Original documents for Belgian visa-D

shabi.shahul wrote:

Hello,

I am an Indian Citizen. I got my belgian visa-D stamped on my passport on 14-sep-2019. The stamping was done in the belgium embassy in Kuwait. This was because I was working in Bahrain and there is no belgium embassy there. Indian residents in bahrain are only supposed to go to kuwait and not even the belgium embassies in India.

Now my situation: The day I got my visa sticker in my passport the embassy did not return my original certificates (marriage and birth of myself, wife and 2 kids). They said it is their policy to keep my originals with them forever. I was really taken aback and politely argued asking why don't they keep photocopies as I would need the originals for other purposes. But they were stubborn and requested me to apply for originals in India again. I had even spoke to the deputy ambassador who also said the same thing. I left the embassy thinking of the tasks of applying for originals in India again.

Question: Has anyone who had recently got their belgian visa-D submitted your original documents to the belgium embassy or was it just a photocopy?

I don't understand why they required you to submit the original copies? I think legalised copies are sufficient.

Now that the embassy made it clear that they want to keep it, only way forward for you is to get a new copy issued in India and get those apostilled.