D visa for students of ballet school (minimum stay of 91 days)

Please prepare 1 set of originals and  2 sets of copies in the order mentioned below. 

List of supporting documents

	DOCUMENT	TYPE	COMMENT
1	Visa Application Form	2 originals	Printed from VOW Placed, dated and signed (the signature should match the signature on your passport). Do not use a hyphen (-) to input your telephone number in VOW; this could result in an error in the system. For minors, signature of parental authority/legal guardian is requested. If the minor signs, include the signature of accompanying parent(s) under the signature box.
2	Passport	1 original  +  2 copies of the data page	Issued less than 10 years ago Valid for at least more than 3 months beyond the validity of the requested visa. With a minimum of 3 consecutive blank pages with the mention ‘visa’ available (for affixing the visa sticker) Undamaged
3	Recent photographs (for passports, IDs etc.)	3 originals	Conform to ICAO standards  1 photo to be attached to each application form  1 photo to be submitted separately
4	Valid Japanese resident card	1 original  +  2 copies of the front and back	Only for non-Japanese applicants
5	Certificate of criminal  record	1 original	Only required for applicants who are 18 years old  or older on the day of the visa application appointment See the directions
6	Medical certificate	1 original + 2 copies	See the directions Submit both the certificate and the test results (provided by the doctor in detail)
7	Admission letter	1 original + 2 copies	If you cannot provide the original admission letter, please ask the accepting school to send the digital copy to tokyo.visa@diplobel.fed.be, and bring 2 printed-out copies on the day of your visa appointment.
8	Certificate of enrollment	1 original + 2 copies	If you are currently attending school
9	Transcript of the last year of study	1 original + 2 copies
10	Certificate of graduation	1 original + 2 copies	From the last school attended and completed
11	Curriculum Vitae (CV)	1 original + 2 copies
12	Proof of sufficient knowledge of the language in which the lessons are given	1 original + 2 copies	Certificate from the secondary school which issued the diploma indicating the number of hours of lessons taken per week in this language and the results obtained; OR Attestation of an internationally recognized test of this language (e.g. TOEFL for English) OR Certificate issued after additional training in this language.
13	Motivation letter	1 original + 2 copies	A precise description of the courses and an explanation of the difference from the courses given in this subject in the country of origin;
14	Recommendation letter	1 original + 2 copies	Delivered by the Japan Ballet Association or the applicant’s ballet teacher
15	Questionnaire	1 original + 2 copies	Questionnaire
16	Parental authorization	1 original + 2 copies	Required for applicants under 18 years old *2
17	Proof of sufficient means	1 original + 2 copies	A grant or scholarship (min. €835 per month) OR Certificate of a blocked account; for information in detail, please see below*3,  If you cannot provide the certificate of the blocked account, please ask the accepting school to send a digital copy to tokyo.visa@diplobel.fed.be, and bring 2 printed-out copies on the day of your visa appointment.   OR A pledge of financial support of the  student (for information in detail, click here)
18	Proof of payment of the visa administration fee to the Belgian Immigration Office	1 original + 2 copies	Only if the applicant is 18 years old or older To be paid to the Belgian Immigration Office. For detailed information (amount, remittance, exemptions, special cases, etc.), check the directions.
Visa fee Free of charge for Japanese, Moroccan, Israeli, Turkish, and San Marino nationals.   NEW: From 1 March 2025, only electronic payment methods will be received at the Belgian Embassy in Tokyo. Cash will no longer be accepted. For accepted types of payments, please see below:   Click here for detailed information on prices and exemptions

*1 Ballet School 

Royal Ballet School Antwerp, Brussels International Ballet School, and MOSA Ballet School

If the school is not listed above, please send an e-mail to tokyo.visa@diplobel.fed.be with the name of the school in Belgium and any other relevant information. 

*2 Letter of parental authorization

• Must be created in English
• Must be signed by both parents
• The purpose and the duration of the stay in Belgium must be specified 
• The signatures must be officially legalized at the local Notary Public Office (kosho yakuba). Then their legalized signatures must be legalized again by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) by means of an APOSTILLE (an authentication stamp according to the Convention of The Hague of 1961). Detailed information  can be found on the website of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA)
• In the case of a single parent, in addition to the letter of parental authorization signed by the person who has the parental authority,an official document proving sole parental authority is required. For Japanese nationals, a certified true copy of the family register (KOSEKITOHON), duly legalized and accompanied by a translation into French, Dutch or German is also required. For more information on the process of translation and legalization, click here.

*3 Blocked Account

A blocked account can be created by paying a sum of money into a bank account specified by the establishment of education where the student is registered or admitted to register. Certain schools demand that students pay into a bank account an amount enough to cover the first year of study. This sum is then repaid, in monthly installments, into the account opened by the student after his/her arrival in Belgium. The student then receives an attestation from the establishment of education relating to the payment of the sum in question and the payment, in monthly installments, of an amount at least equal to 835 EUR, or proof of income generated by the pursuit of a paid activity. A student is authorized to pursue a paid activity outside the time normally devoted to studying, provided that the said activity is ancillary. In any event, the student must establish that the said paid activity is indeed an ancillary activity pursued during his free time and that it is being pursued legally.
 

• No application will be accepted without VOW (visa on web)  and an e-appointment. Please refer to the “VOW Guidance”. 
• The final outcome of your visa application will be a direct result of the information that can be found in the supporting documents you have presented. If you wish for a specific outcome, please provide sufficient documents to prove the necessity of that outcome. 
• The final decision for this type of visa is made by the Belgian Immigration Office, and it can take several months for the result to be communicated to the visa desk. Only when the visa desk receives permission from the Immigration Office, the visa can be delivered. 
• Please apply as early as you can. You can apply as early as 6 months before ballet school courses are set to start.

(In)complete documents

• The visa desk reserves the right to request additional documents (even if not featured in the list above) or to invite the applicant to an interview if deemed necessary.
• An incomplete application file can result in a visa refusal. However, a complete file does not guarantee the issuance of a visa. Be informed that the visa section has no obligation to ask for missing documents. If a document is missing, it will be assumed that you are unable to provide it, or that you do not wish to provide it.

Language

• All official documents issued by a (foreign) public authority (e.g. birth certificate, proof of celibacy, etc.) should be accompanied by an official translation (by a sworn/professional translator) into one of Belgium’s official languages: French, Dutch, or German. Please also make sure that all official documents comply with the legalization/translation requirements.
• All non-official documents (e.g. proof of relationship, bank statements, flight tickets, etc.), should be accompanied by a translation (free translation by yourself, or by a sworn/professional translator) into one of Belgium’s official languages (French, Dutch, or German) or English.

Financial proof

• Financial proof (salary slip, certificate of scholarship, bank statement, etc.) should always be presented in EURO. If the original currency is not EURO, please convert the sums using a reliable currency converter such as xe.com or oanda.com, and mention the conversion rate and date of conversion.

Preparation of the application file

• Unless otherwise indicated, documents sent by fax or email are not accepted.
• All copies must be A4 size and as single-sided copies.
• Setting - in the order listed above:

               1 original application form +1 set of copies of other documents listed above

                             and

               1 original application form +1 set of copies of other documents listed above

                and

               1 set of original documents listed above