Visa for Belgium

Implementation of visa biometrics starting 20 November 2015

Starting November 20th, 2015, all applicants for a Schengen visa will need to personally present themselves in order to have their biometric date registered.

Visa applications will be processed faster thanks to the use of biometrics (finger prints and a digital photograph). It will allow visa holders to be identified faster and this way identity theft can be countered.

The procedure to take finger prints is easy, quick and discrete. The applicant will only have to place his or her fingers on the digital scanner. If he or she wants to reapply for a visa within five years, new finger printing will not be required: the previous data stored in the Visa Information System (VIS) will be re-used. After five years the finger print data will be deleted.

When a visa holder arrives at the border, Schengen border control officers will use the VIS to check the identity and verify if the visa is genuine. Quick, easy and reliable biometric checks will help to prevent visa fraud. Honest applicants, the clear majority, will therefore be able to go through a faster procedure.

Information on the GDPR:  General Data Protection Regulation. Information to be provided to applicants concerning the processing of personal data in the Visa Information System (VIS) provided upon short stay visa applications

Privacy statement. Processing of personal data in the context of a visa application