Belgian identity card
A Belgian identity card is a national identity card issued to all citizens of Belgium aged 12 years old and above.
Foreigners resident in Belgium are issued with a Belgian resident card, which appears similar, but is legally distinct.
Nevertheless, the term "identity card" is often used to refer to both the identity cards issued to citizens and the resident cards issued to foreigners.
Card types
The main card types currently in issuance are as follows:Third country nationals refers to foreigners who are not EU/EEA/Swiss nationals.
Card description
Physical format
Cards are issued according to the ISO/IEC 7810 standard using the ID-1 size format, similar to credit cards.They conform to ISO/IEC 7816 and have a 3-line machine-readable strip on the back starting with IDBEL.
Cards issued to Belgian citizens and EU/EEA/Swiss citizens
Cards issued to Belgian citizens and EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are green. They carry a heading of "BELGIUM" and the type of card, written in all three national languages as well as in English. The remaining fields are bilingual - English in combination with either Dutch, French or German - depending on the official language of the place of residence of the subject.If the place of residence is a Brussels municipality, the holder may choose between French or Dutch. If the place of residence is a municipality with language facilities, the holder may choose between French or Dutch, or French or German, depending on the local language facilities.
Cards issued to third country nationals
Cards issued to third country nationals are red and blue, in common with the standard EU format. This includes H cards and M cards. All such cards carry a heading of "BEL" and "TITRE DE SÉJOUR" or "VERBLIJFSTITEL" or "AUFENTHALTSTITEL".The title and all fields are monolingual - in Dutch, French or German - depending on the official language of the place of residence of the subject.
Printed information
Cards are printed with the following information relating to the subject:- photograph of the person's face
- names
- sex
- nationality
- [National Register (Belgium)|Belgian National Register (Belgium)|National Register number]
- signature
- type of card
- card number
- place and date of issue
- expiry date
- place and date of birth
- special observations
Other possible printed information includes nobility title and/or marital status.
Digital information
Cards issued since 2005 contain a chip, which includes additional information, including:- two digital certificates
- residential address
- up to two fingerprints
National Register number and card number
Cards include two numbers that should not be confused with each other.The National Register number is issued to the person upon their first registration and held for life. It comprises 11 digits in the form yy.mm.dd-xxx.cd where yy.mm.dd is the birth date, xxx is a sequential number and cd a check-digit.
The card number applies only to the card in question and can take several different formats:
- Belgian citizens: 12 digits in the form xxx-xxxxxxx-yy where yy is a check digit calculated as the remainder of dividing xxxxxxxxxx by 97
- Third country nationals: nine digits in the form xxxxxxx xx
- EU/EEA/Swiss citizens: a letter and nine digits in the form B xxxxxxx xx
Administration
Issuance
Residents of Belgium receive their identity/resident cards from their local municipality.Belgian citizens who are resident abroad can apply for renewal of their identity card at their local Belgian embassy or consulate.
The cost is usually approximately €25 depending on the municipality or embassy.
Manufacture
The cards are manufactured by the Thales Group and over 28 million have been issued.Usage
Proof of identity
All people on Belgian territory are required to carry identity documentation at all times and produce such documentation if and when requested by the police and other government authorities.Belgian citizens aged 15 and above are required to carry their identity card.
Foreigners are required to carry either their resident card or otherwise an identity card issued by another European country or their passport.
Domestic usage
Identity/resident cards are frequently used in daily life in Belgium, including for the following purposes:- Managing personal affairs with government agencies
- Attending medical appointments
- Collecting prescription medication at pharmacies
- Validating trips on public transport services
- Signing and consulting documents
- Completing a tax return
- Consulting information held by government agencies, such as the Belgian National Register, the finance department, the pension department.
- Opening a bank account online
Travel document
Belgian citizens are entitled to use their identity card for international travel to the following regions/countries:All EU countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden- All other Schengen Area countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the three European microstates which are de facto members of the Schengen Area
- Most other European countries: Andorra, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gibraltar, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Northern Cyprus, and Serbia
- Selected other non-European countries: Egypt, The Gambia, Georgia, Tunisia and Turkey
Resident cards issued to foreigners are technically not identity cards and are therefore not valid for international travel. Foreigners must use a travel document issued by their country of citizenship for travel purposes.