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I'm a Mexican student working and living in Belgium legally. I am lonely and sad because I miss my family so I asked my younger sister if she wanted to come. She said yes, so I booked a ticket, our plan is that she will visit me for a few weeks in June and then she will go to the UK with my uncle and take a class there before going back in August to Mexico.

The problem is that the ticket to go back is really expensive, so I have been saving for it. I'm worried because I still don't have enough money to buy it and she will be here in 5 days.

Will she be allowed to come in if she doesn't have a valid ticket to go back? It may seem that if you don't have a return ticket you may want to stay illegally. My uncle is going to buy both tickets to go to the UK and to go back to Belgium today but that still doesn't solve the problem, what about the return ticket to Mexico? I believe it's required to get the tourist visa which is granted in many countries for three months in the EU.

I want to see her and I already paid a lot for the first ticket.

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    Having a ticket is not formally required but having the means to return is so if you (or she) cannot buy the ticket now, you are in a very precarious situation. But a much bigger concern is what she is going to tell border guards about the purpose of the trip: If she claims to be a tourist, she will have to lie, which exposes her to even more problems if she is found out and coming as a tourist for several weeks in such a small country, without a return ticket or hotel bookings is not very plausible.
    – Relaxed
    Jun 2, 2016 at 13:46
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    But revealing she is visiting someone staying illegally (obviously without proper invitation, as you are not in a position to extend one) would also be very bad, much worse than simply not having a ticket. Also, what about her situation in Mexico? If she can free herself for several weeks at this time of the year, does she has a stable job? All this can have an impact on the border guards assessment...
    – Relaxed
    Jun 2, 2016 at 13:47
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    i am staying legaly it was a typo! i have my visa and resident permit, she is a student just like me, im doing an internship she is just visiting!
    – Abdul Hamid
    Jun 2, 2016 at 13:52
  • Showing the ticket to UK will help for sure I'd say.
    – mts
    Jun 2, 2016 at 13:53
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    OK, that's much better! Again, having a ticket is not absolutely required. BUT: (1) You have to be able to show you will be able to return (i.e. if you don't already have a ticket then having the money to buy it, at least a credit card or something). (2) It's not the first time I hear about Belgian border guards going beyond the rules and insist on something they are not legally supposed to demand.
    – Relaxed
    Jun 2, 2016 at 14:20

1 Answer 1

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As mentioned here:

Applying for a short-stay C visa
...
proof that you’ll be returning to your home country, for example, evidence that you have a job back home or own property there – or a return ticket in your name.

So if your sister got a job back in Mexico, or own a property she's good to go. However, if she got neither of those, this might cause trouble.

Another source says:

When you receive confirmation of the issue of the visa, add the proof of the transport that you will use to reach Belgium (non-transferable return ticket in your name). This proof is not required when you lodge the visa application, to avoid unnecessary costs. On the other hand, proof of the reservation of a return ticket may be demanded.

So this means that entering without a return ticket is a risk - if they'll demand to see a reservation, she's in trouble.

All in all, tough situation - sorry I don't bring better news.

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  • Thank you for your answer, i just didnt risked and bought the ticket back straight away while she was flying to belgium, at the border they didnt asked for anything except the normal stuff
    – Abdul Hamid
    Jun 28, 2016 at 9:47
  • @AbdulHamid glad to hear, cheers! :)
    – Shadow The Spring Wizard
    Jun 28, 2016 at 12:20

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