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Dependent or Household Member of an EU/EEA/Swiss Citizen

BelgiumFamily

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Belgium Read the five questions ↓

Which family relationships qualify?

An 'other family member' may qualify if, in the country of provenance, the person is dependent on the EU citizen or belongs to that citizen's household.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The captured route covers dependency or household membership in the country of provenance; other extended-family relationships are not established by this category.
  • Other family members
    family members who, in the country of provenance, are dependent on or are part of the household of the EU citizen being accompanied or joined;

Who may sponsor or bring the family member, and what immigration/citizenship status must that person hold?

The sponsor is the EU/associated-country citizen being accompanied or joined and must prove a right to stay in Belgium for more than three months. If the sponsor is a student, the official source lists only a spouse or registered partner and children as family members who may join, and does not list this dependent or household category.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Confirm the sponsor's exact EU/associated-country and movement basis; proof of more than three months' Belgian stay right is required. The student-sponsor warning does not list this other-family-member category.
  • Conditions imposed on the spouse/partner
    prove that the EU citizen has the right to stay in Belgium for more than 3 months (annex 8ter/E card/EU card/annex 19).
  • Family members - student sponsor warning
    If the EU citizen is a student, within the meaning of article 40, §4, paragraph 1, 3°, of the Law of 15 December 1980) he/she may only be joined by his/her spouse or registered partner and by his/her children, or those of his/her spouse or partner.

What is important for proving marriage, partnership, parentage, custody, dependency or another qualifying relationship?

The applicant must prove identity and, by appropriate means, either dependency on the citizen in the country of provenance or membership in the citizen's household there. Proof of the sponsor's right to stay in Belgium for more than three months is also required.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The page allows appropriate means of proof but does not define an exhaustive dependency or household-membership test.

What important financial, accommodation, insurance or maintenance responsibilities apply?

If the sponsor resides on sufficient means, the applicant must prove sponsor-linked health-insurance cover and sufficient sponsor resources; these are not required if the sponsor already has permanent residence. The official page does not state a monetary threshold.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Full financial and insurance rules are linked separately; no monetary threshold is in this capture.

How does the application work at a high level, what rights does the family member receive, how long does the status last, and how can it become independent or longer-term where officially stated?

Where visa-required movement is covered by Directive 2004/38/EC, an eligible applicant may use the special C-visa procedure; the visa is not a residence card. A stay over 90 days requires a separate application at the municipality. Permit duration, work rights and independent/long-term progression are not stated.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Directive coverage is case-specific; no residence-card duration, work rights or independent/long-term progression is stated.
  • Application for an entry visa (C visa)
    The only requirement that Belgium can impose on a non-EU foreign national who is a (another) family member of an EU citizen is an entry
  • Special provision - accelerated procedure
    the assessment of the visa application must, as much as possible, be completed within 15 days from the moment when the family member has proved, with documents, that his/her movement is covered by Directive 2004/38/EC.
  • Decision - entry visa
    the issuing of an entry visa under Directive 2004/38/EC does not count as the issuing of a residence card.
  • Application for family reunification
    A family member who wishes to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days in order to live as a family with the EU citizen being accompanied or joined must submit an application for
  • Application for family reunification
    to the municipal administration of the place where he/she resides in Belgium.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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