Belgium is a good market to look at if you are an International trader. It has a population of slightly over 10 million. Most of the people living in Belgium are well educated and speak a variety of languages. Their official language is Dutch, French and German. However, most citizens converse in English when it comes to doing business with the rest of the world.

Over 90% of the population lives in urban areas. In other words, 9 out of 10 people you meet in the country lives in the city. Over 30% of the population owns a computer. So you can assume that most of the citizens in the country are familiar with the Internet. That's usually how business are conducted these days. It all starts with a simple email, and then the rest follows.

The living standards in the nation are high, and most people survive with high income jobs. The country itself is wealthy, announcing a GDP of over $440 billion dollars. The income comes from a variety of industries, and these include textile, chemical, glass, oil, metals and engineering.

The economy is mainly driven by heavy industries. In other words, it imports raw materials, process them and convert them into finished products, then export these products to the rest of the world.

The economy is mostly dependent on Belgium's European partners. Majority of the exports go to countries like Germany, United Kingdom and France. The country depends heavily on the skills of its citizens to drive the economy forward. It imports raw materials like fuels, grains and pharmaceuticals from Ireland, United Kingdom, and the United States. Using its skills and technology, the country then processes these materials and transform them into useful products such as machinery and equipment, foodstuffs and steel and export them to its export partners.

If you have the intention of doing business in Belgium, you may wish to familiarize yourself with its Visa rules. In Belgium, business Visas are known as "Schengen Visas." The validity is usually 90 days. Of course, to get the Visa approved, the purpose of visit must be for business reasons. For instance, you are the one attending a business meeting, or you are calling on import export suppliers. Visiting a potential customer is also considered a business visit, so you can use that as a valid reason for your Visa application.

When applying for Visa to visit Belgium, keep in mind that the basic rules still apply. For example, you must provide proof that you have sufficient funds for the visit, as well as a return trip ticket to where you come from. These procedures are put in place to ensure that your stay in Belgium remains problem free. A letter of invitation from the host would also help with the Visa application.