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BIOMETRIC PASSPORT
Adults
The applicant has to come to the Consulate General in person by appointment only
Required documents:
- current passport + photocopy of the page with personal details
- application form (available for download in Dutch (PDF, 153.88 KB) or French (PDF, 104.93 KB))
- payment of consular fee
A picture, fingerprints and signature are all taken digitally at the Consulate General. You do not need to bring a picture to apply for a new passport.
Processing time is around 10 working days. You will receive an e-mail when the passport is ready for collection. During the processing time you are allowed to keep your current passport. When you collect the new passport you need to bring the current passport with you; it will be rendered invalid and will be returned to you.
Children over 6 years old
The applicant has to come to the Consulate General in person by appointment only, accompanied by a parent.
Required documents:
- current passport + photocopy of the page with personal details
- passport of the parent
- application form (available for download in Dutch (PDF, 153.88 KB) or French (PDF, 104.93 KB))
- payment of the consular fee
A picture, fingerprints and signature are all taken digitally at the Consulate General. You do not need to bring a picture to apply for a new passport. Children under the age of 12 are exempt from fingerprint taking.
Processing time is around 10 working days. You will receive an e-mail when the passport is ready for collection. During the processing time you are allowed to keep your current passport. When you collect the new passport you need to bring the current passport with you; it will be rendered invalid and will be returned to you.
Children under 6 years old
Children under the age of six do not have to be present at the Consulate General to apply for a new passport. One of the parents has to come to the Consulate General by appointment only
Required documents:
- current passport + photocopy of the page with personal details
- passport of the parent
- application form (available in Dutch (PDF, 158.09 KB) or French (PDF, 107.02 KB))
- payment of the consular fee
- 2 recent photographs (conform the ICAO regulations (PDF, 2.19 MB)). Please note: the scanning software is very sensitive to the size of the picture. We recommend you to bring along the entire sheet of passport pictures - do not cut the pictures on beforehand. Also, make sure the face of the child is not too big compared to the size of the picture itself (do not zoom in too much). Click here (PDF, 52.22 KB) to see the photo requirements.
Please note that a passport for a newborn child can only be requested after the birth has been registered in the National Register and the Belgian nationality of the child has been established.
Processing time is around 10 working days. You will receive an e-mail when the passport is ready for collection. During the processing time you are allowed to keep your current passport. When you collect the new passport you need to bring the current passport with you; it will be rendered invalid and will be returned to you.
Important general information
- Most Asian countries require a 6 MONTHS VALIDITY of the passport to enter the country. In other words, you will not be allowed to board the plane or enter the country if your passport is not valid for at least 6 months after the date of your arrival. It is therefore important that you renew your passport in time in order to avoid any problems upon arrival or departure.
- Belgian passports reaching the date of expiry cannot be extended and must be renewed.
- All Belgians must each have their own travel document regardless of their age. Including a baby in the parents’ passports is not possible.
- The Consulate General can only deliver passports to Belgian citizens who are not registered in the popular registers of a commune in Belgium. Only Belgians who are registered in the popular registers of a Belgian consular post abroad can apply for a passport at the Consulate General.
- Belgian citizens who are not registered in the popular registers of the Consulate General nor in the popular registers in Belgium first need to register before they can apply for a new passport.
EMERGENCY TEMPORARY PASSPORT
In case of emergency (less than six months validity and/or lost or stolen passports with immediate travel required) a provisional passport can be issued, for a maximum validity of one year. This type of passport is not machine-readable.
Important:
- A number of countries (such as Indonesia, for example) do not recognize the Belgian temporary passport.
- Some countries within the East and South Asia region, as well as the United States, recognize the temporary passport but require a visa (which they would not be required in an ordinary passport).
When travelling on this type of passport, it is therefore strongly recommended to check with the Embassy / Consulate General of the country of your destination whether they recognize the temporary passport and if so, whether you need a visa or not.
Documents to submit for an emergency passport:
- an application form in French (PDF, 102.09 KB) or Dutch (PDF, 99.21 KB)
- 2 recent passport photographs (conform the ICAO regulations (PDF, 2.19 MB)) or click here (PDF, 52.22 KB) to see the photo requirements
- your current passport (if you are applying for an emergency passport because your current passport has been lost or stolen, you must bring along the police report you have filed declaring the loss/theft)
- payment of the consular fee
Processing time will be dependent on the urgency.
COMPENSATION FOR A DEFECTIVE PASSPORT
Due to a production defect in your passport, your trip could not take place as planned and as a result you believe that you have suffered damages:
- you had to postpone your departure or cancel your trip
- you were forced to stay abroad while waiting for a new passport
- you had to interrupt your trip and return home
In these cases, you can submit a request for financial compensation to FPS Foreign Affairs for the damages suffered.