COVID-19 (Health conditions)

It is prohibited for persons who at any time during the past 14 days were in the territory of a country classified as very high risk on the website https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/ to travel directly or indirectly to the Belgian territory, provided they do not have Belgian nationality or do not have their main residence in Belgium.

When a country is classified as a very high risk in accordance with the first paragraph, the entry ban on the Belgian territory takes effect at the moment as indicated on the website https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/countries-with-high-risk/   and at the earliest 24 hours after its publication on that website.

Currently there are no countries classified as very high risk.

The following essential travels are permitted:

1°the professional journeys of transport employees, freight and cargo personnel and seafarers, tugboat crew, boat pilots and industrial personnel employed in offshore wind parks, provided they hold a certificate issued by the employer;

2°the professional travels of diplomats, staff of international organisations, people invited by international organisations whose physical presence is required for the well-functioning of these organisations, in the exercise of their functions, provided that they are also in possession of an essential travel certificate delivered by a Belgian diplomatic or consular post.

3° the travels of a spouse or partner of a person who has Belgian nationality or has his/her main residence in Belgium. This spouse or partner must live under the same roof as the person who has Belgian nationality or the person who has the main residence in Belgium. These travellers must hold an Essential Travel Certificate issued by the Belgian diplomatic or consular post. The de facto partners must have provided plausible evidence of a stable and long-term relationship.

4° the transit journeys outside of the Schengen area or European Union (transit via a high-risk country without leaving the international zone of the airport or transit in Belgium from a high-risk country without leaving the airport’s non-Schengen Area);

5° travels through Belgium to the country of the European Union or Schengen Area of which the traveller is are a national or where the traveller has his main residence;

6° People travelling for extremely compelling humanitarian reasons. These people must have a Certificate of Travel for Humanitarian Reasons issued by the Belgian diplomatic or consular post and approved by the Immigration Office.

7° travel of persons whose physical presence is indispensable for national security purposes, provided they are in possession of an essential travel certificate issued by the Belgian diplomatic or consular post and approved by the Immigration Office.

If a carrier is used, it is required to check that the persons are in possession of this Essential Travel Certificate or a proof of authorised transit before boarding. In the absence of such an attestation or proof of authorised transit, the carrier is obliged to refuse boarding

In the absence of such an Essential Travel Certificate or Certificate of travel for Humanitarian Reasons or in the event of false, misleading or incomplete information in this certificate, and if the essential nature of the travel is not apparent from the official documents in the traveller's possession, entry may be refused in accordance with Article 14 of the Schengen Borders Code or Article 43 of the Law of 15 December 1980.

Every traveller must be in possession of the documents required for entry into Schengen.

For a long stay in Belgium, all travellers must have a D visa.

For a short stay in Belgium, any traveller subject to the visa requirement to enter Schengen must have a C visa. Whatever his nationality, he must prove that he meets the conditions for entry into Schengen when he presents himself at the Schengen external borders, by means of the necessary documentation : https://dofi.ibz.be/en/themes/border-control/entry-schengen-territory/entry-conditions-short-stay

Any traveller who has been in the territory of a third country classified as a very high risk area at any time during the 14 days preceding his/her arrival in Belgium must complete the electronic Passenger Location Form, published on the website of the Federal Public Service of Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, prior to the journey and submit it to the carrier for boarding.

Public Health Passenger Locator Form (PLF)

The carrier is required to check that all passengers have completed an electronic Passenger Location Form before boarding. If this is not the case, the carrier is obliged to refuse boarding. Upon arrival on Belgian territory, the airport operator will check again whether the electronic Passenger Location Form has been completed, in accordance with the instructions of the competent authority.

Carriers means:

• • the public or private air carrier;
  • the public or private maritime carrier;
  • the inland navigation carrier;
  • the rail carrier or public or private bus carrier, for transport from a country outside the European Union and the Schengen area

The traveller must carry proof of completion of the PLF for the entire journey to the final destination in Belgium and for the following 48 hours.

Every traveller, from the age of 12, who does not have his/her main residence in Belgium and who, at any time during the 14 days prior to his/her arrival in Belgium, was on the territory of a third country designated as a very high risk area, must have a vaccination, test or recovery certificate.

If a carrier is used, the carrier is required to check that the persons referred to in paragraph 1 are in possession of a test certificate, recovery certificate or vaccination certificate prior to boarding. In the absence of such a certificate the carrier shall be under the obligation to refuse boarding.

In the absence of such a certificate or in the event of false, misleading or incomplete information in this certificate entry may be refused in accordance with Article 14 of the Schengen Borders Code or Article 43 of the Law of 15 December 1980.

Test Certificate: an EU Digital COVID certificate or another certificate in Dutch, French, German or English, which indicates that a NAAT test (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test  = PCR test) with a negative result was carried out in an official laboratory not more than 72 hours before arrival on Belgian territory, or that a RAT (Rapid Antigen Test) which is mentioned in the updated Council Recommendation on a common framework for the use and validation of rapid antigen tests and the mutual recognition of COVID-19 test results in the EU,  with a negative result was carried out by a professional not more than 24 hours before arrival on Belgian territory.

Recovery Certificate: an EU Digital COVID certificate of recovery or a certificate of recovery issued in a country not belonging to the European Union which is considered equivalent by the European Commission on the basis of the implementing acts or by Belgium on the basis of bilateral agreements. This certificate has to show that no more than 180 days have elapsed since the date of the positive NAAT test result or from the positive result of a RAT test included in the common and updated list of rapid antigen tests for COVID-19 as established on the basis of the Council Recommendation of 21 January 2021 on a common framework for the use and validation of rapid antigen tests and mutual recognition of COVID-19 test results in the EU;

All travellers  from the age of 12 years who do not have their main residence in Belgium and who arrive on Belgian territory must present a vaccination, test or recovery certificate. This both concerns:

• The travels from outside the Schengen area to Belgium;
• The travels from inside the Schengen area to Belgium.

Where applicable, the carrier must verify that passengers present the recognised vaccination, test or recovery certificate prior to boarding. In the absence of the  recognised vaccination, test or recovery certificate, the carrier is obliged to refuse boarding.

In the absence of a recognized vaccination, test or recovery certificate referred to in the previous paragraph, or in the event of false, misleading or incomplete information concerning these documents entry may be refused in accordance with Article 14 of the Schengen Borders Code or Article 43 of the Law of 15 December 1980.

Vaccination certificate means:

1. An EU Digital Covid Certificate  of vaccination with a vaccine which is authorised in the EU, delivered in correspondence with EU Regulation 726/2004 
   
    OR
    
2. A COVID-19 vaccine for which the World Health Organisation (WHO) Emergency Use Listing procedure has been completed or a certificate of vaccination with such vaccine issued in a country not belonging to the European Union which is considered as equivalent by the European Commission on the basis of the implementing acts or by Belgium on the basis of bilateral agreements, which shows that all doses provided for in the package leaflet have been administered for at least two weeks and that no more than 270 days have passed since the date of the last dose in the primary vaccination series or which shows that a booster dose was administered after completion of the primary vaccination series.

In the absence of an equivalence decision by the European Commission, a vaccination certificate issued in a country not belonging to the European Union and containing at least the following information in Dutch, French, German or English will also be accepted:

• details that make it possible to identify the person who has been vaccinated (name, date of birth and/or ID number)
• details demonstrating that a COVID-19 vaccine authorised in the EU pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 or a COVID-19 vaccine for which the World Health Organisation (WHO) Emergency Use Listing procedure has been completed was administered
• details showing that all doses provided for in the package leaflet against the SARS-Cov-2 virus have been administered for at least two weeks and that no more than 270 days have elapsed since the date of the last dose in the primary vaccination series or evidence that a booster dose was administered after completion of the primary vaccination series.
• the brand name and the name of the manufacturer or the marketing authorisation holder of each vaccine administered. If one of the two names is not mentioned, the lot number must also be mentioned;;
• the date of administration of each dose of the vaccine that has been administered, or the total number of doses and the name of the last vaccine administered as well as the date of the last administration.;
• the name of the country, province or region where the vaccination certificate has been delivered;
• the issuer of the certificate of vaccination

Since 01/02/2022 the EU digital COVID certificate and an equivalent vaccination certificate referred to under 2. are valid for a period of nine months after the basic vaccination (second dose of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Covishield or first dose of Johnson & Johnson). This period of validity was established by a delegated act of the European Commission and therefore applies to travel to all Schengen Member States. If the basic vaccination was administered more than 9 months ago, a booster dose will have to be administered to reactivate the validity of the vaccination certificate. Heterologous vaccinations (e.g. 1 dose of AstraZeneca + 1 dose of Pfizer) are not recognised as a complete vaccination schedule: only when a 2nd dose of Pfizer is administered in this example will the vaccination scheme be complete and recognised.

When travelling to Belgium, a vaccination certificate must be valid for the entire duration of the intended stay, this applies to the digital EU-COVID certificate referred to under 1. and for the equivalent vaccination certificate referred to under 2. Travellers are therefore urged to travel with a valid vaccination certificate that covers the entire intended duration of the stay, the validity can be extended via the booster vaccination.

Currently on 08.11.2021 the following vaccinations are recognized:

As of 12.08.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by the United Kingdom are recognized by Belgium.

As of 20.08.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by Turkey, North-Macedonia and Ukraine are recognized.

As of 15.09.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by the Faroe Islands, Morocco, Panama, Albania, Israel, Monaco and Andorra are recognized.

As of 15.11.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by Georgia, Moldova, New Zealand and Serbia are recognized.

As of 25.11.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by Singapore and Togo are recognized.

As of 30.11.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by El Salvador are recognized.

As of 09.12.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Cape Verde are recognized.

As of 21.12.2021: Vaccination certificates delivered by Montenegro, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay.

As of 16.02.2022: Vaccination certificates delivered by Benin and Jordan

As of 01.04.2022: Vaccination certificates delivered by Malaysia and Colombia