Tim Van Anderlecht, Consul General of Belgium in Istanbul, said, “Last year we issued around 13 thousand visas. This year we plan to increase this figure to 18-19 thousand.”
Tim Van Anderlecht, Belgium’s Consul General in Istanbul, stated that visa requests from Turkey to Belgium are very high, so they are constantly trying to increase their capacity, “Last year we issued around 13 thousand visas. This year we plan to increase this figure to 18-19 thousand.”
Anderlecht organized a press conference at the Consulate for the 60th anniversary of the Belgium-Turkey Migration Agreement.
Speaking here, Anderlecht said that the Migration Agreement was the beginning of a mutual relationship between Turks and Belgians and that this agreement had a significant impact on the lives of many people.
Stating that on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Migration Agreement, they will organize the “Gurbet Kuşu Festival” on June 29 at Bilgi University, Anderlecht said that they will bring together people who have achieved success in Belgium and Turkey.
Stating that Turkish artists born in Belgium will also take part in the festival, Anderlecht said that the entrance to the festival is free of charge and that you can register from the link on the Consulate’s Instagram page.
Answering questions after his speech, Anderlecht answered the question about the relations between the two countries, “The relations between the two countries are actually good. One of the reasons for this is that there is an important Turkish community in Belgium and an important Belgian community in Turkey, and the presence of these people of course contributes to the relations.”
On the question of whether there will be a high-level visit from Belgium to Turkey on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Migration Agreement, the Consul General pointed out that visits to Turkey can be made after the new government is formed in his country.
Anderlecht noted that Turkey-Belgium economic relations are “quite good”.
“We are constantly trying to increase our (visa) capacity”
Anderlecht, in response to a question about the problems experienced with the Shengen visa from Turkey, said, “We are constantly trying to increase our (visa) capacity. Because the demand in Turkey is very high and we are constantly doing our best to respond to this.”
Stating that there are no longer waiting times for visas for business people and students, Anderlecht said that waiting times for visas related to family reunification can be long and that they are continuing to increase their capacity.
Noting that fast-track visa service is offered for business people, Anderlecht underlined that they are doing their best to ensure that student visas are issued in time for the school semester.
Consul General Anderlecht said, “Last year there was no problem in this regard. This year, we will also receive support from Belgium to increase our capacity in the same way. We have such a prediction.”
Belgium plans to issue around 18-19 thousand visas to Turkish citizens in 2024
Reminding that he started his duty in Turkey in August 2022, Anderlecht said, “We broke a record in the number of visas issued in 2022. We increased this record even more in 2023. And we plan to increase it by another 50 percent in 2024. In other words, the number of visas issued is constantly increasing. We are doing our best for this. And we will continue to increase our capacity until there is a more comfortable balance between supply and demand.”
Regarding the number of visas issued by his country to Turkish citizens, Anderlecht said, “Last year we issued around 13 thousand visas. This year we plan to increase this figure to 18-19 thousand.”
Emphasizing that most of the Belgian companies with investments in Turkey have their headquarters in Istanbul, Anderlecht said, “(Istanbul) is a city that has all the facilities that will enable a consul general to do his job properly.”
