Issued by Belgium Purpose Identification Expiration 7 years after issuance | Type of document Passport Eligibility requirements Belgian citizenship | |
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Date first issued 15 November 2004 (biometric passport)
1 February 2008 (current version) |
Belgian passports are passports issued by the Belgian state to its citizens to facilitate international travel. The Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, formerly known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is responsible for issuing and renewing Belgian passports. Every Belgian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The nationality allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union as well as other European Economic Area states and Switzerland upon possession of a passport, or a national identity card .
Contents
According to the 2014 Visa Restrictions Index, Belgian citizens can visit 172 countries without a visa or with a visa granted on arrival. Belgian citizens can live and work in any country within the EU as a result of the right of free movement and residence granted in Article 21 of the EU Treaty.
Types of passports
Physical appearance
Belgian passports are burgundy, with the Belgian smaller Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "EUROPESE UNIE" (Dutch), "UNION EUROPÉENNE" (French), "EUROPÄISCHE UNION" (German) - "KONINKRIJK BELGIË" (Dutch), "ROYAUME DE BELGIQUE" (French), "KÖNIGREICH BELGIEN" (German) are inscribed above the coat of arms and the word "PASPOORT - PASSEPORT - REISEPASS" is inscribed below the coat of arms. Belgian passports have the standard biometric symbol () at the bottom and use the standard EU design.
The sequence of the languages on the cover is Dutch-French-German, French-Dutch-German or German-French-Dutch, depending on the affiliation with the lingual community of its holder.
Visa requirements
In 2014, Belgian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 172 countries and territories, thus ranking the Belgian nationality 3rd in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index.
Passport forgery
According to the Belgian police, 19,050 blank Belgian passports had been stolen between 1990 and 2002 and had been used to create forged travel documents.