Schengen visa question: Thai to Belgium for a short stay

Dear Rob/Editor,

My girlfriend in Thailand would like to come to Belgium for a short stay (3 months) and be my guest at my house. What forms does she need for this, should she have with her during her flights and her stay here?

Does she have to undergo a covid safe test 72 hours before entering Belgium and before returning to Thailand?

Where can she obtain the visa, must it be applied for in Belgium or must she do so in Thailand. what fees must be paid for this and where?

Please provide your information in this asap.

Regards,

Patrick

Dear Patrick,

Regarding the Schengen visa:
For the general preparations and which papers to collect, I refer to the Schengen dossier on Thailandblog. Download the PDF file from the menu on the left. Please note: since September 15 of this year, visa applications are no longer handled via the VFG company, but via the TLS Contact company. This file is a good guideline for proper preparation for a visa application and will hopefully provide an answer to all your visa questions.

Regarding Covid and the measures regarding entry:
However, due to the Covid pandemic, special restrictions and measures currently apply. So check the current travel restrictions carefully, they can change just like that. The website of the Belgian embassy and TLS Contact write on their websites that “non-essential travel” from Thailand has been prohibited since July 21, 2021 (!!). Even if entry is possible for you (again), take into account, for example, the mandatory completion of a Passenger Localization Form (PLF) form. But also things like a vaccination certificate, PCR test or possible quarantine.

At the time of writing, according to the website of the Belgian federal government, Thailand is color coded red, which means that Thailand is a 'high risk country' (but not a 'very high risk country'. That would mean that travelers from Thailand Having to fill in a PLF form, vaccines that are (not yet) used in Thailand are recognized as sufficient and doing a PCR test.The airline may also impose certain requirements.

Summarized:
Prepare yourself with the Schengen file and the website of TLS Contact for the visa application. Check with TLS and/or the embassy whether your partner is already allowed to come to Belgium on your desired date or whether this is not yet possible due to Covid: the constantly changing Covid restrictions are certainly not my specialty, so I cannot provide a ready-made answer about this. give so precisely. So check the current requirements and restrictions for traveling to Belgium around the date of entry. The above gives an idea of ​​the Covid measures, but you should really check the details with the federal government, embassy and airline as soon as the date of entry approaches.

Regards and success,

Rob V