I have a student visa; can I enter Belgium *before* the valid date?

I'm an American citizen and have a student visa approved for studying in Belgium. However, I was planning on going in July to find a place to stay and learn some of the language, and my student visa says it's only valid starting on August 1st. I know that normally as an American I don't *have* to have a visa to stay less than 3 months or to enter the country. So can I still enter the country before my student visa takes effect, working off the "no visa necessary for Americans" rule, or does my new student visa override that and now I can't enter the country until August?

I have a student visa; can I enter Belgium *before* the valid date?
I don't think it should be a problem, but you might want to double check with the Belgian embassy first just to be sure.
Reply:Hi !





Where are you going to Study in Belgium ?





I'm a Belgian Student so maybe I can help you with a few things to know...





So here's my mail adress if you like : yphridon@hotmail.com





And have a nice time in Belgium.
Reply:americans can spend up to three month in europe without any visa. my friend did the same thing. Also what language are you going to learn?? havent you heard, we have 8490674986 languages.
Reply:I agree with Phat Rabitt
Reply:As the others said...first check with your embassy or take a look at this link...http://belgium.usembassy.gov/service.htm...