ICP Connect scholars should not submit their visa application before receiving instructions from the VLIR-UOS scholarship office and the IOB student office. The VLIR-UOS scholarship office and the IOB student office will facilitate the visa application procedure for ICP Connect scholars which enables a quick procedure.

In most cases, a certificate of good conduct and a medical certificate are part of the visa requirements. ICP Connect scholars are advised to already gather these documents prior to receiving instructions from the VLIR-UOS scholarship office and the IOB student office.

In coordination with VLIR-UOS and our travel agency, and taking into account your suggestions, the IOB student office will organise your travel to Belgium. Based on the information mentioned in the ‘reply form for acceptance of the scholarship’, the IOB student office will book a one-way ticket in economy class. You need to bring a print out of this e-ticket when checking in at the airport. You are not allowed to change any flight details; costs caused by a change in the ticket on your own initiative will be withdrawn from your scholarship. Kindly be aware that check-in time for intercontinental flights is usually 3 hours prior to departure. Please note that the travel agency is sometimes not able to book flights from regional airports, but we will try to make the most suitable arrangement for you. The scholars should not contact the travel agent without permission of IOB.

What if you are unable to travel as scheduled?

• contact the IOB student office immediately (only on working days and during office hours!)
• If you cannot reach the IOB student office, contact the travel agent
• If you cannot reach the IOB student office or the travel agent in time, you must contact the airline immediately to cancel your reservation. If you do not cancel 24 hours before departure, VLIR-UOS will ask you to pay a fine of 500 EUR.
• Fees for a ticket or flight change will always be charged to the student

ICP Connect scholars are obliged to open a bank account prior to their arrival in Belgium in order to enable the IOB to provide the scholarship allowance upon arrival in Belgium.

Other incoming students can also make use of the procedure described below to open a bank account.

The procedure to open a bank account runs online (see instructions below). As soon as the application for a bank account is accepted, the account number will be communicated by e-mail. You need to communicate your bank account number to IOB (greet.annaert@uantwerp.be) immediately to enable IOB to prepare the payment of your allowance.

Important note: do not start this application procedure earlier than two weeks before departure since you need to sign your documents personally within 30 days after submitting the application.

Tip: Do not fill out a Belgian address in the application form. The combination of a Belgian address with your international passport will hinder your application.

​Download the instructions here.