It’s quite difficult. But my application goes smoothly without rejection. I was illegal. I got my orange card exactly 5 months.

Hi Sandy, thanks for sharing your story. My good friend in Belgium was also staying illegally in Belgium for 5 years. She then married a Belgian man and eventually got approval. The process was smooth even though she was fearful of the outcome. She also said that many of the illegal people who came from her country were caught staying illegally and repatriated. At the end of the day, it also boiled down to who you meet in handling your case, and a little bit of luck.

I applied while I was illegal. Before applying, we got a lawyer. He told us that the commune would give me a negative reply, and that’s what happened. Right now, we are appealing. The lawyer has asked for our pictures, neighbors, friends and family recommendation letters with a copy of their passports. We have been in a relationship for two years and lived together for 1 year seven month. I moved in with my boyfriend while my asylum procedure was still running, but unfortunately, I got a negative answer. Now, I pray that the lawyer to do his best.

Hi Jhennyveeh, it is likely that you may be asked to leave the country since you have been staying here illegally. There were people leaving comments here that they were not allowed to apply for cohabitation because they have overstayed. You can apply, and also consider seeking help from a lawyer for your more complicated issues. Here is a checklist for you to prepare the documents needed for cohabitation.

Hi Shivam, there is a likelihood to be rejected at the second stage, which is the family reunion process. However, it is no hard trying as I think signing the legal cohabitation paper will not be a problem.

If the first application gets rejected, all you have to do is re-apply immediately. During the period of re-application, you can stay in Belgium. Once she hit the minimum income requirement , you will get your F Card eventually.

I have a different situation that I would like to query upon. I am a non-EU citizen living in Europe for the past 5 years on a student visa. I have lived 3 years in Germany and 2 years in Belgium now. I am studying in Belgium and plan to be here for one more year to complete my Masters. However, due to the immigration rules, I am not allowed to stay in Belgium after my studies to find work and even finding a job is hard due to the strict rules regarding hiring non-EU employees.

I have been in a relationship with my girlfriend who is Finnish (EU citizen) for the past 2 years. We met in Germany and had a long-distance relationship for 1 year. She recently moved in with me in Belgium. We have been living on the same address for the past 10 months now. She is a student at VUB and works part-time, so she doesn’t have a stable income as she is a student.

My question to you is: is it possible or a good opportunity to apply for the cohabitation process for us? And since she doesn’t earn a fixed income, what are the chances of my visa getting renewed even after completion of my studies? Because if I have a Belgium Orange Card, the rules of non-EU employee don’t apply to me and I can very well find a job. I would love to hear a reply from you as I think you are qualified to answer this. Btw my commune is Etterbeek, Brussels 1040.

Hi Mae,

The moment you move to Brussels, you have to go to the City Hall to report your arrival within 8 days. Inform them that you just got married in The Netherlands. They may ask you to submit the following documents for the first process of family reunification in Belgium on the same day or for the next appointment. That depends on what your City Hall wants. Get the documents translated if necessary.

1. Your Marriage Certificate
2. Certificate of Celibacy in the Philippines to prove that you are not married before
3. Birth Certificate
4. No Criminal Record

You will also expect a police visit or interview from the city hall after declaring your arrival. As your husband is an EU citizen, he may have to get his Belgian residence card first before they will process your application.

After your first appointment at the City Hall, the family reunion process will take place accordingly. Later, you have to submit your proof of relationship also. Here is a checklist for more reference.

I found your blog and information really helpful to your readers. I am wondering if you could help me with information though. Here is my situation:

I am a Filipina (non-EU citizen) currently an Aupair in the Netherlands which give me a valid Schengen visa to stay in Europe for a year. My visa will expire on the 22nd of January 2019 in The Netherlands.

I just got married a few days ago with a wonderful German guy who has a stable income and currently renting his own place in Brussels. We are planning to move together the first week of January 2019. What could be the steps I needed to do to legally stay together with him in Brussels? 🙂

Thank you so much in advance.

Hi JJ, I was surprised to read that they asked you to leave this week. Most people know that as along as a family reunion procedure is running, you can stay in Belgium. It was written somewhere on the official site too.

Many applicants receive an Orange Card only after 3 months when their visa expires. Nowadays, there is a delay in getting the Orange Card. However, they continue to live in Belgium without an Orange Card legally. You do not need any extension on your passport if the timeline exceeds 3 months even though you do not have an Orange Card yet.

You should write an official email to Deurne office instead of asking one person at the counter. Ask them why do you need to leave as you have already declared your cohabitation in August within 90 days of your arrival. The legal cohabitation declaration and the letter of proof that you received on October 16 would automatically lead to the next family reunion process because you are a foreigner.

If I were you, I would stay in Belgium. You may get police visit during this period asking you to leave the country immediately. Explain to them that you are in the legal cohabitation process. The police know it better if you can show them all your documents. You have done all the correct things within the time frame and so, what is their concern? There will be some arguments for you so you should think through how to explain.

I advised you to email to Deurne because a group of people are looking at the email. Therefore, every explanation that they give you is transparent and black and white. If you have to leave the country, they must give you an even more convincing reason because all of us who went through this process stay in Belgium without a need for the visa extension.