Belgian citizen in Belgium

1. How to apply for a passport?
2. Quality requirements for the photo
3. Price and time required
4. Data retention

1. How to apply for a passport?

To apply for a passport, go to your municipality's passport service.

 
What should you bring with you?

1. Your identity card or any other document that proves your identity

2. Your last passport (if you had one and it was issued to you in the past 10 years):

• It still contains valid visas or you want to keep it as a souvenir? Your municipality will be able to cancel it and return it to you.
• It was stolen? Notify the police and provide the municipality's administrative services with a copy of the police report documenting the theft.
• You lost it? Complete the declaration of loss form (French (PDF, 103.32 KB) or Dutch (PDF, 99.74 KB)) and give it to your municipality's administrative services.

3. A colour identity photo. Note that this photo must comply with a number of strict criteria (see hereunder). If it does not comply with one of these criteria, your municipality will refuse it and ask you to produce a new one.

 
What will happen when applying on site?

After verifying your identity, the quality of your photo and, if necessary, returning your previous passport, your municipality will record:

1. Your photo (only if an initial visual check confirms that the basic criteria (see hereunder) are met! If your photo does not comply, your municipality will have to refuse it.)
2. The digital fingerprints of 2 fingers, in priority the index fingers (from age 12).
3. Your signature (from age 6, as soon as the child knows how to write his name)

 
The passport is for a minor (under 18 years)?

The application form (printed by the municipality) for a minor must always be signed by the minor (from age 6) and by one of his parents. 

In some delicate situations, the municipality may ask for the other parent to also give his or her written agreement.

The child, regardless of age, must always be present when applying for a passport.

2. Quality requirements for the photo

If you need a new passport, pay very close attention to your photo.

It must comply with ICAO Standards (International Civil Aviation Organization). These standards are stricter than in the past.

If your photo does not comply, your municipality will have to refuse it.

 
Four fundamental rules to bear in mind

Please bear the following in mind when you have your photo taken:

1. A neutral facial expression: mouth shut, no smiling.
2. Head and shoulders straight, right in front of the camera.
3. Face totally uncovered: forehead, chin and the part towards the ears must be visible.
4. The eyes are perfectly visible: no reflecting or tinted glasses, frames should not be too big but not too close to the eyeline either. To avoid any difficulties, if you wear glasses, you can remove them for your photo, even if you wear them daily.

Find out more and see some examples in French (PDF, 2.65 MB) or Dutch (PDF, 4.07 MB)

The image below will allow you to check your photo

3. Price and time required

The price of passports (French (PDF, 71.53 KB) or Dutch (PDF, 102.22 KB)) issued by Belgian municipal administrative services vary according to:

1. the number of pages (34 or 66 pages)
2. the applicant's age (minor/adult)
3. the application procedure (normal or emergency)
4. any municipal taxes.

The price you pay for your passport includes:

• a federal tax (unless the passport is for a child under 18 years)
• production costs (which depend on the number of pages in the passport)
• national postage costs, from the manufacturer to the municipal administration (which depend on the application procedure: normal or emergency)
• any municipal taxes.

 
When and how will you receive your passport?

For normal procedures, your passport will arrive in the administration where you made your application within 5 working days following the application. If you communicated a mobile phone number or an e-mail address when applying, you will receive a SMS or an email at the exact moment your passport arrives.

For emergency procedures, a passport for which the manufacturer receives the application before 3 pm arrives the next working day. Further information from your municipal administrative service.

In principle, you must collect your passport in person. If you want another person to be able to collect your passport, you must provide him with a power of attorney. You can use the model provided by your municipality or this document below

4. Data retention

Mandatory 3-month retention

When you apply for a passport in Belgium, we must retain your data for 3 months in our “passport production” database. Doing so enables us to:

1. Produce your passport.
2. Reproduce immediately a new passport if an administrative or production error on the return of your passport is noticed. This means that you will not have to return a second time to provide new data. 

At the end of this 3-month retention period, your data will be deleted from this “passport production” database.

For further information on the processing of your data by our FPS, you can consult our privacy policy.