Refusal of visa - Appeal

The Belgian Immigration Office is the sole authority to refuse access to Belgian territory. In case of a visa refusal by the Immigration Office, the passport of the applicant will be sent back to VFS together with a refusal notification. The refusal notification gives detailed information on the grounds for refusal. It also explains the procedure to appeal the decision.

The embassy cannot comment on the grounds for refusal and cannot accept additional documents to change the decision. Nor can the Embassy assist with the appeal procedure.

The applicant may decide to appeal the decision, or he may decide to introduce a new application making sure to present a complete file that deals with the reasons for refusal.

In case of appeal, the appeal procedure needs to be logged before the Conseil du Contentieux des étrangers or Raad voor Vreemdelingenbetwistingen within 30 days of the contested decision being announced.