Information about a "blocked account" for visa or residence permit renewal

Proof of sufficient means of subsistence is provided by producing one of the following documents:

• a certificate of scholarship or loan
• a commitment by a guarantor to take charge of the student (called Annexe 32), validated by the Belgian embassy or consulate of your country of origin, or by the foreigners’ service of your municipality if you already reside in Belgium. For more information, please consult the website of the “Office des Étrangers” or contact the Belgian embassy of your home country. Beware that there are people who offer to act as guarantor in exchange for a sum of money. Never use this service, it is a fraud.
• a “blocked account” certificate: payment of a sum of money (789 € x number of months of your stay in Belgium) into the bank account of the higher education institution in which you are registered or have been accepted to register.

The Belgian authorities (Office des Étrangers) set annually the minimum amount of sufficient means of subsistence that is required. For the academic year 2023-2024, the amount is set at 789 € a month. Please note that the cost of living may be higher in Brussels. You can check online to estimate the amount you will need.

If you wish to stay in Belgium with family members who apply for family reunification, the monthly amount set by the Belgian authorities is 1969 €.

The ULB now offers the blocked account service to all its students and future students, from the 2023-2024 academic year onwards. 

This service allows you to obtain the solvency certificate necessary to apply for your visa or renew your residence permit. The certificate also includes a travel and expatriation insurance which is compulsory for your visa application. For the renewal of your residence permit, this insurance is not necessary and you will not be charged for it.

You will receive the solvency certificate once the ULB has received the exact requested amount, which includes 150 € for administrative fees as well as the possible expatriation insurance costs (approximately 108 € for 6 months or 235 € for 13 months). Please note that we cannot provide you with an insurance certificate. If you apply for a blocked account in the context of a visa application, your solvency certificate will certify that you have a Schengen-type travel and expatriation insurance, which is sufficicient for your visa application. You do not need an insurance certificate for your visa application.

Please be aware that all exchange and/or transfer charges are at the expense of the student, who thus needs to ensure that the exact amount will be deposited into the ULB’s account.

Once you have sent us the IBAN (bank details) of an account in euros in your name (a Belgian or European IBAN or an IBAN from a neo-bank like Revolut or Wise), the amount you have paid to the ULB (excluding administrative fees and any expatriation insurance fee is paid back to you in monthly instalments at the end of each month for the duration of your stay.

The monthly transfers are scheduled for the 25th day of the month preceding the month they are covering (for example, the instalment for November will be transferred on 25 October) and should arrive on your account a few days later. If you send us your bank details before the 10th day of the month preceding the first month covered by your blocked account, you will receive your first transfer at the end of that preceding month (unless there is a technical mishap). Otherwise, you will receive two instalments at the same time at the end of the first month covered by your blocked account (for example, if your blocked account starts in September and you send us your bank details on the 11 August, you will receive two instalments at the end of September, for September and October). You will receive your last monthly instalment at the end of the penultimate month covered by your blocked account, together with any surplus you might have transferred to the ULB account in the first place.

If you choose not to open an account with a neo-bank and prefer to open a Belgian account, please be aware that this can take two or three months, as you must first have a Belgian national number, which you will only obtain one or two months after your arrival in Belgium when you register with your municipality. Therefore, we recommend you bring enough money to support yourself during your first months in Belgium, as you will only receive your monthly payments once your Belgian account has been opened (you will receive several instalments at the same time).

You can apply for a blocked account only online HERE (except for family reunion situations, for which, for the time being, you must send a message to blocked.account@ulb.be. NB: any question sent to that email address and that is answered in this information page will be ignored), only once you are in possession of your ULB acceptance or registration letter (it may be a conditional acceptance letter) or the registration certificate for the medical/dental entry exam (NB: after the publication of the entry exam results, the blocked accounts of the candidates who have failed will be cancelled; the solvency certificates linked to those blocked accounts will therefore be no longer valid). You can start the application process at any time in the calendar year, but please be aware that the whole procedure takes about three weeks until you receive your solvency certificate by e-mail.

Note for Erasmus Mundus students: whatever your situation (visa or residence permit renewal), you must choose the "IWD Renew / Erasmus Mundus" option in the online application form, not the "IWD Visa" option. If in doubt, do not hesitate to reach out to your Erasmus Mundus contact.


The steps are: 

1. Fill out the online application form and upload all requested documents.
2. After validation by our office, you will receive an e-mail containing your Blocked Account Agreement.
3. Print, date and sign your agreement, and upload a scanned copy into the application tool. 
4. Transfer the amount stated in your agreement to the ULB account.
5. Upload the proof of payment into the application tool.
6. Once reception of your transfer is confirmed by our Financial Department, you will receive an e-mail containing your Solvency Certificate.
7. Open a Belgian bank account (or an account with a neo-bank) in your own name, if you do not already have a bank account in Euros.
8. Enter the IBAN (bank account number) of your bank account in Euros into the application tool and upload an official document from your bank showing your IBAN.
9. Your instalments will start. For transfer times, please see above.

• For a visa application:
  • Passport
  • ULB acceptance letter or registration letter (it may be a conditional acceptance letter) or the certificate of registration for the medical/dental entry exam. This document must relates to the academic year concerned by your blocked account. 
• For a residence permit renewal application:
  • Passport
  • ULB acceptance letter or registration letter (it may be a conditional acceptance letter) or the certificate of registration for the medical/dental entry exam. This document must relates to the academic year concerned by your blocked account.
  • Belgian residence permit
  • ULB student card.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1- DURATION OF A BLOCKED ACCOUNT CONTRACT
 

How do I choose the duration and period of my blocked account?

In the online application tool, you must choose a duration between 5 and 13 months and the period for which you need a blocked account. The duration and period depend on your stay at the ULB.
In any case, your blocked account must be situated within one academic year. I cannot overlap another academic year. This means your blocked account cannot start before September and end after September of the following year. It may start in September at the earliest and end in September of the following year at the latest.
If you are an exchange student, the duration of the blocked account will be the duration of your exchange stay.
If you are a student on individual mobility for one year or more, you can choose a blocked account for 13 months, from September to September (12 months + 1 month to allow you to renew your residence permit).
You may also choose a duration shorter than 12 or 13 months if this is in line with your residence permit requirements.

What is the minimum and maximum duration for a blocked account contract?

You can open a blocked account for a minimum of 5 months and a maximum of 13 months. The period covered cannot exceed the academic year, which always runs from September to September of the following year. In other words, if you choose a period of 13 months, the first month must be September and the last month September.

If I arrive in the middle or at the end of the month (e.g. 27 January), on what date should I start my blocked account?

Your blocked account contract must always start on the first day of the month in which you arrive (even if you arrive on the 31st of the month).

2- PAYMENT TO THE UNIVERSITY
 

Is there any more precise information about the university account to which I have to pay the requested amount?

Here is all the information you might need to pay the requested amount into the ULB account:
ING Belgium SA/NV
Registered office: Avenue Marnix 24, B-1000 Brussels
RPM Brussels - VAT BE 0403 200 393
IBAN: BE63 3631 7331 6408
BIC: BBRUBEBB
BRANCH: 310 316
ING BELGIUM NV/SA (FORMERLY BANK BRUSSELS LAMBERT SA).

NB: you may transfer funds to that account only if you have received and signed your Blocked Account Agreement.

Can another person transfer the requested amount in my name to the ULB’s account?

Yes, anybody can transfer the requested amount for you. Please carefully follow the instructions for the reference of the transfer.

What is the total amount to be paid?

789 € x number of months (for the academic year 2023-2024 - this amount is subject to change for each academic year)
+ administrative fees: 150 €
+ expatriation insurance: 0.5935 €/day (fare for 2023) = about 108 € for 6 months or 235 € for 13 months.

NB: there is no link between the ULB registration fees and the amount you transfer for your blocked account. The blocked account is not used to pay the registration fees.

Is it possible to pay the total amount in several transfers?

No, the requested amount must be paid in one transfer only.

If I transferred too much money because I wanted to make sure that the ULB receives the requested amount after the transfer and change costs have been applied by my bank, will I be reimbursed?

Yes, any surplus you transferred to the ULB’s bank account will be refunded together with your last instalment.

If I have to cancel my blocked account (e.g. if I do not confirm my registration at the ULB or if I do not get my visa), will I be reimbursed for the amount paid?

In all cases, you will be reimbursed for the amount paid for the monthly instalments in one transfer (if the monthly instalments have already started when you cancel your blocked account, the balance of the instalments will be paid to you in one transfer). If, at the time of cancellation of your blocked account, you have already provided us with your IBAN in euros, the amount will be refunded to you to that account in euros. Otherwise, the amount will be refunded to the account from which the original transfer was made. Any exchange or transfer fees will be charged to you and will be deducted from the total amount to be refunded.
Administrative fees are not refundable.
Regarding the refund of expatriation insurance costs, please see the "Insurance" section of the FAQ.
NB: if you cancel your blocked account, your solvency certificate will no longer be valid.

Are my administrative fees refunded if I cancel my blocked account (for example if I don't get my visa or if I don't confirm my registration at the ULB)?

No, once the administrative fees have been paid into the ULB account they are no longer refundable. However, the amount you paid for the instalments will be refunded. If, at the time of cancellation of your blocked account, you have already provided us with your IBAN in euros, the amount will be refunded to that account in euros. Otherwise, the amount will be refunded to the account from which you tranferred the funds initially. Any exchange or transfer fees will be charged to you and will be deducted from the total amount to be refunded.
NB: if you cancel your blocked account, your solvency certificate will no longer be valid.

3- INSTALMENTS
 

Will I receive my first payments if I do not yet have a bank account on the start date of my blocked account contract?

You will not receive any payment until you have a bank account in euros in your own name.
However, once your account is opened and you have uploaded your bank details into the application tool, you will receive all the missing payments together at the same time.

Can I receive my instalments on a non-EU account?

No, the instalments can only be paid into an account in euros.

Can I receive the remaining balance if I leave Belgium before the end of my blocked account contract?

Yes, but only to the account in euros in your name, that you have given to the ULB for receiving the monthly payments. Please send your request to blockedaccount@ulb.be at least two weeks before your departure.

Can I change the date the monthly payments arrive into my bank account?

No.

Can I receive several monthly payments at once to cover expenses I may have?

No.

Can I change the amount of the monthly payments?

No, even in the case of a grant that covers part of the amount requested by the Foreigners' Office (Office des Étrangers)

4- INSURANCE
 

What is covered by the insurance contracted when subscribing to a blocked account?

This is a Schengen-type travel and expatriation insurance that the ULB contracts in your name with Expat&Co. It also allows you to benefit from the proof of insurance required to obtain your visa. For details about the travel and expatriation insurance, please consult  the Expat&Co brochure. Your insurance policy is the "Basic" one (Basic Top-Up policy).
Please note that this insurance does not cover your regular medical expenses in Belgium. It is highly recommended to subscribe to a Belgian health insurance company (mutuelle) when you arrive in Belgium, unless you already have a health insurance that will cover all your current health costs in Belgium.
You can compare various mutuelles online. For more information about health insurance, please consult our Welcome Guide.

Is it compulsory to take out the insurance included in the blocked account service if I already have an insurance?

Yes, it is compulsory to take out the insurance even if you already have one that offers the same services. If you are renewing your residence permit, the insurance is not necessary.

Is the cost for the expatriation insurance refunded if I cancel my blocked account?

They will be refunded to you, pro rata to the time not used, only in the event that you have to cancel your blocked account because you were unable to meet the conditions validating your eligibility or registration.