Administrative steps for foreign students arriving in Belgium

Several administrative procedures are required before you are allowed to live in Belgium. Follow the steps indicated below in the given order because some procedures can not be accomplished until the previous one has been carried out.

Accommodation

Finding a place to live is of course a priority for all students. The Student Housing Office of the ULB publishes lists of available rooms in halls of residence, shared houses, flats and lodgings (these are rooms in private houses where the landlord or landlady lives on the premises). You may also check the notice boards of the school or opposite the staff canteen on the -1 floor of the Erasme hospital where local landlords advertise vacancies.

It is important for you to find lodgings so you may settle down as soon as possible. This should be done before your registration at the local town hall as each move will require a new procedure of registration at the town hall.

Registration at the University

You must go to the registration office, on the Solbosch campus, with your official letter of admission. If your administrative file is complete, you will be allowed to register. The tuition fees amount to 837 € (or reduced fees for students receiving a CUD or BTC grant). There is no possibility of spliting your payment.

Once you have paid, you will receive your student card.

Opening times : Monday till Friday, from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm

Important notice: If you have different “versions” of your name, make sure that the name you give at the registration office is exactly the same as the one you want printed on your degree.

Registration at the local town hall

Once you have an official residence, you must register at the "Foreigners' Office" ("Bureau des Etrangers") of your local town hall ("Maison Communale").

The following documents are required for registration:(some town hall administrations require more specific documents).

• passport and student visa

• three recent identity photos

• proof of registration at the ULB (student card)

• proof of residence (certificate from your landlord or rent payment receipt)

• an official statement of financial guarantee (scholarship attestation or document certifying that somebody is prepared to act as a guarantor for you). You will first receive a document attesting that you have applied for a resident card (provisional residence permit). Within a few days, a police officer will call on you to confirm that you actually live at the address you have given. After the police officer has called, you will receive the official resident card.

Opening of a bank account

This should be one of the first steps you take to be able to receive your monthly allowance. Unfortunately, many banks now require in addition to your passport, the proof of registration at the University and the document attesting that you have applied for a resident card before they allow you to open a bank account.

Registration at the “Mutualité” (mutual health insurance system)

In Belgium, individual health insurance is compulsory. Foreign students must be affiliated to a sick fund of their choice. You will receive a "social identity card" (carte SIS) that will give you access to the hospitals and that is required to buy some medicines. When you visit a doctor, a dentist or any provider of medical assistance, you will receive a receipt which you may take to any "Mutualité" office for partial refunding.

On the Erasme campus, you will find a "Mutualité Neutre" office.

Furthermore, ULB students are entitled to public liability insurance covering accidents related to university activities

More information

can be found on the University website at the address:http://www.ulb.ac.be/international/students/en/index.html

You may also contact the social services of the ULB.

Opening times :

• Monday till Friday, from 9:00 to 12:30

• from August 15 to December 15 : also open from 13:30 to 16:00 (Tickets determine the order in which you are attended. They are delivered until 12:00 am and until 3:30 pm)