TLScontact has announced that its Baghdad visa-application centre is once again processing every category of Belgian visa after a brief, security-related suspension earlier this month. The news, posted on 21 April, means Iraqi nationals and foreign residents in Iraq can submit short-stay Schengen, long-stay D-visa and legalisation requests without diversion to third-country posts.
![Baghdad Visa Centre Resumes Full Services for Travel to Belgium]()
VisaHQ can streamline the process for travellers who prefer to prepare their documentation remotely before their appointment. Through its Belgium visa portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), the service provides real-time document checklists, application form reviews and courier options, helping applicants avoid common pitfalls with legalisations and biometric timing.
During the closure, applicants faced multi-week delays and expensive detours via Ankara or Abu Dhabi to lodge files. The backlog is now being cleared and files that already received a decision are being shipped back to Baghdad for collection. TLScontact warns that applications containing legalised documents must have the stamps in place before submission—an area where first-time business travellers often stumble. For Belgian employers with operations in the energy and engineering sectors of southern Iraq, the reopening removes an acute bottleneck ahead of the summer project season. Global-mobility teams should nevertheless anticipate longer appointment lead times as the centre works through pent-up demand. Companies planning short-term technical visits are advised to lock in slots early and remind travellers that biometric data capture is mandatory, even for repeat applicants whose prints were taken more than 59 months ago. Translation requirements for Arabic contracts remain unchanged.
VisaHQ can streamline the process for travellers who prefer to prepare their documentation remotely before their appointment. Through its Belgium visa portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/), the service provides real-time document checklists, application form reviews and courier options, helping applicants avoid common pitfalls with legalisations and biometric timing.
During the closure, applicants faced multi-week delays and expensive detours via Ankara or Abu Dhabi to lodge files. The backlog is now being cleared and files that already received a decision are being shipped back to Baghdad for collection. TLScontact warns that applications containing legalised documents must have the stamps in place before submission—an area where first-time business travellers often stumble. For Belgian employers with operations in the energy and engineering sectors of southern Iraq, the reopening removes an acute bottleneck ahead of the summer project season. Global-mobility teams should nevertheless anticipate longer appointment lead times as the centre works through pent-up demand. Companies planning short-term technical visits are advised to lock in slots early and remind travellers that biometric data capture is mandatory, even for repeat applicants whose prints were taken more than 59 months ago. Translation requirements for Arabic contracts remain unchanged.
