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If you are an international student in Belgium, your residence permit is not valid indefinitely (usually one year). To continue staying in Belgium legally during your studies, you must apply for its renewal on time.
But one question comes up often: where should you submit this application? At the university? At the Immigration Office? At the local town hall?
The answer is simple: your residence permit renewal is handled by the municipal administration of your place of residence.
As an international student residing in Belgium, you must contact the local town hall where you are officially registered.
This may be the Foreigners' Department, the Population Department, or a similar office depending on the municipality.
Your local town hall is therefore your primary point of contact for submitting your application and handling the administrative formalities related to your residence card.
If you hold an A-card, your renewal application must be submitted no later than 15 days before your card expires.
In practice, it is best to start preparing your file several weeks in advance.
A missing document, a hard-to-get appointment, or a delayed certificate can quickly cause you to lose time.
The exact list may vary depending on your situation and your municipality. Your file may require:
So, do not rely solely on another student's list. Your personal situation and the requirements of your municipality may change the documents you need to provide.
This is precisely where many students get it wrong.
The municipality is your local administrative contact, but it is not always the authority that makes the final decision regarding your stay.
In certain procedures, the municipality forwards the file to the Immigration Office, which reviews the situation and makes the decision within its jurisdiction.
In other words: you submit your application to the municipality, but that does not mean the municipality is the sole decision-maker regarding your right of residence.
This is an important point for many international students.
When renewing, you must be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient means of subsistence for your stay. The method of proof depends on your situation and the documents accepted for your procedure.
With a blocked account solution like Studely, the goal is primarily to obtain a certificate to justify these means of subsistence for your application.