Schengen visa question: Can my Thai girlfriend come back to Belgium?
Dear Editor/Rob V.,
I am currently staying in Thailand for a while. I would like to take my girlfriend back to Belgium. We then have a relationship of about a year, as requested for a visa.
Is it possible that I can apply for a visa for her here from Thailand? Or do I first have to go back to Belgium alone to apply there?
Regards,
Hans
Dear Hans,
A short-stay visa (maximum 90 days) is a procedure that only the foreign national can initiate himself. So it is your girlfriend who has to go through the procedure via TLS Contact, see the link at the bottom of this message. A few months ago, the procedure went through another company: VFS Global, so you sometimes come across that name. Nothing has changed in the background except for a different desk for taking applications.
For further information and tips for a visa to Belgium or the Netherlands, I refer to the Schengen dossier here on this blog.
Success!
Regards,
Rob V
NB: Please note, due to the Covid pandemic, various restrictions and special conditions apply. Trips that are "non-essential" are currently not allowed by the Belgian authorities, there are a few exceptions. That is why there is now indeed a temporary requirement of “proof that the partners have a relationship of at least 1 year in which they have met each other physically at least 2 times, for at least 20 days” in order to have a friend come over . Keep a close eye on the current conditions of both the authorities and the airline. They may just be different next month. The requirements differ per member state, for example the Netherlands sets different conditions and restrictions than Belgium.
See also:
https://visas-be.tlscontact.com/visa/th/thBKK2be/home
https://dofi.ibz.be/nl/themes/covid-19/international-travels/verduidelijking-van-bepaalde-categorieen-van-uitzonderingen
My friends' visa application for Belgium was rejected “because they had to have a demonstrable relationship of 2 years, in which they had seen each other 3 times for at least 20 days”!
My girlfriend applied for a visa in Bangkok at the BE embassy/consulate/website in June 2019 to come to BE in September 2019. Applying well in time, you would think. All papers were in order, we knew each other for 2,5 years and I flew to Thailand every 3 months. She could check the status of the application on the website. Would take several weeks. Visa received in December 2019, so after 6 months! So our plans for September 2019 fell through. She finally landed on 14/3/2020, the first day of the lockdown, for a two-week vacation. Due to the lockdown, she did not get away and was only able to take a flight in August 2020, after 5 months in BE. Financial disadvantage of approx. 1.000 eur in flight tickets, but her long stay also had advantages!
I think it's outrageous that a visa application that is in order -because it was granted without additional formalities- took 6 months.