Studying in Belgium from Burkina Faso.

The steps to study in Belgium from Burkina Faso

1. 1Obtain an admission in a recognised institution (university, haute école or higher arts school) in French-speaking Belgium, lodging the application yourself with your own contact details.
2. 2Lodge the application for equivalence of the baccalaureate with the Equivalence Service of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, early enough to have the decision or at least the certificate of lodging by the time of the visa.
3. 3Have the Burkinabe documents legalised by the Burkinabe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then by the Belgian Embassy in Ouagadougou, by appointment and after payment.
4. 4Fill in the form on Visa-On-Web, book an appointment on the service provider's website, lodge the complete file at the Capago centre in Ouagadougou, then collect the passport there.

Admission and equivalence: what calendar from Burkina Faso?

The Burkinabe student is a non-resident candidate from outside the European Union: for a first university enrolment, the admission form opens in mid-February and the application must be lodged by 31 March at the latest for an academic year starting in September of the same calendar year, with an application fee of EUR 200, payable by 31 March at the latest and non-refundable if the application is refused. Some universities then deduct it from the enrolment fees, others do not, so check with the institution you are targeting. Quota-limited programmes follow a separate procedure and separate dates.

The equivalence of the baccalaureate falls under the Equivalence Service's "countries with reduced fees" category: EUR 150 instead of EUR 400, non-refundable, paid in the applicant's name. The file includes the diploma and the transcript as certified true and legalised copies, proof of access to higher education in Burkina Faso, an identity document, a signed motivation letter in French and the original proof of payment. Lodging opens on 15 November and closes on the following 15 July, the dates for the following year being confirmed on equivalences.cfwb.be, for processing of a minimum of 4 to 12 weeks, decisions only being sent out from 1 March. In some French-speaking African countries, where the issuance of the final diploma is deferred by several years, the Equivalence Service asks for the final diploma rather than a provisional certificate; when it has not yet been issued, the official fact sheet accepts a certificate of non-issuance dated in the current year. An equivalence from outside the European Union moreover often carries restrictions, which can be lifted before the board of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (DAES).

The student visa at the Capago centre in Ouagadougou

Belgian visa applications from residents of Burkina Faso are handled by the Belgian Embassy in Ouagadougou, which is also the competent post for Mali and Niger. The mandated service provider is Capago, located on avenue du Président Maurice Yameogo, in Koulouba. The procedure has four stages: form on Visa-On-Web, appointment on the Capago website, lodging of the complete file at the centre, then collection of the passport. The service provider's fees are prepaid online at the time of booking; paid options exist (Platinum service, help with filling in the form): they are not compulsory, and the decision belongs to the consulate general, not to the service provider.

The consulate general's "studies, public institution" sheet lists the expected items: long-stay form, photo, copy of the passport, proof of payment of the administrative fee, certificate of lodging of the equivalence application, original baccalaureate and legalised copies, post-secondary diplomas and transcripts, admission certificate from the institution, parental authorisation for a minor, proof of means of subsistence, health insurance, medical certificate issued by a clinic approved by the embassy and, for candidates of full age, a criminal record extract less than six months old. Any document drawn up in a language other than French, Dutch, German or English must be accompanied by a sworn translation. A separate sheet applies to studies in a non-recognised private institution, without an equivalence but with proof of knowledge of the language of instruction.

Capago presents itself as the only company mandated by the Belgian government in Burkina Faso and warns against intermediaries. That is consistent with the way we work: the candidate books their own appointment, lodges their own application with their own contact details, and the only sums paid are the visa fee, the administrative fee and the service fees. We prepare, check and orchestrate the file, we do not lodge it in your place.

Legalising your Burkinabe documents

Burkina Faso is not party to the Hague Apostille Convention: the apostille does not exist for its documents and the classic legalisation applies. The embassy states it without ambiguity: documents issued by the Burkinabe authorities must first be legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country in which they were produced, before the additional legalisation by the Belgian Embassy in Ouagadougou. For the equivalence file, the Equivalence Service adds a link upstream: the copy must be certified true by a competent official of the municipal administration or town hall.

On the Belgian side, legalisation costs EUR 25 per document since 1 August 2026, that is 16,500 CFA francs, and the payment must be received in advance: no legalisation is carried out until it is. Lodging is done by online appointment, selecting the "légalisation documents" heading. The embassy then informs you by email or by telephone that the legalisation is done, and collection only takes place on Friday morning, also by appointment. Two appointments, one of them limited to a single weekly slot, to be built into the visa back-planning.

How much do studies cost for a Burkinabe student?

The enrolment fees in the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles are set at a full rate of EUR 1,194 for 2026-2027. Non-assimilated students from outside the European Union add in principle an additional contribution, set by article 105 § 3bis of the décret Paysage and charged at EUR 4,175 per year for 2026-2027. Burkina Faso appears in annex 1 of ARES circular no. 2026-001 of 12 February 2026, the list of least developed countries: its nationals are exempt from it and still owe the enrolment fee of EUR 1,194. The circular applies to universities and the ARES may update its lists.

Burkina Faso is moreover an ARES partner country, both for projects and for scholarships. The scope needs to be read closely: the international training scholarships target neither the ordinary bachelor's nor the ordinary master's degree, but advanced bachelor's degrees, advanced master's degrees and continuing education, and they are aimed at candidates who already hold a higher education diploma and can show at least two years of professional experience. They cover international travel, a subsistence allowance, insurance costs paid directly by the ARES and the costs linked to the visa application. For a student leaving secondary school, funding is built differently. According to the latest breakdown published by the Council of Rectors (CRef, 2021-2022), 129 Burkinabe students were enrolled in the six universities of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

Why get support from Burkina Faso

As for the many international students we support, our role is to hold together a back-planning that the processing time makes unforgiving: an admission lodged before 31 March, an equivalence started early enough for the certificate of lodging to exist by the time of the appointment, documents legalised in the right order, financial proof set on the right amount. The candidate remains the author of their own steps: we prepare, check and orchestrate.

• Institution choice and building of the admission file before 31 March
• Equivalence of the Burkinabe baccalaureate started in time for the visa counter
• Item-by-item check of the file expected by the consulate general
• Legalisation chain sequenced, Ministry of Foreign Affairs then embassy
• A single point of contact, in French, until your arrival in Belgium