Belgium Travel Tips

Belgium currency is the Euro (€). Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2, 1 and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Banks are the best place to exchange money. Banks charge about 1.25% commission on cash exchange for EU currencies, €1.50 on other currencies, and €6 on traveller’s cheques. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, traveller's cheques should be issued in Euros, Pounds Sterling or US Dollars.

General banking hours are Monday to Friday 09:00 to 15:30/17:00, and also Saturday mornings. In smaller towns, banks may close for an hour during lunch time.

Other than banks, there are exchange bureaus in airports and train stations. Called bureau d’echange in French and wisselkantoren in Flemish, these usually have lower rates and higher fees than banks, yet longer hours.

ATM machines are not widespread but there are usually a few in the city centres and at the main international airports. They generally accept Visa, MasterCard, EuroCard, Bancontact and Mister Cash.

Credit & Debit Cards
American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted as well as Eurocheque cards. Check with your credit or debit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available. ATMs are widespread. 

There are no restrictions on the import and export of either local or foreign currency.

The following goods may be imported into Belgium by persons over 17 years of age arriving from non-EU countries without incurring customs duty: 

200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco; 2l of wine, 1l of spirits or 2l of sparkling wine or 2l of non-sparkling wine or 2l of fortified wine; 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette; other goods up to &Euro;64.45 or &Euro;24.79 for nationals under 15 years (subject to change – contact the Embassy for up-to-date information); 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract; 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract.

220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the round two-pin type.

Belgium is a very clean and healthy country. The tap water is safe to drink and there are no vaccinations required or recommended for those travelling to Belgium. The one exception is if you are coming from a yellow-fever infected area, in which case you will need a yellow-fever vaccination to enter Belgium.

The standard of healthcare in Belgium is high. Residents of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland can receive free or reduced-cost necessary treatment on production of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The card gives access to state-provided medical treatment only and the scheme gives no entitlement to medical repatriation costs, nor does it cover ongoing illnesses of a non-urgent nature, so comprehensive travel insurance is advised. Note that the EHIC replaces the Form E111, which will no longer be valid after 31 December 2005. Some restrictions apply, depending on your nationality. Under this scheme, you will be charged for seeing a doctor or dentist and for prescribed drugs but you can claim back 75% of these costs on provision of receipts. You will have to pay part of the costs of hospital treatment. Ambulance travel is not covered. Sickness Funds Offices (Mutualité/Ziekenfonds) handle reimbursements.

Traveller’s insurance is recommended.

The official languages are Dutch, French and German. Dutch is slightly more widely spoken than French, and German is spoken the least.

A Value Added Tax (VAT) of 21% is included in the purchase of most goods.

A service charge of 16% is usually included in hotel and restaurant bills, although an additional tip may be left at the discretion of the individual. Cloakroom attendants and porters may expect a tip per item of luggage. Taxi fares include tip.

Fully automatic IDD. There are call boxes in all major towns and country districts. Some coin less card phones and credit card phones are also available. Telecards are available from newsagents, railway stations and post offices.

Emergency Numbers
Ambulance / Fire 100
Police 101

Useful Numbers
Operator Services 1324
Directory Assistance 1405.

GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).

Belgians will often prefer to answer visitors in English rather than French, even if the visitor’s French is good. It is customary to bring flowers or a small present for the hostess, especially if invited for a meal. Dress is similar to other Western nations, depending on the formality of the occasion. If black tie/evening dress is to be worn, this is always mentioned on the invitation. Smoking is generally unrestricted.

Passports must be valid for at least three months beyond the length of stay. EU/EEA nationals (EU + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Swiss nationals need only a valid national ID card. 

Belgium is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement.

A visa is not required by EU or USA nationals for stays of up to three months. The Belgian Embassy should be contacted for information regarding longer stays.

All other nationalities require a visa to enter Belgium. Contact any Belgium embassy or consulate for more information.

Embassy of Belgium in the USA: www.diplobel.us 

Embassy of Belgium in the UK: www.diplobel.org/uk