1. REGISTERING A REQUEST FOR INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION

Where and when to register my request for international protection?
To submit a request for international protection you should – starting from Monday 29.08.2022 onwards – report to the following address: Boulevard Pacheco/Pachecolaan 44, 1000 Brussels (Cube), at 8.30 am.
If you wish to apply for asylum at the border, you can submit your application to the border authorities.
If you’re in detention, you can submit an application to the director of the prison or a staff member of the detention centre.

Filing an asylum application must be done in person. You cannot do this on behalf of someone else. If you have children under 18 who arrive in Belgium with you, they will automatically follow your procedure as a parent.

What happens during the registration of my request?

  • Registration of ID-details: The Immigration Office will verify your identity (surname, first name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality) upon registration. Preferably, this is done on the basis of identity documents. However, if no identity documents available, your data will be noted according to your statements.
  • Registration of biometrics: Upon the registration of your application, your photograph and fingerprints will be taken.
  • Registration of other relevant information: To complete your registration, the Immigration Office will check since when you’ve been in Belgium, whether or not you already have a residential address in Belgium and whether you needs reception. The Immigration Office will also ask you whether you’d wish to be assisted by an interpreter while registering your application for international protection.
  • Determining of vulnerabilities: You will be asked to indicate any possible vulnerabilities that might impact the further procedure and that should therefor be taken into account. You will have the opportunity to add additional information or elements later in the procedure.
  • You’ll be informed on your rights and duties.

Afterwards, Fedasil will check whether you are eligible for shelter and you will undergo a medical examination. Read more about this here.

Which documents should I present while registering my request for international protection?
All documents on age, background (including those of relevant family members), identity, nationality(ies), country(ies) and place(s) of previous residence, information on previous applications for international protection, travel itinerary(s), identity documents, … are important, as well as documents that can prove the problems in the country of origin. Withholding documents, or refusing to produce certain documents, may be an indication of a lack of cooperation and may negatively influence your application.

Which COVID-measures should I bear in mind?
Wearing a mouth mask is mandatory
Social distancing must be respected at all times (at least 1m50 between people not belonging to the same social bubble).
The instructions of the staff of Fedasil, the Immigration Office and the Police must be strictly followed.

2. SUBMITTING A REQUEST FOR INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION

The day of registration of the request or no later than 30 days after having registered your request for international protection, you will be given the opportunity to submit the request. If you can not submit your request on the same day as your registration, you’ll receive an official notification stating where and when to submit your request. Note: If you do not comply with the invitation to submit your request, your request will be annulled. From that moment, you’ll no longer be an applicant for international protection. If at a later date you still wish to submit a request, your application will be reopened.

With the exception of persons at the border or persons detained or held in a well-defined place, the submitting of the application takes place at the Immigration Office situated at 44 Avenue Pacheco, 1000 Brussels.

What to do before submitting my request for international protection?

Choosing a fixed address (domicile) in Belgium: Every applicant is obliged to register at a fixed address in Belgium. The Immigration Office and the CGRS will send all correspondence within the framework of your asylum-procedure (invitations, requests for information, decisions, etc.) to this address. This may be the address where you actually reside, the address of your lawyer, the address of friends or family in Belgium, etc. If you choose not to register an address, all your correspondence will be sent to the address of the CGRS, and you’ll be expected to go there to receive your correspondence. It is a legal obligation to inform both the Immigration Office and the CGRS of any change of address.

Determining the language of the procedure: If you speak sufficient French or Dutch, you may choose either French or Dutch as the language in which your request will be handled. If you do not speak sufficient French or Dutch, you may request the assistance of an interpreter. In this case, the Immigration Office will determine the language of the proceedings according to the needs of the services and authorities. Once the procedural language has been determined, it will be maintained throughout the entire procedure.

Issuing Annex 26 / 26quinquies: Once your request is submitted, the Immigration Office will issue an annex 26 (if it is a first application) or an annex 26quinquies (if it is a subsequent application). This document contains your identity details and photograph, and serves as proof that your request for international protection has been submitted. However, this document is not proof of identity or nationality.

3. DUBLIN EXAMINATION

Based on an interview, your fingerprints and/or any visas or residence permits from another EU member state, the Immigration Office will investigate whether Belgium is responsible for processing your asylum application. Read more about the Dublin Regulation here.

4. FIRST INTERVIEW

Each applicant for international protection is invited for an interview by the Immigration Office as soon as possible after the request for international protection is submitted.

During this interview, the Immigration Office will question you about your identity, your family situation, your places of residence, your itinerary and the reasons why you are applying for asylum. Be sure to submit all your original identity documents and any other relevant documents about the reasons for your flight from your country. The first interview serves as a basis for the second interview at the CGRS, during which you’ll get the opportunity to recount your story in more detail.

If you cannot attend on the planned date of the interview, this must be notified to the Immigration Office as soon as possible. Reasons for absence must be well-founded (e.g. medical certificate in case of illness). If you do not present yourself to the Immigration Office within a period of 15 days – after the date of the invitation – without a valid justification, you’ll be considered to have renounced your request for international protection. In this case, the Immigration Office may decide to deliver an order to leave the territory.

Questions about the interview and its organisation can be sent (by yourself or your lawyer) to asile.interviews@ibz.fgov.be.

5. COMMISSIONER GENERAL FOR REFUGEES AND STATELESS PERSONS (CGRS)

After the first interview at the Immigration Office, your request will be transferred to the independent Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) – the sole instance authorized to decide on your asylum application.

Click here to read more about the CGRS and the asylum procedure.