Schengen: 90 days in any 180, counted automatically by EES. Once you are in, Belgian law expects you to be able to prove your identity in the street.
The Schengen arithmetic
- 90 days in any rolling 180. Not 90 days per visit and not 90 days per country. Every day anywhere in the Schengen area counts against the same allowance.
- Belgium is a full Schengen member. Arriving from the Netherlands, France, Germany or Luxembourg involves no check at all, and the land borders are unmarked.
- The Eurostar from London is different. You clear an external Schengen border in the terminal before you board, so your entry is processed in London, not Brussels.
- The passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and be valid for 3 months beyond your intended departure.
After you arrive: carry your passport
This is the Belgian rule that surprises people, and it is worth reading twice.
- You must be able to prove your identity in a public place. Belgium requires identity and residence documents to be carried, and this applies to foreign nationals, not only to residents.
- The fine runs from EUR 26 to EUR 500.
- The police may detain a foreign national without documents for up to 24 hours pending a decision by the Immigration Office.
- The usual travel advice does not apply here. "Leave your passport in the hotel safe and carry a photocopy" is the standard instruction in most of Europe; in Belgium it can leave you unable to satisfy a police check.
EES: no more stamps
- The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026.
- Your face and fingerprints are registered on first entry at a Schengen external border, and reused on later trips.
- No stamp goes in your passport. The system computes your 90/180 balance itself.
- Keep your own record of entry and exit dates.
ETIAS: not yet, and no date
- ETIAS has not launched and there is no announced launch date.
- Applications are not open. Any website selling you an ETIAS today is a scam.
- When it comes, the fee is EUR 20, free for under-18s and over-70s. The old EUR 7 figure is obsolete.
Where your nationality lands
| You hold | What you need |
|---|---|
| Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Poland | Nothing. EU freedom of movement |
| USA, Canada, Australia, UK, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan | No visa. 90/180, EES registration |
| China, India, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia | Schengen visa in advance |
| Russia | Schengen visa in advance, single entry as a rule |
- The Schengen short stay visa fee is EUR 90, EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11.
Comments
No comments yet. Share the first one.
Share a tip
Sign in to continue.