harmonised supporting-documents list for India applies.
• Fee: EUR 90 (EUR 45 for 6 to 12, free under 6) paid in INR at the embassy exchange rate; VFS service fee INR 2,750 inclusive of taxes.

What each item is for

Every Schengen checklist is Article 14(1) of the Visa Code made specific: (a) purpose of the journey, (b) accommodation, (c) means of subsistence for the stay and the return, (d) information enabling an assessment of your intention to leave before the visa expires. Read the list above with those four heads in mind: bookings and invitations answer (a) and (b); bank statements, salary slips and tax returns answer (c); employment, business, family and property papers answer (d). Our documents guide explains each head, and the cover-letter guide shows how to make them agree.

For tourism the itinerary is the anchor: coherent dates, cities and bookings that stay live through the decision. Cancelled-looking reservations are the classic route to ground 10 on the refusal form.

Fee, as stated by the mission

"The handling fee for a short term stay visa (C) is 90 euro, except for children between 6 and 12 years old, which is 45 euro, and children up to 6 years old, which is free; paid in Indian rupees at the exchange rate communicated by the Embassy of Belgium in New Delhi. Applicants submitting their files at the Belgian VAC shall be levied a service fee of INR 2750 (inclusive of taxes); applicants exempt from the visa fee are not exempt from the service fee (page last updated June 30, 2026)." (source) The euro amounts are fixed by Article 16: EUR 90 adults, EUR 45 children six to eleven, free under six.

Belgium's record for applications lodged in India

In 2025 Belgium decided 33,333 applications lodged in India and refused 7.7% (all-India average 15.7%); 89.6% of visas issued were multiple-entry. Its consulates: Mumbai (4.5%), New Delhi (14.0%). Which one handles you depends on your state of residence: see the Belgium country page.