PECS : Info for accepted students

All communication with you after your acceptance and prior to your arrival in Leuven will go through the Study Abroad Office of your home institution. When you do contact us directly by e-mail we would like to ask you to copy your study abroad advisor in on the message.

Admission Letter

The official letters of admission to K.U.Leuven are issued by the K.U.Leuven International Admissions office.

After acceptance into PECS it will take another 3-4 weeks before the letters of admission will be sent out to the Study Abroad Office of your home institution. The entire admission procedure may take up to 12 weeks.

Administrative Formalities Prior to your Departure

There are two things you need to take care of before your departure. The most important one of course is your visa application. Choose either Non-EU citizens or citizens from within the EU, Iceland, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland to obtain more information about the procedure.

Most students accepted into PECS will need to apply for an "Authorisation for Provisional Sojourn", approximately 3 months prior to departure. This particular type of visa (in Dutch: Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf) allows you to stay in Belgium for a period longer than 3 months. You must apply for this visa at the Belgian Consulate or Embassy in your home country, not from the public authorities in Belgium itself. More info at: http://diplobel.fgov.be/en/travel/visa/default.asp

Note: you cannot apply for nor be granted the Authorisation for Provisional Sojourn in Belgium when you enter the country with a tourist visa.

The following documents are imporant:

• A valid passport
• Permission to enrol at K.U.Leuven
• Proof of solvency
• Certificate of good conduct
• Medical certificate
• Declaration signed by yourself, certifying that you will leave Belgium upon the completion of your studies

As a student with citizenship within the EU, Iceland, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland you do not have to apply for a visa.

Service for Students with Disabilities

Students who have been identified as having a disability and therefore receive special exam accommodations at their home university, can also receive accommodations at K.U.Leuven. The disability officer will decide on this together with the student, and taking into account the standards required by K.U.Leuven. You will need to provide the necessary documentation from the Service for Students with Disabilities at your home university, in which case there are normally no further medical examinations needed in Leuven.

How to get to Leuven

Download the pdf and take it with you while you travel to Leuven.

You can check the location of the PECS office and the different houses on this map. The official K.U.Leuven map is available here.

Housing in Leuven

More information about housing can be found here.

Administrative Formalities upon Arrival

Quite some administrative formalities have to be completed upon arrival and therefore the program has arranged your orientation schedule in such a way that we can take care of all this paperwork in just 1 day. Check our academic calendar to find out when our registration day is planned.

Read this section carefully and bring the necessary documents with you on our registration day!

Registrar's Office

PECS has already preregistered you at K.U.Leuven. At the Registrar's Office you will receive:

• University Student ID-card: provides you access to university libraries, cafeteria's
• Sports card: grants you access to the university's sports facilities
• 3rd Party Liability insurance (Paid for by PECS!)
• Proof of enrollment at K.U.Leuven: you will need this document to enroll yourself at City Hall
• Proof of enrollment for the health insurance company

Insurance

As an international student in Belgium, you are required by law to prove that you are covered by a health insurance policy. Firstly, this is a prerequisite for obtaining a valid residence status in Belgium. Secondly, it is also necessary for your registration as a student at K.U.Leuven.

• Health and accident insurance

Registration in the Foreigner's Ledger

Since your visa is only valid for 3 months once you entered Belgium, you will have to register yourself in the Foreigner's Ledger at City Hall to obtain a residence permit. This registration has to be done within 8 working days after your arrival. The entire procedure will take about 2 months.

The following documents are required:

• Your passport
• 3 passport pictures
• Proof of enrollment at K.U.Leuven
• Student ID-card

After filling out the necessary forms and handing them back in at the Foreigner's Registration Office a local police officer will stop by your house to verify whether or not you actually live there. In case you are not at home you will receive an invitation to go to the Police station and show your housing contract to the officer in charge of the area you live in. After about 3 more weeks you will have to go back to City Hall to pick up your residence permit (white card for non-Europeans, blue card for Europeans).

Registration of U.S. citizens residing in Belgium

US citizens residing in Belgium are strongly advised to register at the U.S. Consular Service.

Signing of the housing lease

Information is available in our housing section.