Professional card application procedure and D visa

A Japanese citizen or a national of any country other than a Member State of the European Union, Norway, and Iceland who intends to reside in Belgium for a period longer than 90 days, or for a succession of periods totalling more than 90 days per 6 months, must first obtain a Long Stay Visa D.

When the applicant seeks to engage in a professional activity on an independent basis, the required residency visa can only be issued once the application for the professional card has been approved.

The professional card application and the visa application should be lodged with this Embassy at the same time. The professional card application is forwarded to the competent regional authority for the region in Belgium in which your professional activities will be based. Upon receipt of the approval of the professional card application from the region concerned, the Embassy can issue the visa. The applicant can then travel to Belgium and pick up his/her professional card in Belgium.
 

If you are a  resident in Japan and you wish to set up your own business in Belgium as an independent professional, you are required to apply for a professional card and a Long Stay D Visa at this embassy in Tokyo.

How to apply

You need to apply in person.

As of January 1st, 2015, professional card applications are handled by Belgium’s regional governments. Please determine which region in Belgium your professional activities will be based in, and refer to the appropriate website for the most up-to-date application information. You can find the appropriate forms and required documents by visiting their websites directly:

• Brussels Capital: Professional Card 
• Flanders: Professional Card
• Wallonia: Professional Cards

List of supporting documents

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

List of supporting documents

	DOCUMENT	TYPE	COMMENT
1	Professional card  application form	2 originals	Please refer to the  website of the relevant regional authority in Belgium: Brussels Capital: Professional Card > Documents to be provided > Dutch or French application form Flanders: Application Form Professional Card   Wallonia: Useful Forms and Documents > Professional Cards > Demande de carte professionnelle pour étrangers résidant à l'étranger Printed, signed and dated
2	Complete required supporting documents for the professional card application file	1 original  + 2 copies	Please refer to the  website of the relevant regional authority in Belgium: Brussels Capital: Professional Card > Documents to be provided  Flanders: see "Attachments" at the bottom of the application form Wallonia: see "Annexes" at the bottom of the application form
3	Visa Application Form	2 originals	Printed from VOW, signed and dated. Do not use a hyphen (-) to input your telephone number in VOW; this could result in an error in the system.
4	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
5	Recent photographs (for passports, IDs etc.)	6 originals	Conform to ICAO standards  1 photo to be attached on each visa application form  4 photos to be submitted separately Full name to be written on the back of each photo.
6	Valid Japanese resident card	1 original + 2 copies of the front and back	For non-Japanese residents of Japan
7	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 For more information: directions
8	Medical certificate in English	1 original + 2 copies	For more information: directions Submit both the certificate and the test results (provided by the doctor in detail)
9	Proof of payment of the  administrative 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.
Professional card application fee + visa fee The visa fee is 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 Toyo. Cash will no longer be accepted. For accepted types of payments, please see below:   Click here for detailed information on prices and exemptions

 

• 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 the professional card is made by the Belgian competent regional government, 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 competent Belgian regional government, the visa can be delivered. 
• Please apply as early as you can. You can apply as early as 6 months before your intended arrival in Belgium. 

(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 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 signle-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
 

• www.economie.fgov.be
• www.limosa.be

Certain categories of foreign workers have the obligation to declare the activities they will exercise in Belgium before starting to work.

For any further information on this obligation, please refer to the LIMOSA website (www.limosa.be) or to  LIMOSA contact center (+ 32 2 788 51 57 - limosa@eranova.fgov.be).