1. Entry Restrictions

International travel to Belgium is currently restricted, except for the following passengers:

• Passengers arriving from EEA Member States (excluding the United Kingdom) and Switzerland;
• Passengers arriving from Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, Thailand or Uruguay;
• Nationals of Andorra, Monaco, Switzerland, Vatican City (Holy See) and EEA Member States, if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom;  
• British nationals and their family members, if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom;
• Passengers holding a Schengen Type C visa issued by a Belgian Embassy/Consulate after 18 March 2020, if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom;
• Passengers with a long-term residence permit or a long-term national Type D visa issued by Belgium, if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom;
• Passengers with a long-term residence permit or a long-term national Type D visa issued by EEA Member States,  Switzerland or the United Kingdom, returning to their country of residence via Belgium, if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom;
• Family members of nationals of EEA Member States and Switzerland, if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom;
• Passengers in transit, if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom;
• Passengers coming to Belgium (if arriving from a country other than the United Kingdom) for an essential function, including the following:
  • health professionals, health researchers and elderly care professionals; 
  • frontier workers; 
  • seasonal workers in agriculture; 
  • transport personnel; 
  • passengers in transit, both from outside and from inside the Schengen area (coming from a non-Schengen country);
  • passengers travelling for urgent family reasons, including:
    • family reunification; 
    • visits to a spouse or registered partner residing in Belgium when, for professional or personal reasons, the spouses or registered partners live apart;
    • travel with an unregistered partner who does not live under the same roof; [Read more below]
    • travel within the framework of co-parenting;
    • travel within the framework of civil or religious marriages (first- and second-degree relatives).
  • persons travelling for humanitarian reasons, including travel for compelling medical reasons or to pursue urgent medical care;
  • travelers entering Belgium for the purpose of study, including pupils, students and interns undergoing training as part of their studies and researchers with a hosting agreement; 
  • Highly skilled workers if their employment is necessary from an economic perspective and the work cannot be postponed or performed abroad;
  • Travelers seeking to work as employees in Belgium provided that they are authorized by the competent Region (work permit or proof that the conditions of an exemption are met).

For third country nationals seeking from to enter Belgium for more than 90 days, a National Type D Visa issued by a Belgian Embassy/Consulate. is required, while stays of less than 90 days will require either a Type C visa (for visa nationals) or an essential travel certificate (for non-visa nationals) issued by a Belgian Embassy/Consulate.

Passengers coming to Belgium must also complete present a Passenger Locator Form within 48 hours prior to arrival in Belgium.  

COVID-19 Testing Requirements

Effective 25 December 2020, all international travelers arriving in Belgium must present a medical certificate (either in Dutch, English, French or German) showing a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to departure, except for the following:

• Nationals and residents of Belgium;
• Children below the age of 12.

2. Quarantine/Self-Isolation Requirements

All travelers entering Belgium from outside the European Union or returning from a red zone within the EU, must complete a COVID-19 test after arrival and must quarantine for a period of seven days.  A map of currently designated red zones can be found here. This map is updated on an ongoing basis. Travelers who are staying in Belgium for less than 48 hours or who have been in a red zone abroad for less than 48 hours are not subject to the quarantine requirement.

Passengers who are requested must complete a COVID-19 test after 7 days of quarantine. The quarantine ends upon receipt of the negative result of this test. If the test shows positive, the person in question must undergo self-isolation for at least an additional 7 days.

Please note that this page is updated on an ongoing basis, but COVID-19 related restrictions and policies are subject to frequent and sudden change, often with little to no advance notice to the public. Therefore, to ensure that you have the latest updates, we recommend that you reach out to T&S at emea@tandslaw.com for additional information.