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FAQs
What is a Visa?
Who issues Visas for Belgium in UK
How do I know if I need a visa?
Can I apply at the Belgium Visa Application Centre
if I want to go to Spain or Paris? I can arrange for bookings accordingly?
Is the visa valid for Belgium only?
Who is VFS Ghana Private Limited?
How can I contact the Belgium Visa Application Centre?
How early can I apply?
Can Belgium Visa Application Centre prepare my application
for me?
I don't live in the Ghana, can I apply for my Schengen
visa from the Belgium Visa Application Centre in Accra?
What are the hours of opening for Submission at the
Application Centre?
Do I have to come personally or can I courier that
application to the Belgium Visa Application Centre?
What is the application procedure at the Belgium Visa
Application Centre?
Which visa [category] should I apply for?
What are the documents required for a Belgium Visa?
What if I do not have all the documents?
What proof will I have that Belgium Visa Application
Centre has my visa application?
Will the application centre give me acknowledgement
of the documents that I have submitted?
What are the applicable fees?
Can I make a combined payment for the visa fees and
logistic fees?
What is procedure to get my passport back?
What if I cannot come back personally?
What should I provide as proof of relationship or
my spouse's nationality?
Can the Belgium Visa Application Centre post my passport
back?
Is there a possibility that I won't have my passport
back the next day?
What are Information Letters?
Will the Belgium Visa Application Centre courier the
Information Letters too?
Will I get my visa at the end of the process?
If I have to travel elsewhere and my passport is still
with the Embassy of Belgium, is it possible for me to have only
my passport back for travel? What if I decide to withdraw my application?
Will my fees be refunded if my visa is refused?
Who should I contact to find out why I was refused?
When can I reapply; is there a timeframe after the
refusal that I must to reapply?
What if I want to appeal against the refusal?
Does the Belgium Visa Application Centre accept documents
for Legalisation?
Can my application be processed on the same day that I submit it
at the Belgium Visa Application Centre?
Are they any Embassy authorized Translators?
What if I am not happy with the response I receive
from the person on the helpline?
What is a Visa?
A Visa is an authorisation issued by the representative of the Government
of a country permitting a person, not resident in that country,
to enter its boundaries. Presentation of a visa does not grant an
unconditional right to enter Belgium or the Schengen area.
Who issues Visas for Belgium in Ghana?
In Ghana, The Embassy of Belgium in Abidjan is the sole representative
of Belgium, who issues visas for their country.
How do I know if I need a visa?
Depending on your purpose of travel, you should log on to the website
of the Embassy of Belgium to check whether you are eligible or require
a visa. Visit http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa/visum.Nodig.aspx
Can I apply at the Belgium Visa Application Centre
if I want to go to Spain or Paris? I can arrange for bookings accordingly?
If you plan to apply for your Schengen visa at the Embassy of Belgium,
your main destination and the maximum period of stay in the Schengen
States must be in Belgium only. Please provide proof to support
this information.
Is the visa valid for Belgium only?
The Embassy of Belgium issues visas for Belgium and for the other
Schengen states. The Schengen visa issued by the Embassy gives access
to all Schengen countries in total. However, the Schengen Visa applications
will only be accepted by Belgium Visa Application Centre if Belgium
is the country of maximum stay. Should the duration of the stay
be the same in several Schengen States, Belgium must be the first
point of entry if making an application at the Belgium Visa Application
Centre.
Who is VFS Ghana Pvt Limited?
VFS Ghana Private Limited is the preferred outsourced partner to
the Embassy of Belgium in the Abidjan. The Belgium Visa Application
Centre of VFS Ghana Private Limited functions as a collection and
processing centre to guarantee a better service in response to the
demand for Belgian Visas from applicants residing in Ghana.
How can I contact the Belgium Visa Application
Centre?
You can contact the Belgium Visa Application Centre via the Helpline,
by email or in person. Please see our contact information section
for details.
How early can I apply?
Applicants are free to apply up to 90 days prior to their date of
travel. The Embassy recommends that you apply at least 3 weeks prior
to your date of travel to accommodate any unforeseen processing
delays.
Can the Belgium Visa Application Centre prepare
my application for me?
The Belgium Visa Application Centre does not prepare visa applications,
but accepts and processes applications in accordance with the Embassy's
instructions.
I don't live in Ghana, can I apply for my Schengen
visa from the Belgium Visa Application Centre in Accra?
The Belgium Visa Application Centre in Accra is available to all
Ghana Residents. If you are a visitor in Ghana, you are free to
make your application too; however, you need to ensure that your
Ghana Visa or Ghana Resident Permit (if resident in Ghana) needs
to be valid for 03 months longer than your intended Schengen visa.
What are the hours of opening for Submission
at the Application Centre?
See the Contact us section of this
website for details.
Do I have to come personally or can I send the
application to the Belgium Visa Application Centre?
You can send an immediate family member to submit and collect your
visa application if you are unable to make it in person. A letter
of authorisation by you and proof of relationship will be required
to allow your relative to submit/collect on your behalf.
What is the application procedure at the Belgium
Visa Application Centre?
Applicants will be asked to take a token at the entrance and be
seated in the waiting area. (You can approach our Submission Counters
when your token number is called). Our officers at the counter will
collect your visa application form to check for completion and your
photograph to see if it meets the required specifications. Your
passport will be checked for validity, empty pages and previous
travel information. Your fee receipt from the Bank will be collected
in accordance with the visa category you have chosen and the documents
you submit will be readied in the manner in which they are required
by the Embassy. You will be issued a receipt for the fees paid and
given an acknowledgement for the submission of your passport.
Which visa [category] should I apply for?
The Belgium Visa Application Centre is an acceptance centre and,
as such, is not authorised to advise/recommend any visa type to
a prospective applicant. The Applicant will have to find out the
visa category he/she is eligible for based on the purpose of travel.
He/she can do so by visiting the websites of the Embassy of Belgium
which is http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visa/visum.Nodig.aspx
What are the documents required for a Belgium
Visa?
After deciding the eligible visa category, applicants can log on
to http://www.diplomatie.be/Abidjan
or on to the Belgium Visa Application Centre's website http://www.vfs-be-gh.net
to check the recommended documents for the Visa category they have
chosen. Photocopies are recommended as documents will not be returned.
Submit originals only where specified.
What if I do not have all the documents?
If your application is not accompanied by the documents that are
recommended by the Embassy, you will be asked if you wish to proceed
with the application as it is, i.e. without all the recommended
documents. Should you consent to this, your application will be
registered in our system and accepted for visa application submission.
Incomplete applications will lead to processing delays.
What proof will I have that Belgium Visa Application
Centre has my visa application?
When your application is registered in our system, you will be issued
a receipt for the fees you have paid. You will be given a receipt
along with an acknowledgement of the acceptance of your passport
in the form of a stamped copy of your passport Bio/Data page.
Will the application centre give me acknowledgement
of the documents that I have submitted?
The Belgium Visa Application Centre will not issue any documents
other the receipts for fees collected and the stamped passport copy
to an applicant.
What are the applicable fees?
See the websites fee section for details.
Can I make a collective payment for the visa
fees and VFS handling fees?
Yes, the same is to be paid only at select branches of GT
Bank in Accra. A receipt for the same will be issued which must
be brought to the application centre at the time of submission of
the application.
Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited
25A, Castle Road, Ambassadorial Area,
Ridge P.M.B CT 416, Cantonments
Accra, Ghana
Tel : (+233 21) 676474, 676681,677144,677704
Fax:(+233 21) 662727
email: corporateaffairs@gtbghana.com
What is procedure to get my passport back?
You will need to bring your receipt and submission proof (the Belgium
Visa Application Centre stamped passport Bio/Data page) with you
on the given date on your receipt after submission anytime between
1500-1600hrs, Tuesday & Wednesday except declared holidays, to check
for the status of your application.
What if I cannot return to collect my passport
in person?
In your absence, along with your receipt and stamped passport copy,
an authority letter from you in the name of your relative will be
required.
What should I provide as proof of relationship
or my spouse's nationality?
Photocopies of your Marriage Certificate or Birth Certificate
are the only documents that will be accepted as proof of relationship.
Photocopies of your spouse's national passport can be accepted as
proof of nationality.
Can the Belgium Visa Application Centre post
my passport back?
No a return courier service is not available at this point in time.
Is there a possibility that I won't have my
passport back the next week after submission?
Under normal circumstances, an applicant will have a status for
his/her application on the next week after the submission of his/her
visa application at the Belgium Visa Application Centre. However,
if the Embassy would like to see additional documents, see you for
a personal interview or require additional time to correspond with
Home Office in Brussels, the process can take longer. The approximate
time required is normally stated in the Information Letters.
What are Information Letters?
If the Embassy is unable to return the application to you because
they would like to see additional documents, see you for a personal
interview or require additional time to correspond with Home Office
in Brussels. This update is normally sent in a letter individually
addressed to the applicant, and remains at the Belgium Visa Application
Centre until collected by the applicant or an authorised representative.
Will the Belgium Visa Application Centre post
the Information Letters too?
No, the same will need to be collected from the Visa Application
centre.
Will I get my visa at the end of the process?
As an application centre, the Belgium Visa Application Centre will
not be able to guarantee you a visa. The issuance or refusal of
a visa is the sole prerogative of The Embassy of Belgium. The Belgium
Visa Application Centre cannot influence this decision in any way.
If I have to travel elsewhere and my passport
is still with the Embassy of Belgium, is it possible for me to have
only my passport back for travel? What if I decide to withdraw my
application?
If your passport is with the Embassy of Belgium and you have interim
travel plans, please prepare a covering letter which has your contact
and passport information. Mention the reason why you would like
your passport in the interim in this covering letter and bring this
to the Belgium Visa Application Centre. Along with this letter,
a form needs to be completed and submitted at the Application Centre.
Once your travel is complete, please return your passport to permit
you application processing.
Should you wish to withdraw your application completely, please
follow the same process but mention that you would like to withdraw
your application completely. We would like to inform you that your
fees will not be refunded at any stage.
Will my fees be refunded if my visa is refused?
All fees are non-refundable and will not be refunded if your visa
application is not successful.
Who should I contact to find out why I was refused?
You will receive a letter from the Embassy of Belgium in your return
application which will mention the reasons for refusal.
When can I reapply; is there a timeframe after
the refusal that I must wait before reapply?
You are free to re-apply at anytime if your application has been
refused earlier. There is no time gap to be observed after a Refusal
to make a fresh application. However, it is recommended that you
note the reasons for the earlier Refusal before submitting a new
application and make amendments where applicable.
What if I want to appeal against the refusal?
You will need to contact the Home Office in Brussels direct for
more information on appeals. The procedure will be explained in
the refusal letter.
Does the Belgium Visa Application Centre accept
documents for Legalisation?
Yes. Click here for more information.
Can my application be processed on the same
day that I submit it at the Belgium Visa Application Centre?
No
Are there any Embassy authorized Translators?
Yes. Alliance Francaise d'Accra , Airport Residential Area, P.O.
Box CT4904, Accra
Manager: Mr Abdon Berthelot
What if I am not happy with the response I receive
from the person on the helpline?
You can ask for the Manager on shift at any time during your enquiry
if you unhappy with the response you have received from the helpline.
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