Belgian identity card

eID
eID
	Front of the card
	Reverse
Issued by	Belgium
Purpose	Identification
Valid in	EU and rest of Europe (except Belarus, Russia and Ukraine); Egypt; French overseas territories; Montserrat (max. 14 days); Gambia; Georgia; Jordan (through Aqaba airport); Tunisia (organized tours) ; Turkey
Eligibility	Belgian citizenship

A Belgian identity card is a national identity card issued to all citizens of Belgium aged 12 years old and above (Dutch: Identiteitskaart, French: Carte d’identité, German: Personalausweis).

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:


Short name	Full name	Eligibility	Right of residence	Register	Card validity	Other notes
eID	Belgian identity card	Belgian citizens at least 12 years old	unconditional	population	10 years
Kids-ID	Child's identity card	Belgian citizens under 12 years old	unconditional	population	3 years
Carte A	Certificate of registration in the foreigners' register	third country nationals	temporary	foreigners	1 year
Carte B	Certificate of registration in the foreigners' register	third country nationals	permanent	foreigners	5 years
Carte C	Foreigner's identity card	third country nationals	permanent	population	5 years	allows for right of establishment
Carte D	Long-term resident permit (EU)	third country nationals resident for more than 5 years	permanent	population	5 years	allows the holder to take up residence in other EU countries
Carte E	Attestation of registration	EU/EEA/Swiss citizens	declarative	foreigners	5 years
Carte E+	Document attesting permanent residence	EU/EEA/Swiss citizens resident for more than 5 years	permanent	population	5 years
Carte F	Residence card for a family member of an EU citizen	family member of EU/EEA/Swiss citizen	declarative	foreigners	5 years
Carte F+	Permanent residence card for a family member of an EU citizen	family member of EU/EEA/Swiss citizen resident for more than 5 years	permanent	population	5 years
Carte H	European blue card	third country nationals who are highly-qualified workers	temporary	foreigners	see notes	initially valid for 13 months; after 2 years, the holder may receive a card valid for 3 years
Carte M	Residence card for beneficiaries of the withdrawal agreement	British nationals resident in Belgium prior to 31 December 2020	permanent	foreigners	5 years	must apply by 31 December 2021
Carte M	Permanent residence card for beneficiaries of the withdrawal agreement	British nationals resident in Belgium prior to 31 December 2020 and for more than 5 years in total	permanent	population	10 years	must apply by 31 December 2021
Carte N	-	British nationals who are resident in another country but working in Belgium (cross-border worker)	n/a	n/a	5 years
Special identity cards	various names	diplomatic and consular staff and their children	temporary	Protocol Directorate	1-5 years

Third country nationals refers to foreigners who are not EU/EEA/Swiss citizens.

Card description[]

Starting from 2020, the chip is at the back of the card, according to the European format, and the chip includes two fingerprints.^[1]^[2]

Physical format[]

Belgian identity cards are formatted in a credit card manner (ID1) and contain a 3-line machine-readable strip on the back starting with IDBEL. The cards conform to ISO/IEC 7816.

It is possible that some Belgian consulates still issue old-style ID cards (105 x 75 mm).

Languages[]

Identity cards carry a heading of "Belgium / Identity card" written in English and all national languages (Flemish, French and German). Resident cards bear a heading of "Belgium" and the type of card, such as "E+ Card".

All 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.

Printed information[]

Identity/resident cards are printed with the following information relating to the subject:^[3]

card type
photograph of the bearer's face
names (surname and the first two given names)
nobility title (where applicable)
place and date of birth
sex (i.e. gender)
nationality (BELG/BELGE for a Belgian citizen)
card number (12 digits in the form xxx-xxxxxxx-yy)^[4] - not to be confused with the person's number
validity period of the card (start date and end date)
signature of the person
number (11 digits of the form yy.mm.dd-xxx.cd where yy.mm.dd is the birth date, xxx is a sequential number (odd for males and even for females) and cd a check-digit)
place of issue (i.e. the name of the municipality or embassy)
marital status (optional)
residential address (for cards issued before 2005)

Digital information[]

Identity cards issued since 2005 contain a chip, which includes additional information, including:

two digital certificates (authentification and, for adults, signing)
residential address
up to two fingerprints (since 2000)

Administration[]

Issuance[]

Residents of Belgium (both Belgian citizens and foreigners) receive their identity/resident cards from their local municipality.

Belgian citizens who are resident abroad and registered at their local Belgian embassy or consulate can apply for renewal of their identity card.

The cost is usually approximately 25 Euros (as of 2020) depending on the Commune/Consulate

Validity[]

Cards are issued with validity as follows:

6 years for children aged between 12 and 18 years old
10 years for people aged between 18 and 75 years old
30 years for the people aged over 75 years old
5 years for foreigners

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 (if resident) 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

Identity/resident cards can also be used together with a card reader to access online services and conduct operations such as:

Signing a document
Completing a tax return
Consulting information held in the

Travel document[]

Belgian citizens are entitled to use their identity card for international travel to the following regions/countries:^[5]

All EU countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (excluding Greenland), Estonia, Finland, France (including Overseas France), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands (excluding Caribbean islands), Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (including Ceuta and Melilla) 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 (Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City)
All other European countries: Andorra, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Northern Cyprus, Serbia and the United Kingdom (until 30 September 2021)
Selected other non-European countries: Egypt, The Gambia (entering via Banjul Airport), Georgia, Jordan (on a group visa entering via Aqaba Airport), Tunisia (on a group tour) and Turkey (with an e-Visa)

Resident cards issued to foreigners are not valid for international travel. Foreigners must use a passport issued by their home country for travel purposes.

Resident cards may, however, need to be used in conjunction with a passport. For example, British citizens who are beneficiaries of the Brexit withdrawal agreement may need to use their resident card to prove that they are resident in Belgium.

References[]

^ "New Belgian eID 'first in the world' with extra protection against forgery". The Brussels Times. 15 January 2020.
^ "REGULATION (EU) 2019/1157 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 20 June 2019 on strengthening the security of identity cards of Union citizens and of residence documents issued to Union citizens and their family members exercising their right of free movement". eur-lex.europa.eu. 2019-07-12.
^ "Elektronische identiteitskaart". Archived from the original on 2006-06-20. Retrieved 2006-03-09.
^ yy is a check digit calculated as the remainder of dividing xxxxxxxxxx by 97 (if the remainder is 0, the check number is set to 97)
^ "Countries that can be accessed with a Belgian ID card" (PDF).

[1] "New Belgian eID 'first in the world' with extra protection against forgery". The Brussels Times. 15 January 2020.

[2] "REGULATION (EU) 2019/1157 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 20 June 2019 on strengthening the security of identity cards of Union citizens and of residence documents issued to Union citizens and their family members exercising their right of free movement". eur-lex.europa.eu. 2019-07-12.

[3] "Elektronische identiteitskaart". Archived from the original on 2006-06-20. Retrieved 2006-03-09.

[4] yy is a check digit calculated as the remainder of dividing xxxxxxxxxx by 97 (if the remainder is 0, the check number is set to 97)

[5] "Countries that can be accessed with a Belgian ID card" (PDF).

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