What it actually costs a Belgian to leave

Key findings

8 of the 16 countries cost a Belgian nothing

A Belgian passport carries EU treaty rights, so 22 of the 64 ranked routes are not a cost at all, they are paperwork a Belgian never files. That includes Switzerland, which is not an EU member but is covered by the EU-Swiss Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons. What is left is the anglophone world plus the Gulf and Singapore, and those are the expensive end of the index.

3 routes a Belgian cannot buy their way into

These United States routes are reserved by treaty for other nationalities. They are also among the cheapest and fastest ways into the US, which is why their absence matters more than their number. The cheapest United States route still open to a Belgian is the J-1 Research Scholar at $255.

A Belgian sits the English test everywhere

7 of the 40 routes open to a Belgian waive the English language test for some nationalities. A Belgian passport qualifies for none of them. The waiver tracks the passport, not the applicant: the United Kingdom and Australia exempt nationals of majority-English-speaking countries and no one else, so a Belgian engineer who has worked in English for a decade still books and pays for the test, while someone who has never left home does not. That cost never appears in an application fee, which is precisely why the fee tables above understate the gap.

The 40 routes open to a Belgian, cheapest first

From $147 (Non-Immigrant Visa "B" (Business and Work)) to $4,640 (Skilled Work Regional (subclass 491)), a 31.6x spread. 34 of 40 lead to permanent residence. Tap any visa for the full guide and eligibility.