FAQ - Travel, Visa, Accomodation

Do I need visa?

If you are from a non-European Union country, you require a Belgian visa for the all duration of your stay in Belgium (one semester), for study purpose. For this and other questions, you should contact the Belgian embassy.

In order to receive the visa, an individual planning to come to Belgium to study will be required to provide the Belgian Embassy or Consulate in his/her country with the following documents: 

• A duly completed application form (provided by the local Belgian diplomatic or consular authorities);
• An admission or enrolment certificate for one of the recognized higher education establishments;
• Evidence that the person applying to study in Belgium has sufficient means of support;
• A medical certificate issued by a doctor approved by the embassy, stating that the foreign student is not suffering from certain illnesses and does not have certain disabilities;
• If the interested party is over 21, a certificate of good conduct and a document certifying that he/she has not been convicted of any criminal act under common law;
• Visa applicants must be aware that the documents referred to only constitute the basic documents that have to be submitted in every case. Other additional documents may be required by the Belgian diplomatic or consular representation, taking into account the circumstances relating to the file or to the specific context of the applicant's country of origin. The interested party must obviously have a travel document (passport) valid for at least the all duration of the stay in Europe. 

More information: http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/services/travel_to_belgium/ 

The International Office at the University of Liege helps students who have been admitted to EMSHIP programme to arrange and apply for a visa. All accepted international students who require a visa or residence permit may contact the International Office to receive assistance with all visa procedures.

I haven’t received my visa yet. Can I already book my flight to Belgium?

We advise you not to book your plane ticket until you have an entry visa. You may choose to make a refundable reservation when you book your flight. We strongly advise you to contact the airline to find out whether your plane ticket can be refunded in the event that your visa application is delayed/ canceled.

How can I reserve accommodation?

You can find some general informations there : https://www.campus.uliege.be/cms/c_9038340/en/in-liege

Specific advice:

• University residence on Sart-Tilman campus: only for one semester stay. The university residence is located 15 minutes' walk away from the Faculty of Applied Sciences where you will have your classes, but 10 km away from the city center and all its entertainment facilities. The buses traffic from the city center to the campus stops at 23.30 in the evening (week-ends included). Contact and booking: https://www.campus.uliege.be/cms/c_9303811/en/se-loger-en-residence-universitaire-a-liege
• Private accommodation: usually in or near the city center. Individual flats or student rooms (named "kots" here): ask the owner if 10-12 months rental contract are possible and for non-EU students, ask the owner if it is ok to declare that address as your residence to the City Hall (in order to receive a residence permit). https://www.immoweb.be/en/real-estate/kot/for-rent or https://www.kotaliege.be/en/
• Private student residences: more expensive, but including a lot of services (e.g.: http://www.studenthouse-liege.be/en, https://www.generation-campus.be/en/page/meuse-campus-liege.html, http://www.studentstation.be/?lang=en)
• If you choose to go for a private place, out of a student residence, please be sure to know enough French in case the owner can't speak English.

Can I extend my VISA after my study to search for a Job in Europe?

Yes you can extend VISA for 1 year.

Here are rules after the graduation of EMSHIP M120 in URO, ECN or UPM, in terms of VISA (for non EU students) : 

1) Germany (URO - Rostock) :
Non-EU can stay up to one year after getting a German degree for searching for a job, provided they have enough money.

2) France (ECN- Nantes) :
Non-EU can stay up one year after getting a French degree for searching for a job, by asking for a Temporary Residence Permit called APS.
Information is available at the following link

3) Spain (UPM) :
After their studies, graduates are allowed to apply for an extension of their residence permit to stay in Spain for a maximum of 12 months to look for a job or create their own business project.

EMShip students Life in University of Liege

As you will soon find out, Liege definitely deserves its reputation as a “land of hospitality”. A cosmopolitan town with a rich history, Liege has succeeded in combining its Latin and German ancestry.

You will find all important information on life and studies at University of Liege in the Welcome guide for exchange students upon your arrival here

French courses

Please refer to this page

How to get to Liege?

By plane

• Brussels National Airport “Zaventem “: is your most likely point of entry into Belgium. To reach Liège, take the train to Louvain/Leuven, and change for Liège. http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/contact/tbac/

• Brussels South Charleroi Airport: located in Charleroi, is an alternative for low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and WizzAir. From the airport, take the city bus Line A (stop is outside of the departure hall), which costs €3 one way to Charleroi-Sud (south) train station, then the train to Liège-Guillemins. Train departs once every hour from 5AM. Last train leaves at 11 PM. The trip takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. http://www.charleroi-airport.com/

• . Reaching the city centre with public transportation is a bit tricky. Check http://www.liegeairport.com/en/bus-shuttle-taxis for further information.

• Maastricht Airport: is also close to the city. Ryanair has some service from the city (a lot less than Charleroi though). Transportation to Liège can be done by train. http://www.maa.nl/

• Frankfurt Airporthttp://www.frankfurt-airport.com/content/frankfurt_airport/en.html

“ ”Kölnand Frankfurt. Liège- Guillemins (train station) is not a short walking distance away from the city Centre (20-25minutes’ walk). Nevertheless, the bus station in front of the train station gives you an easy access to the center and almost all parts of the city and suburbs.

By car

Liège is the crossroads for several major motorways. Its "ring" has 6 branches in clockwise order:

• The E25, to the south, towards Luxembourg and into France via Metz, Nancy, Lyon

• The E42, to the west, crosses Wallonia via Mons/Bergen before entering France via Valenciennes, Paris

• The E40, to the west, leading to the Belgian coast via Brussels

• The E313, leading to Antwerp and on to the large coastal cities of the Netherlands

• The E25, to the north, with Maastricht a stone's throw away (30 km) and the rest of the Netherlands beyond

• The E40, to the east, entering Germany via Aachen. A second branch (Actually actually the E42) splits off at Verviers, heading to Trier.

Since it is a fairly large city, many motorway exits are signposted for "Liège". When coming from Germany or Netherlands, follow the E25 to its end, then follow the road signs to the center. If you are coming from Luxembourg, exit at "Angleur" and follow signs to the center, or to continue to the exit marked "Liège-centre". Finally, coming from Paris, Lille, Brussels, or Antwerp, follow signs to Luxembourg until you reach the exit marked "Liège-centre." When comming from Flanders, Liège is named as "Luik."

By bus

Liège is well-connected by bus, notably in the Eurolines network on rue des Guillemins, near the train station.

Contact persons