Description
If you are a foreign resident living in Belgium, you may be eligible for a Belgian passport if you qualify for Belgian citizenship. Discover more about the Belgian passport requirements, renewal process, and more with this guide.
Belgium is an EU country which permits dual nationality, which means that you won’t have to give up your original nationality unless your home country requires you to. A Belgian passport will enable you to travel freely across the EU and also means that you can travel worldwide as an EU citizen.
This guide to Belgian passports includes information such as:
The benefits of a Belgian passport
Passport eligibility
How to apply for a Belgian passport
Renewing or replacing a passport
Passport costs
THE BELGIUM PASSPORT
The Belgian passport online is a biometric passport with an electronic chip containing the passport holder’s key personal details. Belgium was one of the first countries to start issuing electronic passports back in 2004 and the new biometric passport including fingerprints was issued in 2014. The standard passport is a burgundy-colored booklet, like many European passports, that comes in either 35-page or 60-page format. The main page will feature the holder’s photograph, signature, key personal information, and passport ID number.
The Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs issues passports in Belgium. The following types of passports are available:
Standard biometric passport issued to all citizens.
Diplomatic passport issued to state officials and members of the Royal Family.
Service passport issued to civil servants carrying out official duties abroad.
Temporary passport issued in emergency conditions. This green passport is only valid for six months, however.
BELGIAN PASSPORT ONLINE BENEFITS
Upon becoming a Belgian citizen, getting a passport is optional. All Belgian citizens and permanent residents are issued with an electronic ID card which enables you to travel around 50 countries including across the EU, but a Belgian passport enables you to:
leave and re-enter Belgium as many times as you wish without restrictions while the passport is valid
travel around the world as a Belgian as well as an EU citizen
have dual nationality and own two valid passports, providing your home country permits dual nationality
travel to 117 different countries visa-free. The Belgian passport ranking is 16th in the world on the Passport Index
