European Union Immigration Requirements

If you do not have a passport, apply for a passport immediately. It can take from three to six weeks or more. You need a passport in order to enter a the European Union. If your visit is 90 days or less, you do not need a visa if you arrive with a valid passport. If you plan to stay for more than 90 days, you do not need a visa. You must have a valid passport in order to obtain a visa. You can apply for a visa at your local consulate.

Who requires a student visa?

You do not need a study permit if you are planning to study in a short-term programme of three months (90 days) or less, if you have a valid Canadian passport. For longer programs of study, you will require a visa.

What documents are required?

When you come to study in the EU as an exchange student, you will need in any case need the following:

an official letter of acceptance from the host institution/university
proof that you have enough money for accommodation and living expenses
a valid passport

How long does it take to obtain a visa?

This depends on the country concerned, but it usually takes 3-6 weeks.

How much does it cost?

This varies according to country.

How long is the visa valid for?

Student visas and authorization are valid for the duration of the program of study
Therest of the information supplied on this page was taken from each individual university as given to the BIODAQUA Coordinator.

Agricultural University of Athens

The Agricultural University of Athens has established a protocol for the enrolment of students in exchange programmes which cover visa requirements indirectly.

Students must originate from Canada, or from one of the EU member states, or from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, or from the 10 candidate countries.
The duration of the exchange must not be less than three months and must not be more than 12 months.
Students must have a valid passport (and visa if their stay is longer than 90 days).

University of Ancona

Before leaving your own country You are advised to discuss the courses you intend follow in Ancona with your faculty Coordinator, who is in a position to provide you with useful information, as he/she is in contact with his/her Italian colleagues.
The following documents are required:

a valid passport or ID card;
6 passport photos;
E111 form or E128 form (medical insurance);
a certificate from your university certifying that you are a SOCRATES-ERASMUS or TEMPUS or EU/CANADA student and indicating the duration of your grant;
a certificate which certifies registration at your university

University of Ghent

This came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, since it is not yet available on the RUG site.

General conditions

Any non-EU individual wishing to travel to Belgium (and by extension to the Benelux territory or the Schengen territory), whether or not the person is subject to the visa requirement, is obliged, prior to entering and remaining for a short period in Belgium, to meet the following conditions when submitting a visa application to an Embassy or a Consulate General, when arriving at the border or entering Belgium by a sea port or an airport or during any checks on persons in Belgium:

To be in possession of identity papers or travel documents (passport) recognised by Belgium and valid for at least three months following the document holder's planned visit to Belgium.
To be able, if need be, to provide documents substantiating the purpose and circumstances of the planned visit. The trip may have several purposes: a visit to a family, friends or acquaintances, medical care, tourism, cultural, sporting or professional activities. The persons generally are housed in a hotel or with private individuals.
To have sufficient means of support, both during the planned visit and for the return to the country of origin or for travel in transit to another country. A hotel reservation, a return air ticket, Belgian money (euros) or currency that can be converted into euros, cheques and credit cards accepted in Belgium, the original of a certified true copy of an undertaking of responsibility, an employment contract, bank account statements, an entry in a commercial register, certificates of gainful employment: these are a sample of the items that may be used to prove that the person has sufficient means of support. Only holders of diplomatic, official or service passports, European Union nationals, Rhine vessel crew members, border-region workers, and asylum seekers are exempt from having to provide evidence of sufficient means of support
Not to be listed as a person not to be permitted entry, as is the case with criminals, for example.
Not to be regarded as someone who might adversely affect public policy, national security or the international relations of Belgium or other Schengen (EU) States.

Specific evidence of means of support: undertaking of responsibility

One of the conditions to be met by aliens seeking to enter Belgian territory is that they must provide evidence that they have sufficient means of support to cover the cost of the visit, any medical expenses and the cost of the return home, to ensure that the Belgian authorities will not have to meet these expenses in the event of difficulties. Because it is sometimes difficult for non-EU nationals to prove that they do indeed have these means, a Belgian national or a non-EU national residing or established legally and for a long period in Belgium may act as guarantor for the subsistence expenses, any medical expenses and the cost of returning to the home country of the non-EU national. To this effect, the Belgian national or non-EU national residing in Belgium may seek an undertaking of responsibility form from the municipal authorities. The person acting as guarantor does not necessarily have to be the person who invites the non-EU national.

Visa application procedure

Submitting an application

As a general rule, Schengen visas are issued and are valid for the territory of the ten countries presently implementing the Schengen Agreement. With such a visa, a person may enter and remain for a short period (90 days at most during a six-month period) within the territory of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Non-EU nationals subject to the visa requirement must contact the diplomatic or consular authorities competent for their place of residence or the place of destination.

The relevant diplomatic or consular authorities for the Schengen States may be determined by asking the following questions:

What is the sole or main destination of the trip?
What country will the interested party be visiting for the longest period?
Which country will the interested party visit first?
In which country will the non-EU national enter the Schengen territory?

In the framework of Schengen cooperation, any diplomatic or consular authorities for a Schengen State may represent another Schengen State, which is not represented locally, for the processing of the visa application and issue of the visa.

Personal appearance

In principle, visa applicants must appear in person before the diplomatic or consular authorities, notably so as to provide or receive orally any requisite explanations. At this time, they must provide the documents required for the visa application.

Documents to be provided when applying for a visa

a valid travel document (a passport, for example) to which a visa may be affixed. The validity of the travel document must be three months longer than that of the visa;
if need be, any documents substantiating the purpose (for example, an invitation by private individuals or companies, a medical certificate and appointments with a Belgian attending physician or in a Belgian hospital, etc.) and conditions of the planned visit (hotel reservation, for example). These documents generally have a substantiating effect only if they are originals or certified true copies.
any documents proving that the non-EU national (guest) has sufficient means of support to cover the visit and the return, as well as any medical expenses, in the form of an undertaking of responsibility if need be.

Processing of the visa application

The visa application procedure often lasts a long time. It is advisable for visa applicants to start making arrangements in due time, up to three months before the date they plan to leave for Belgium.

If the application has been submitted to the Aliens' Office, the visa applicant will be notified of the reference number under which the application was forwarded. The applicant may contact the Office and obtain information about the progress of the application by giving this number and his/her name and date of birth.

Decisions by Belgian diplomatic and consular authorities on visa applications are notified in writing, by telephone or verbally at the visa window.

Once a decision to issue a visa has been taken, the actual provision of the visa is often conditional upon presentation of a ticket (for example, a non-transferable return air ticket). To prevent any misunderstanding, it is worthwhile to note that this ticket should only be purchased once the Belgian diplomatic or consular authorities have notified the applicant that the visa has been issued.

Disclaimer