Consulate information
Visa
In order to be able to respect the necessary precautionary measures and social distancing and within the framework of our mobilization in the fight against the Coronavirus, we inform you that the Embassy of Belgium currently receives visitors only by appointment, which can be requested online via following link:
Online appointment
Embassy of Belgium in Abidjan
Cocody Ambassades, Rue du Bélier, Rue A56
01 Abidjan
Côte d’Ivoire
01 BP 1800
T: +225 27 22 48 33 60
For questions, except visa: Abidjan@diplobel.fed.be
For questions about visa:
– E-mail: abidjan.visa@diplobel.fed.be
– Tel : please contact VFS Global +225 27 20 00 48 78
Emergency number for Belgians in need outside the opening hours:
+225 05 05 05 67 30
No visa or legalisation question will be answered on this number.
Important information:
The Embassy of Belgium in Abidjan CANNOT intervene in private expenses, such as medical expenses. If you are travelling or living in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Sierra Leone or Liberia, we strongly recommend that you take out medical insurance. By following this link, you will find the details on the services offered by our consular department.
Travel restrictions:
IMPORTANT: Essential procedures for travel are available at https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/travels/
For any other question, please contact us by email abidjan@diplobel.fed.be or by phone +225 27 22 48 33 60. Visit also the Facebook page of the Embassy and the travel advice.
UPDATE ON TRAVEL RULES
An important change regarding visas, and travels in general :
Vaccination certificates delivered in non EU-countries as from September 1st 2021, are recognized by Belgium. This vaccination certificate has to meet certain criteria, described on the website of Immigration Office: https://dofi.ibz.be/en/themes/covid-19/international-travels (see ‘vaccination certificate’). This means that a person who is fully vaccinated since at least 15 days doesn’t have to prove the essential purpose of the trip anymore.
So, persons who can prove their full vaccination:
Can apply for a visa, no matter the purpose of their trip at https://www.vfsglobal.com/Belgium/Ivorycoast/ or for more specific questions to our email address visa@diplobel.fed.be and are in possession of a valid visa or have a nationality that does not require a visa, does not need an essential travel certificate anymore. The airlines company will have to check their vaccination certificate before departure.
For non-vaccinated persons, essential travels rule still apply. For the full list of essential travels, please see https://dofi.ibz.be/en/themes/covid-19/international-travels (under ‘essential and permitted travels to Belgium)
Opening hours
The Embassy is open to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. However, at the moment and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the embassy receives only by appointment, which can be requested by following this link: Online appointment
Legalization
Legalization of documents by Consulate of Belgium in Accra at Euros20 per document. Submissions on Wednesday to Friday from 09h00 to 11h00
Contact consulate.belgium@ yahoo.com for details
Registration
Administrative support is only rendered to Belgian citizens who have been registered in the consular population register entitles you to benefit from the same services as those provided by municipal authorities in Belgium, i.e. the management of your administrative file.
Registering allows the consulate to assist you more efficiently when issuing an identity card, issuing consular certificates (e.g. residence certificates, registration certificates, certificates of nationality, ‘household composition’ certificates, cohabitation etc.).
You may if eligible, also participate in some elections in Belgium (federal general elections and European elections).
Passport Renewal
Every citizen will have to apply for a new biometric passport in person (from the age of 6) at the embassy of Belgium in Ivory Coast.
Other options for registered Belgians to renew passports are:
- At any other Belgian consular post (city where you work, when on holiday, etc.)
- At a municipal administration in Belgium:
- last municipality where you were registered in Belgium;
- or municipality where you were born (if you have never resided in Belgium);
- or municipality of your choice (if you have never resided and were not born in Belgium).
ID Card Renewal
In accordance with European regulations, all identity cards newly issued by EU member countries will now have to contain fingerprints (2 indexes).
NEW PROCEDURE – From Monday, 21 June 2021, applicant must present oneself in person, to submit application for an electronic identity card (e-ID) or Kids-ID (child is 6 years old or older). This is necessary to ensure correct identification and a similar photo and to register fingerprints (from the age of 12), as is already the case for a passport
Check website for all details https://cotedivoire.diplomatie.belgium.be
VACCINATION OF BELGIANS RESIDING ABROAD
According to the principle of territoriality, Belgian citizens residing abroad will, as far as possible, be vaccinated in their country of residence. However, Belgian citizens, who would not have the choice to be vaccinated in their country of residence with vaccines approved by the EMA (European Medicines Agency) or according to the vaccination schedule in progress in Belgium, have, under a recent decision, the possibility of being vaccinated in Belgium.
Check website for all details https://cotedivoire.diplomatie.belgium.be
Emergency Travel
The Consulate can, under certain conditions, with the authorization from the Embassy in Ivory Coast, issue a temporary passport that is valid for a limited period and does not allow travel in all countries in the same way as the standard passport.
Lost Documents
Call Doc-Stop to cancel your passport and protect yourself against any fraudulent use of your identity:+32 2 518 2123
- Immediately report the theft to the local police (ask them for a statement confirming the theft) and then report to the Consulate.
Pension
You can find all the information on the website of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs (This hyperlink opens a new window).
Life certificates are endorsed by the Consulate when submitted in person
Education in Belgium
In Flemish Community
A comprehensive overview of all possibilities on the website Studying in Flanders(link is external).
Higher Education in Flanders(link is external) is a brochure in pdf format that lists and explains the various degrees and diplomas which can be obtained from Flemish educational establishments. The brochure gives a comprehensive overview of higher education establishments and financial information on all types of courses (e.g. grants).
The NARIC website(link is external) and ENIC-NARIC website(link is external) inform you whether your foreign diploma receives the same recognition in the Flemish Community as in your own country.
In the French Community
Venir étudier en Belgique(link is external) provides an overview of opportunities for studying in French-speaking Belgium.
The Service Equivalences(link is external) deals with the equivalence of foreign primary and secondary education certificates. To find out if your university degree receives the same recognition in the French Community as in the country where you obtained, you can visit the website of the French Community(link is external).
Allocation d’études(link is external) provides useful information on how to submit an application for a student grant or student loan.
Education in the German-speaking Community
On the website of the German-speaking Community(link is external), you can find an overview of opportunities for studying in German-speaking Belgium.
Belgium Facts / Info
- Officially adopted on January 23, 1831, designed to signify Belgium’s recognition as an independent country. Tricolor symbolic of the country’s coat of arms; black representing the shield; gold representing the lion, and red representing the lion’s claws and tongue. The state coat of arms the Belgian lion with the motto UNITY MAKES STRENGTH.
Royal Kingdom of Belgium, member of EU and NATO
Head of State: HRH King Philip I
Capital: City of Brussels
Date of Independence in 1830
Belgian National Day is the national holiday of Belgium commemorated annually on 21 July. It is one of Belgium’s ten public holidays and marks the anniversary of the investiture of King Leopold I, the country’s first monarch, in 1831
Kings’ day is celebrated annually on November 15th. I It may also be known as ‘Dynasty Day’, or the ‘Feast of the Dynasty’.
Currency: Euro
Official Language: French, Dutch & German
Languages of Nationals: 60% Dutch, 39 % French & 1% German
Population: 11,559,815 (growth rate: 0.50%)
Borders: between the Netherlands to the north, Germany and Luxembourg to the east, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west
Area: 11,787 sq mi (30,528 sq km)
The country of Belgium is divided into three regions. Two of these regions, the Flemish Region or Flanders, and Walloon Region, or Wallonia, are each subdivided into five provinces. The third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, is not divided into provinces, as it was originally only a small part of a province itself.
Climate: The average annual temperature is 8°c (46°f); in Brussels, the mean temperature is 10°c (50°f), ranging from 3°c (37°f) in January to 18°c (64°f) in July. Average annual rainfall is between 70 and 100 cm (28 to 40 in).
Tourist areas: St Peter’s Church & Town Hall, Meuse Valley, Grand Place in Brussels , Waterloo, Ghents Gravesteen, Battlefields of Flanders, Canals & Belfry of Bruges, Machelen old Town, Mons Old Town, Dinant, Port of Antwerp, Atomium, EU HQ.
