Visiting Brussels

To visit Brussels you will need to organise your travel, visas and accommodation. For information on the ways you can travel to Brussels check the Travel to Brussels section. Depending on your location, it may be easier to take a train rather than flight to Brussels because you can easily reach the centre of the city using the intercity trains from other major parts of Europe. For all travellers who are non-EU nationals, you also need to ensure you have all the visa requirements and documents to enter the country.

Visa Requirements
Borders that are external to the EU are monitored heavily according to the standards of the Schengen Agreement, which was signed by member countries of the Europe Union (excluding UK and Ireland) to develop a shared external border with non-Schengen countries.

Check the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs Belgium website (www.diplomatie.be) for more details. If you are landing at the airport from an international flight that is outside the Schengen zone, you have to go through passport checks.

The Schengen visa permits visitors to stay in the Schengen zone for up to 90 days within a 6-month period. This means you can enter and exit any country within the zone without further stamps, but still carry your passport with you everywhere in case you are checked on the trains. If you are staying for a longer period, you will need to apply for a long stay visa (www.diplomatie.be).