Belgian national identity card


All Belgians aged 12 and above are issued with a national identity card. Belgians aged 15 and above are required to always carry it with them unless they are within 200m of their home. Holders who are Belgian citizens are also entitled to use the card for international travel within Europe as well as to Egypt, French overseas territories, the Gambia, Georgia, Montserrat, Turkey and on organized tours to Jordan and Tunisia in lieu of a Belgian passport.

Use within Belgium

Belgians are required to carry the identity card and to show their identity cards when requested by:
All fields on the card are bilingual and the heading "Belgium / Identity card" in all four languages. The used language depends on the official language of the place of residence, unless the residence is a Brussels municipality, in which case the holder may choose between French or Dutch, or a municipality with language facilities, in which case the holder may choose between French or Dutch, or French or German, depending on the local language facilities.
The cards are in credit card format and contain a 3-line machine-readable strip on the back starting with IDBEL.
The card holds the following information:
If the holder wishes, the following info will also be mentioned on the card:
Before 2005, the ID did not contain a chip, and the address of the holder was printed on the card. Currently, this is written only on the chip.
The ID card may be used as a travel document within most of Europe and several other countries
Belgian consulates still issue old style ID cards to Belgian citizens who are permanently residing in their jurisdiction and who choose to be registered at the consulate.
The Cost depending on the Commune/Consulate is approximately 20.50 Euros with a 5 Year Validity