Belgium: Immigration Processing Delays

Belgium’s Immigration Office is reporting significantly longer application processing times, as follows:    

• Around 17 weeks for first-time applications for residence authorization, up from the standard of around 10 weeks; and    
• Around 12 weeks for renewals for residence authorization, up from the standard of around eight weeks.      

Applicants should prepare ahead, including incorporating such delays into their schedules, and being aware that their residence card may expire before they receive their new one. If so, applicants (whose applications were submitted in a timely fashion and who were issued an admissibility decision) can obtain a temporary residence document (a so-called “annex 49”) at their town hall allowing the individual to remain in country despite their current residence card having expired.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].