From the 2026-2027 academic year, third-country nationals applying for a Belgian study visa will have to demonstrate monthly resources of at least €1,062—up from €835—after Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt signed a ministerial decree on 4 March. Because students must typically prove they can support themselves for 12 months, the lump-sum evidence now rises to roughly €12,700. (belganewsagency.eu)
The government says the old threshold no longer reflected Belgium’s cost of living, especially in university cities such as Leuven, Ghent and Brussels where rents have accelerated. Universities quietly welcomed the move; Flemish institutions had already adopted an informal €1,000 benchmark when screening scholarship candidates. (belganewsagency.eu)
If you need help understanding these new requirements or assembling the right financial proof, VisaHQ’s Belgium page (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers up-to-date checklists and personalised assistance for students, guarantors and corporate HR teams, making the visa process smoother even as the bar is raised.
![Belgium Hikes Proof-of-Funds Requirement for Non-EU Student Visas to €1,062 a Month]()
Officials also stress that the tighter rule is part of a broader clamp-down on study-migration abuse. In 2025, the Immigration Office rejected 2,615 student-visa applications, many for fraudulent diplomas or guarantor letters. A new blacklist will be created for sponsors who fail to honour financial commitments, and social-assistance eligibility for non-EU students will be restricted to those who have resided legally for five years. (belganewsagency.eu)
For corporate global-mobility teams, the higher threshold may affect dependent children of expatriate staff and internship schemes that funnel graduate talent through Belgian universities. HR departments should review scholarship budgets, update assignment letters that reference Belgian subsistence figures and alert candidates who are midway through the visa pipeline.
Because the change applies to renewals as well as first-time applications, current students must be prepared to show the higher amount when extending residence cards, or risk lapses that could jeopardise graduate job-search permits under the EU Students & Researchers Directive.
The government says the old threshold no longer reflected Belgium’s cost of living, especially in university cities such as Leuven, Ghent and Brussels where rents have accelerated. Universities quietly welcomed the move; Flemish institutions had already adopted an informal €1,000 benchmark when screening scholarship candidates. (belganewsagency.eu)
If you need help understanding these new requirements or assembling the right financial proof, VisaHQ’s Belgium page (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) offers up-to-date checklists and personalised assistance for students, guarantors and corporate HR teams, making the visa process smoother even as the bar is raised.
Officials also stress that the tighter rule is part of a broader clamp-down on study-migration abuse. In 2025, the Immigration Office rejected 2,615 student-visa applications, many for fraudulent diplomas or guarantor letters. A new blacklist will be created for sponsors who fail to honour financial commitments, and social-assistance eligibility for non-EU students will be restricted to those who have resided legally for five years. (belganewsagency.eu)
For corporate global-mobility teams, the higher threshold may affect dependent children of expatriate staff and internship schemes that funnel graduate talent through Belgian universities. HR departments should review scholarship budgets, update assignment letters that reference Belgian subsistence figures and alert candidates who are midway through the visa pipeline.
Because the change applies to renewals as well as first-time applications, current students must be prepared to show the higher amount when extending residence cards, or risk lapses that could jeopardise graduate job-search permits under the EU Students & Researchers Directive.
