Belgian passport

A Belgian passport is a globally recognized travel document issued by the Belgian government. The passport takes the form of a booklet with a burgundy cover, on which “European Union” and “Kingdom of Belgium” are embossed in gold.

To apply for a Belgian passport, you must possess Belgian nationality and be registered in the population register of a Belgian municipality, embassy, or consulate.
 

The place where you can apply for a Belgian passport depends on where you are and your registration in the population register.

If you are registered in a Belgian municipality, you must apply for your passport with that municipality. Or at the very urgent procedure counter in Brussels, but only if you have a passport reapplication under this procedure.

If you are registered with a Belgian embassy or consulate, you can apply for a passport in various places:

• At the Belgian embassy or consulate where you are registered;
• At any other Belgian embassy or consulate;
• At a municipal administration in Belgium:
  • The last municipality with which you were registered in Belgium;
  • Or, if you have never lived in Belgium, the municipality where you were born;
  • Or, if you have never lived in Belgium and were not born in Belgium, a municipality of your choice.
     

You identify yourself with your identity card and your previous passport if you already had one.

For a passport, the following is required:

• your color passport photo: which must be very recognizable and recent;
• your fingerprints: as from the age of 12, with 2 fingerprints, usually the index fingers;
• your signature: possible from the age of 6, as soon as the child can write his or her name – the signature does not serve as a commitment but as an element of identification.

Many embassies, consulates, and municipalities will take your passport photo themselves, so you do not need to bring a photo.

For young children who cannot sit still in front of the camera, it is best to bring a photo with you.

If you bring a photo, it must meet international technical standards for automated facial recognition at borders and airports. 
 

Photo, fingerprints, and the signature are the biometric data on a passport.

The photo and signature are visible on the identity page of the passport, while the fingerprints are stored on the chip in the passport.

The collection, processing, storage, and security of identity and biometric data used for a passport are regulated and protected by international, European, and national legislation.
 

A passport for a minor is valid for 5 years, while a passport for an adult is valid for 7 years.

The passport may lose its usability and validity before the expiration date if the photo is no longer similar (this is an important consideration for young children), the passport is damaged, the passport has been reported as lost or stolen, or the passport is full.

Therefore, a passport can be replaced at any time, even well before the expiration date.
 

Who live in Belgium

In Belgium, the principle of joint exercise of parental authority applies. This means that one parent, without the other parent, can arrange many things for their child, without the explicit agreement of the other parent. The tacit agreement from the other parent and mutual consultation between the parents is assumed. Only when there are reasons to doubt the agreement of the other parent should their explicit consent be sought.

In Belgium, one parent can therefore apply for a passport for their minor child(ren). Since the passport must remain with its holder, in this case the child, the passport application must be submitted by a parent with whom the child lives. If the child is traveling with the other parent on a trip that requires a passport, the child’s passport must be provided.

If there are reasons to doubt the agreement of the other parent, the municipality must also request the agreement of the other parent.

A parent who does not want a passport to be issued without their knowledge and consent can use the procedure described in FAQ1.
 

Who live abroad

Even if the child is Belgian, Belgium requires that the rules of parental authority of the country where the child resides must be applied. This can mean that, depending on the country where the Belgian child lives, sometimes one cohabiting parent can apply for the passport, and sometimes the consent of the other parent is required.
 

The delivery times start after the electronically forwarded application has been received at the production center.

In some cases, passport applications are not immediately forwarded to the production center and are first sent to the embassy/consulate where the Belgian is registered for review. Or the application is first submitted to the FPS Foreign Affairs for review, for example, if the applicant has issues with the police or judicial authorities, or if in the 5 years preceding the passport application, two or more passports have been registered as lost or stolen in the name of the applicant (frequent loss or theft).

Due to these additional checks, the delivery time may be longer.
 

The passport is issued to the applicant. If the applicant is a minor, the passport is issued to a parent who lives with the child. The passport must remain with the child.

When applying and receiving the passport at the municipality, embassy, or consulate, the applicant can designate a person to collect the passport at the time of application.

If it only becomes clear after the application that the passport will be collected by another person, a power of attorney form from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or a municipal power of attorney form can be used for this purpose.

At the counter for very urgent procedures, the rule is: the passport for an adult may be collected by the holder themselves or an adult family member; the passport for a minor is issued to a parent living with the child.

Embassies and consulates may also send the passport to the applicant's home address, provided a reliable shipping method with track & trace is used and at the applicant's expense.