Visa requirements for Belgian citizens

Visa requirements for Belgian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Belgium.

As of 2024, Belgian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 191 countries and territories, ranking the Belgian passport 4th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.^[1]

Visa requirements map

Visa requirements

Country	Visa requirement	Allowed stay	Notes (excluding departure fees)
Afghanistan	Visa required[2]
Albania	Visa not required[3]	90 days	ID card.
Algeria	Visa required[4]
Andorra	Visa not required[5]		ID card valid.
Angola	Visa not required[6]	30 days	30 days per trip, but no more than 90 days within any 1 calendar year for tourism purposes only.[7] Visitors must have a return/onward ticket and a hotel reservation confirmation.[8] An International Certificate of Vaccination is required.
Antigua and Barbuda	Visa not required[9]	6 months
Argentina	Visa not required[10]	90 days
Armenia	Visa not required[11]	180 days
Australia	eVisitor[12]	90 days	90 days on each visit in 12-month period if granted.
Austria	Visa not required[13]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Azerbaijan	eVisa[14][15]	30 days
Bahamas	Visa not required[16]	8 months
Bahrain	eVisa / Visa on arrival[17]	14 days
Bangladesh	Visa on arrival[18]	30 days
Barbados	Visa not required[19]	90 days
Belarus	Visa not required[20]	30 days	Must arrive and depart via Minsk International Airport.
Belize	Visa not required[21]	1 month
Benin	eVisa [22][23]	30 days	Must have an international vaccination certificate.
Bhutan	eVisa[24][25]		Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Bolivia	Visa not required[26]	90 days
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Visa not required[27]	90 days	90 days within any 6 months period. ID card valid.
Botswana	Visa not required[28]	90 days
Brazil	Visa not required[29]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Brunei	Visa not required[30]	90 days
Bulgaria	Visa not required[31]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Burkina Faso	eVisa / Visa on arrival[32][33]	1 month
Burundi	Visa on arrival[34][35]	1 month
Cambodia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[36][37]	30 days	Visa is also obtainable online.
Cameroon	eVisa[38][39]		Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Canada	Visa not required[40]	6 months	eTA required if arriving by air.[41]
Cape Verde	Visa not required[42][43]	30 days	Must register online at least five days prior to arrival.[44]
Central African Republic	Visa required[45]
Chad	Visa required[46]
Chile	Visa not required[47]	90 days
China	Visa not required[48]	15 days	Visa-free from 14 March, 2024 to 30 November, 2024. 24-hour visa-free transit through China (unless arriving in Fuzhou, Huangshan, Mudanjiang, or Yanji). 72-hour visa-free transit through Changsha, Guilin and Harbin. 144-hour visa-free transit through Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Jieyang, Kunming, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qinhuangdao, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin, Wuhan, Xiamen and Xi'an.[49] Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan count as third countries under the 24, 72 and 144-hours transit without visa (TWOV) policies.
Colombia	Visa not required[50]	90 days	90 days - extendable up to 180-days stay within a 1-year period.
Comoros	Visa on arrival[51]	45 days
Republic of the Congo	Visa required[52]
Democratic Republic of the Congo	eVisa[53][54]	7 days
Costa Rica	Visa not required[55]	90 days
Côte d'Ivoire	eVisa[56][57]
Croatia	Visa not required[58]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Cuba	Tourist card required[59]	90 days	Can be extended up to 90 days with a fee.
Cyprus	Visa not required[60]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Czech Republic	Visa not required[61]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Denmark	Visa not required[62]	Freedom of movement ID card valid (DK)
Djibouti	eVisa[63][64]	90 days
Dominica	Visa not required[65]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Dominican Republic	Visa not required[66]	90 days
Ecuador	Visa not required[67]	90 days
Egypt	eVisa / Visa on arrival[68][69]	30 days	ID card valid.
El Salvador	Visa not required[70]	3 months
Equatorial Guinea	eVisa[71][72]
Eritrea	Visa required[73]		Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Estonia	Visa not required[74]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Eswatini	Visa not required[75]	30 days
Ethiopia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[76]	up to 90 days	Visa on arrival is obtainable only at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport.[77] e-Visa holders must arrive via Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. e-Visa is available for 30 or 90 days.[78]
Fiji	Visa not required[79]	4 months
Finland	Visa not required[80]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
France	Visa not required[81]	Freedom of movement ID card valid (in Regions of France)
Gabon	eVisa[82][83]	90 days	e-Visa holders must arrive via Libreville International Airport.
Gambia	Visa not required[84]	90 days	ID card valid.[85]
Georgia	Visa not required[86]	1 year	ID card.
Germany	Visa not required[87]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Ghana	Visa required[88]		Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Greece	Visa not required[89]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Grenada	Visa not required[90]	3 months
Guatemala	Visa not required[91]	90 days
Guinea	eVisa[92][93]	90 days
Guinea-Bissau	Visa on arrival[94]
Guyana	Visa not required[95]	3 months
Haiti	Visa not required[96]	90 days
Honduras	Visa not required[97]	3 months
Hungary	Visa not required[98]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Iceland	Visa not required[99]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
India	eVisa[100]	30 days	e-Visa holders must arrive via 26 designated airports[Note 1] or 3 designated seaports.[Note 2][101] An Indian e-Tourist Visa may only be obtained twice within 1 calendar year.[citation needed] Foreigners of Pakistani origin or who hold a Pakistani Passport are not eligible for an e-Visa. Foreigners who are not Pakistani nationals, but whose parents or grandparents (either paternal or maternal) were born in, or were permanent residents in Pakistan, are also not eligible for an e-Visa.[102]
Indonesia	e-VOA / Visa on arrival[103]	30 days[104]
Iran	eVisa[105][106]	30 days	Passengers who have already made an application, at least two days before arrival, at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affair's e-Visa website and present the submission notification at the airport's visa desk may obtain a visa on arrival.
Iraq	Visa on arrival[107]	60 days
Ireland	Visa not required[108]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Israel	Visa not required[109]	90 days
Italy	Visa not required[110]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Jamaica	Visa not required[111]	90 days
Japan	Visa not required[112]	90 days
Jordan	eVisa / Visa on arrival[113][114]		Visa can be obtained upon arrival, it will cost a total of 40 JOD, obtainable at most international ports of entry and land border crossings (except King Hussein/Allenby Bridge)
Kazakhstan	Visa not required[115]	30 days
Kenya	Electronic Travel Authorisation[116][117]	90 days	Applications can be submitted up to 90 days prior to travel and must be submitted at least 3 days in advance. eTA fee is 32.50 USD. Proof of reservation at the hotel where you plan to stay is required (if staying with friends, an invitation letter is also acceptable). Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if coming from endemic countries.
Kiribati	Visa not required[118]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
North Korea	Visa required[119]
South Korea	Electronical Travel Authorization[120][121]	90 days	Belgian citizens can enter South Korea as a short term visit (e.g., tours, visiting relatives or friends, attending simple meetings) up to 90 days without a visa, though you should remain aware of the quarantine requirements. You must also have an onward or return ticket. It is illegal to work on a tourist visa, whether as a teacher or in any other capacity.[122] You must be in possession of a Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) to enter Korea visa-free. You can complete your K-ETA application up to 24 hours before boarding your flight and it will be valid for 3 years from the date of approval. There is a small, non-refundable charge.[122]
Kuwait	eVisa / Visa on arrival[123][124]	3 months
Kyrgyzstan	Visa not required[125]	60 days
Laos	eVisa / Visa on arrival[126]	30 days	17[Note 3] of the 31 border crossings are only open to visa holders.[127] e-Visa may be used to enter Laos through Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, 3 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 4] and in Boten (road and railroad).[128] Visa on arrival is available at Luang Prabang, Pakse and Vientiane international airports, the 4 Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges[Note 5] and 6 border crossings.[Note 6][127] Visa on arrival is extendable for an additional 60 days at the Department of Immigration in Vientiane.[129]
Latvia	Visa not required[130]	Freedom of movement. ID card valid.
Lebanon	Free Visa on arrival[131]	1 month	1 month extendable for 2 additional months Granted free of charge at Beirut International Airport or any other port of entry if there is no Israeli visa or seal, holding a telephone number, an address in Lebanon, and a non refundable return or circle trip ticket.
Lesotho	Visa not required[132]	14 days
Liberia	Visa required[133]		Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Libya	eVisa[134][135]
Liechtenstein	Visa not required[136]	Freedom of movement. ID card valid.
Lithuania	Visa not required[137]	Freedom of movement. ID card valid.
Luxembourg	Visa not required[138]	Freedom of movement. ID card valid.
Madagascar	Visa on arrival[139]	60 days
Malawi	Visa not required[140]	30 days
Malaysia	Visa not required[141]	3 months
Maldives	Free Visa on arrival[142]	30 days
Mali	Visa required[143]
Malta	Visa not required[144]	Freedom of movement. ID card valid.
Marshall Islands	Visa not required[145]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Mauritania	Visa on arrival[146]		Available at Nouakchott–Oumtounsy International Airport.
Mauritius	Visa not required[147]	90 days
Mexico	Visa not required[148]	180 days
Micronesia	Visa not required[149]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Moldova	Visa not required[150]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period ID card
Monaco	Visa not required[151]		ID card valid.
Mongolia	Visa not required[152]	30 days	The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia has exempted visas for 34 countries from January 2023 to December 2025.
Montenegro	Visa not required[153]	90 days	ID card for 30 days.
Morocco	Visa not required[154]	90 days
Mozambique	Visa not required[155][156]	30 days	Travelers must register on the e-Visa platform at least 48 hours prior to travel and pay a processing fee of 650 MT.
Myanmar	eVisa[157][158]	28 days	e-Visa holders must arrive via Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw or Mandalay airports or via land border crossings with Thailand — Tachileik, Myawaddy and Kawthaung or India — Rih Khaw Dar and Tamu. e-Visa available for both tourism (allowed stay is 28 days) or business purposes (allowed stay is 70 days).
Namibia	Visa not required[159]	3 months	3 months within a calendar year
Nauru	Visa required[160]
Nepal	Online Visa / Visa on arrival[161]	90 days[162]
Netherlands	Visa not required[163]	Freedom of movement ID card valid (European Netherlands)
New Zealand	Electronic Travel Authority[164]	3 months	International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy must be paid upon requesting an Electronic Travel Authority.[165] Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure.[166] Such travellers are not required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.[165]
Nicaragua	Visa not required[167]	90 days
Niger	Visa required[168]
Nigeria	Visa required[169]		Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
North Macedonia	Visa not required[170]	90 days	ID card valid.
Norway	Visa not required[171]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Oman	Visa not required / eVisa[172][173]	14 days / 30 days
Pakistan	ETA / Online Visa[174][175]	30 days / 3 months	Electronic Travel Authorization to obtain a visa on arrival for business purposes.[176] Online Visa eligible.[177]
Palau	Visa not required[178]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Panama	Visa not required[179]	90 days
Papua New Guinea	eVisa[180][181]	60 days	Available at Gurney Airport (Alotau), Mount Hagen Airport, Port Moresby Airport and Tokua Airport (Rabaul).
Paraguay	Visa not required[182]	90 days
Peru	Visa not required[183]	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period.
Philippines	Visa not required[184]	30 days
Poland	Visa not required[185]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Portugal	Visa not required[186]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Qatar	Visa not required[187][188]	90 days
Romania	Visa not required[189]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Russia	eVisa[190][191]	16 days
Rwanda	eVisa / Visa on arrival[192][193]	30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Visa not required[194]	3 months
Saint Lucia	Visa not required[195]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Visa not required[196]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Samoa	Visa not required[197]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
San Marino	Visa not required[198]		ID card valid.
São Tomé and Príncipe	Visa not required[199]	15 days
Saudi Arabia	eVisa / Visa on arrival[200][201]	90 days
Senegal	Visa not required[202]	90 days
Serbia	Visa not required[203]	90 days	90 days within any 6-month period ID card
Seychelles	Visa not required[204][205]	3 months[206]
Sierra Leone	eVisa / Visa on arrival[207][208]	3 months / 30 days
Singapore	Visa not required[209]	90 days
Slovakia	Visa not required[210]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Slovenia	Visa not required[211]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Solomon Islands	Visa not required[212]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period
Somalia	Visa on arrival[213]		Available at Berbera, Borama, Burao, Erigavo and Hargeisa airports.[citation needed] 30 days, available at Bosaso Airport, Galcaio Airport and Mogadishu Airport.[citation needed]
South Africa	Visa not required[214]	90 days
South Sudan	eVisa[215][216]		Obtainable online. Printed visa authorization must be presented at the time of travel.
Spain	Visa not required[217]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Sri Lanka	ETA / Visa on arrival[218][219]	30 days	Electronic Travel Authorization can also be obtained on arrival. 30 days extendable to 6 months.
Sudan	Visa required[220]
Suriname	Visa not required[221][222]	90 days	An entrance fee of 25 USD or 25 Euros must be paid online prior to arrival.[223] Multiple entry e-Visa is also available.[224]
Sweden	Visa not required[225]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Switzerland	Visa not required[226]	Freedom of movement ID card valid
Syria	Visa required[227]
Tajikistan	Visa not required[228]	30 days	At Dushanbe International Airport. Visa also available online.[229] e-Visa holders can enter through all border points.
Tanzania	eVisa / Visa on arrival[230][231]	90 days
Thailand	Visa not required[232]	30 days	Maximum two visits annually if not arriving by air.
Timor-Leste	Visa not required[233]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Togo	eVisa[234][235]	15 days
Tonga	Visa not required[236][237]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Trinidad and Tobago	Visa not required[238]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Tunisia	Visa not required[239]	90 days
Turkey	Visa not required[240]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period (as of 2 March 2020). ID card valid.[241]
Turkmenistan	Visa required[242]		Pre-approved visa can be picked up on arrival.
Tuvalu	Visa not required[243]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Uganda	eVisa[244][245]	3 months
Ukraine	Visa not required[246]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
United Arab Emirates	Visa not required[247]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.[248][249]
United Kingdom	Visa not required[250]	6 months	ID card valid until 1 October 2021.[251]
United States	Visa Waiver Program[252][253]	90 days	ESTA is valid for 2 years from the date of issuance.[254] ESTA is also required when entering the country by cruise ship or land.[255] Visa required if Nationals of VWP countries who have travelled or been present in Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, or Yemen at any time on or after 1 March 2011 (with limited exceptions), or those who have travelled or being present in Cuba at any time on or after 12 January 2021, or nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iraq, Syria, Iran, North Korea or Sudan.
Uruguay	Visa not required[256]	90 days
Uzbekistan	Visa not required[257]	30 days
Vanuatu	Visa not required[258]	90 days	90 days within any 180 day period.
Vatican City	Visa not required[259]		ID card valid.
Venezuela	Visa not required[260]	90 days
Vietnam	eVisa[261][262]	30 days	e-Visa is valid for 90 days and multiple entry. 30 day visa exemption at Phu Quoc Island.
Yemen	Visa required[263]
Zambia	Visa not required[264]	30 days	Also eligible for a universal visa allowing access to Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe	eVisa / Visa on arrival[265]	30 days	Also eligible for a universal visa allowing access to Zambia.

Territories and disputed areas

Visa requirements for Belgian citizens for visits to various territories, disputed areas, partially recognized countries and restricted zones:

Europe

•  Abkhazia — Visa required.^[266]
• Mount Athos — Special permit required (4 days: 25 euro for Orthodox visitors, 35 euro for non-Orthodox visitors, 18 euro for students). There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.^[267][268]
• Brest and Grodno — Visa not required for 10 days.^[269]
•  Northern Cyprus — Visa free access for 3 months. Passport required.^[270]
• UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus — Access Permit is required for travelling inside the zone, except Civil Use Areas.^[271]
•  Faroe Islands — Visa not required.^[272]
•  Gibraltar — Visa not required.^[273]
•  Guernsey – Visa not required.^[274]
•  Alderney – Visa not required.^[275]
•  Sark – Visa not required.^[276]
•  Isle of Man — Visa not required.^[277][278]
• Jan Mayen — permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours^[279] and permit issued by the Norwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.^[280]
•  Kosovo — visa free for 90 days.^[281]
• Closed cities and regions in Russia — special authorization required.^[282]
•  South Ossetia — Visa free. Multiple entry visa to Russia and three-day prior notification are required to enter South Ossetia.^[283][284]
•  Transnistria — Visa free. Registration required after 24h.^[285][286]

Africa

•  Eritrea (outside Asmara) — visa covers Asmara only; to travel in the rest of the country, a Travel Permit for Foreigners is required (20 Eritrean nakfa).^[287]
•  Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara controlled territory) — Visa not required up to 3 months.^[288]
•  Somaliland — Visa issued on arrival (30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival).^[289][290]
•  Sudan — All foreigners traveling more than 25 kilometers outside of Khartoum must obtain a travel permit.
• Darfur — Separate travel permit is required.^[291]

Asia

•  Hong Kong — Visa not required for 90 days.^[292]
•  India — Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for whole states of Nagaland and Sikkim and parts of states Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh. Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required for all of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and parts of Sikkim. Some of these requirements are occasionally lifted for a year.^{[293][294][295][296][297][298]}
•  Iraqi Kurdistan — You can apply for an e-Visa (30 days) to visit the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.^[299]
•  Kazakhstan — Special permission required for the town of Baikonur and surrounding areas in Kyzylorda Oblast, and the town of Gvardeyskiy near Almaty.^[300]
• Kish Island — Visitors to Kish Island do not require a visa.^[301]
•  Macao — Visa not required for 90 days.^[302]
• Sabah and Sarawak — These states have their own immigration authorities and passport is required to travel to them, however the same visa applies.^[303]
• Maldives — With the exception of the capital Malé, tourists are generally prohibited from visiting non-resort islands without the express permission of the Government of Maldives.^[304]
•  North Korea outside Pyongyang – People are not allowed to leave the capital city, tourists can only leave the capital with a governmental tourist guide (no independent moving)
•  Palestine — Visa not required. Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed.^[305][306]
•  Taiwan — Visa not required for 90 days.^[307]
• Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province — OIVR permit required (15+5 Tajikistani Somoni) and another special permit (free of charge) is required for Lake Sarez.^{[308][309][310]}
•  Turkmenistan — A special permit, issued prior to arrival by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is required if visiting the following places: Atamurat, Cheleken, Dashoguz, Serakhs and Serhetabat.^[311]
• Tibet Autonomous Region — Tibet Travel Permit required (10 US Dollars).^{[312][313][314]}
• Korean Demilitarized Zone — restricted zone.
• UNDOF Zone and Ghajar — restricted zones.
• Phú Quốc — can visit without a visa for up to 30 days.^[315]
•  Yemen — Special permission needed for travel outside Sana’a or Aden.^[316]

Caribbean and North Atlantic

•  Anguilla — Visa not required for 3 months.^[317]
•  Aruba — Visa not required for 30 days.^[318]
• Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba — Visa not required for 3 months.^[319]
•  Bermuda — Visa not required for 21 days (extendable).^[320]
•  British Virgin Islands — Visa not required for 1 month (extendable).^[321]
•  Cayman Islands — Visa not required for 6 months.^[322]
•  Colombia — Visitors arriving at San Andrés and Leticia must buy tourist cards on arrival.^[323]
•  Curacao — Visa not required for 3 months.^[324]
•  Montserrat — Visa not required for 6 months.^[325]
•  Greenland — Visa not required.^[272]
• Margarita Island — All visitors are fingerprinted.^[326]
•  Puerto Rico — Visa not required under the Visa Waiver Program, for 90 days on arrival from overseas for 2 years. ESTA required.^[327]
•  Saint Pierre and Miquelon — Visa not required.^[328]
•  Sint Maarten — Visa not required for 3 months.^[329]
•  Turks and Caicos Islands — Visa not required for 90 days.^[330][331]
•  U.S. Virgin Islands — Visa not required under the Visa Waiver Program, for 90 days on arrival from overseas for 2 years. ESTA required.^[332]

Oceania

•  American Samoa — Electronic authorization for 30 days.^[333]
• Ashmore and Cartier Islands — special authorisation required.^[334]
• Clipperton Island — special permit required.^[335]
•  Cook Islands — Visa free access for 31 days.^[336]
• Lau Province — Special permission required.^[337]
•  French Polynesia — Visa not required.^[338]
•  Guam — Visa not required under the Visa Waiver Program, for 90 days on arrival from overseas for 2 years. ESTA required.^[339]
•  New Caledonia — Visa not required for 3 months.^[340]
•  Niue — Visa on arrival valid for 30 days is issued free of charge.^[341]
•  Northern Mariana Islands — Visa not required.^[342]
•  Pitcairn Islands — 14 days visa free and landing fee US$35 or tax of US$5 if not going ashore.^{[343][344][345]}
•  Tokelau — Entry permit required.^[346]
• United States Minor Outlying Islands — special permits required for Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island.^{[347][348][349][350][351][352][353]}
•  Wallis and Futuna — Visa not required.^[354]

South America

• Galápagos — Online pre-registration is required. Transit Control Card must also be obtained at the airport prior to departure.^[355]

South Atlantic and Antarctica

•  Falkland Islands — Visitor Permit valid for 4 weeks is issued on arrival.^[356][357]
•  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha
  •  Ascension Island — eVisa for 3 months within any year period^[358][359]
  •  Saint Helena — Entry Permit (£25) for 183 days is issued on arrival.^[360]
  •  Tristan da Cunha — Permission to land required for 15/30 pounds sterling (yacht/ship passenger) for Tristan da Cunha Island or 20 pounds sterling for Gough Island, Inaccessible Island or Nightingale Islands.^[361]
•  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands — Pre-arrival permit from the Commissioner required (72 hours/1 month for 110/160 pounds sterling).^{[362][363][364]}
• Antarctica and adjacent islands — special permits required for  French Southern and Antarctic Lands,  Argentine Antarctica, Australian Antarctic Territory, , Chilean Antarctic Territory, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Peter I Island, Queen Maud Land, Ross Dependency.^{[365][366][367][368][369][370][371][372][373][374][375]}

Non-ordinary passports

Holders of various categories of official passports have additional visa-free access to the following countries – China (diplomatic passports), Pakistan (diplomatic or service passports), Russia (diplomatic passports) and Turkey (diplomatic, official, service or special passports). Holders of diplomatic or service passports of any country have visa-free access to Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Mali and Zimbabwe.

Right to consular protection in non-EU countries

When in a non-EU country where there is no Belgian embassy, Belgian citizens as EU citizens have the right to get consular protection from the embassy of any other EU country present in that country.

Also see the List of diplomatic missions of Belgium.

Non-visa restrictions

Many countries have entry restrictions on foreigners that go beyond the common requirement of having either a valid visa or a visa exemption. Such restrictions may be health related or impose additional documentation requirements on certain classes of people for diplomatic or political purposes.

Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages.^[376] Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

Vaccination

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year^[377] to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.^[378]

Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.^[379][380]

Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.

However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens^[381][382] or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).^[383]

Some countries, such as Japan,^[384] Ireland and the United Kingdom,^[385] require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.

In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain,^[386] Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,^[387] Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru,^[388] Philippines,^[389] Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.^[390]

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.

Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.

Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.

Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives^[391] and South Africa.

Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States,^[392] routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

Persona non grata

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning entry into that country. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.^[393]

Israeli stamps

Kuwait,^[394] Lebanon,^[395] Libya,^[396] Syria,^[397] and Yemen^[398] do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017^[update]) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.^{[citation needed]}

Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

Biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.^[399]

Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan,^[400][401] Argentina,^[402] Brunei, Cambodia,^[403] China,^[404] Ethiopia,^[405] Ghana, Guinea,^[406] India, Japan,^[407][408] Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken),^[409] Malaysia upon entry and departure,^[410] Mongolia, Saudi Arabia,^[411] Singapore, South Korea,^[412] Taiwan, Thailand,^[413] Uganda,^[414] the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by domestic legislation),^{[415][416][417]} intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.^[418]

Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports^[419] and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.^[420][421]

See also

• Visa requirements for European Union citizens
• Belgian passport

References and Notes

References

Notes