Admitted! What now?
After your admission at Odisee, there are a few important steps to complete before traveling to Belgium and after your arrival. To ensure a smooth transition, we have listed the most important ones below. We recommend saving this page for quick access whenever needed.
On this website you can find a checklist:
- Before coming to Belgium
- After arrival in Belgium
Before coming to Belgium
-
1
Visa Application Process
To enter Belgium, you will need a visa if you are a non-EEA student. Specifically, you will require a Long Stay Visa (Type D).
As an EEA-student, you do not require a visa to enter Belgium. However, you do have to make sure that you bring all the necessary documents with you.
Find out which procedure applies to you
-
2
Open a blocked account
If you require a visa to come to and study in Belgium, you will also need to prove that you have sufficient means of subsistence for your study period in Belgium. You can prove this by a study grant, a sponsor, or a blocked account. The blocked account procedure is highly advised by the Immigration Office in Belgium and is used most frequently by non-EEA students at Odisee.
Open a blocked account at Odisee here
Check out the website of the Immigration Office for more information
-
3
Look for Housing
Start your search for accommodation on time, ideally before coming to Belgium. However, don’t sign a contract yet if you are not in Belgium. Once you arrive, try to visit the accommodation as soon as possible to sign the contract and move in. (Odisee does not offer any student accommodation, but you can find more information about student housing on our website.)
After arrival in Belgium
-
1
Online registration at Odisee
Once you have arrived in Belgium, you will be able to complete your online registration. Please upload all the required documents and confirm your registration. You may have to present your original diploma and/or certificates upon arrival. Please check your admission email to see if the diploma check applies to you.
-
2
Arrange your Health Care Insurance
As an international student in Belgium, you are legally obligated to have Health Care Insurance. For non-EEA students Belgian Health Care Insurance is obligated. EEA students can make use of their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
More information about Health Care Insurance can be found on our website
-
3
Registration at the city hall
When you arrive in Belgium, you have 8 days to register at the city hall of your place of residence. Different procedures apply depending on your nationality. As an EEA student, you will also have to present yourself at the commune of your residence. (Please be aware that at some municipalities, they will only communicate in French or Dutch. Be prepared for this.)
First-time registration at the city hall as an EEA student
First-time registration at the city hall as a non-EEA student
-
4
Register for the Welcome Day
The Welcome Day for new students is mandatory. You will have to confirm your attendance online. On this Welcome Day, you will get to meet your fellow students and your lecturers. In addition to that, you will be given some relevant information about your studies, the programme, and the administration at Odisee.
From September on it will be possible to confirm your attendance for the Welcome day
-
5
Open a bank account
If you have a blocked account at Odisee, we require your Belgian bank account number to be able to transfer you your monthly installments. Also for students without a blocked account, a Belgian bank account can be useful. You avoid transfer and banking costs with a Belgian bank account.
-
6
A smooth start at Odisee
As a new student, all the practical information that comes with studying at Odisee can sometimes be a little bit overwhelming. Therefore, we have set up a page detailing all the necessary steps to take to start your academic career as smoothly as possible. On this page, you can find information on how to activate your account as well as the study material you will need, for example.
-
7
Pay your tuition fee
Once your registration is finalised, you will receive an invoice for the payment of your tuition fee by email. The first invoice will only include the fixed part of the tuition fee. After the approval of your Individual Study Programme, you will receive the second invoice for the variable part of the tuition fee.
Find out more about the tuition fee
-
8
Submit your Individual Study Programme (ISP)
Your Individual Study Programme includes all the courses you will take up this academic year. Every semester you will have to submit your ISP again. If you think you can apply for exemptions, don’t forget to contact your study path coach and once they are approved, register them in your ISP.