Living in Brussels

For information only. This guide is an editorial orientation resource. It does not constitute legal, tax, or administrative advice, and does not recommend or encourage any specific course of action. Regulations, procedures and entitlements change; always verify current requirements with your mission or organisation, the relevant Belgian authorities, and qualified advisers before taking any decision.

Brussels as a posting destination

Brussels is home to more permanent diplomatic representations than any other city in the world. It houses the European Union’s principal institutions (the European Commission, the Council of the EU, the European Parliament), NATO headquarters in Evere, and several hundred bilateral embassies, permanent missions, and international organisation offices. This produces a multilayered administrative system: how your residence and status are managed in Belgium depends materially on whether you are accredited as a bilateral diplomat, a member of a permanent mission to the EU, NATO personnel, or a staff member of an international organisation based in Belgium.

The legal framework

The underlying entitlements of diplomatic and consular staff in Belgium derive from the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963). For personnel of international organisations and the EU institutions, a different set of instruments applies: the headquarters agreements between Belgium and the relevant organisations, as well as, for EU staff, the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union.

The body responsible for managing privileges and immunities in Belgium is the Protocol Directorate of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs (SPF Affaires étrangères / FPS Foreign Affairs). The Protocol Directorate issues the special identity cards that confirm status, manages CD vehicle plate applications, and is the point of contact for the diplomatic and consular corps in Belgium.

The Protocol Directorate publishes a detailed Protocol Guide on Immunities and Privileges, updated in January 2024, which covers the issuance of special identity cards, fiscal privileges, the CD registration plates process, and driving licence matters. This guide is the primary reference document for all accredited personnel.

Special identity cards

Upon arrival and accreditation, diplomatic and consular personnel receive a special identity card (carte d’identité spéciale / bijzondere identiteitskaart) issued by the Protocol Directorate. The categories most relevant to a diplomatic posting are:

D card: diplomatic agents and their family members
C card: consular officers and equivalent
Other categories (S, P, etc.) apply to international organisation staff under different instruments

For D and C card holders, the Protocol Directorate now issues a digital key directly, allowing online access to Belgian administrative services. For other special card holders, the digital key is obtained from the municipality of residence. This was introduced in 2025 as part of the eProtocol project.

Commune registration

The procedure differs by status:

Holders of D and C cards (full diplomatic status under the Vienna Conventions) do not follow the ordinary registration procedure. Their presence is managed through the Protocol Directorate and the notification obligations of their mission.

Holders of other special cards (administrative, technical, service staff) are generally required to register with the population or aliens department (service de la population / bevolkingsdienst) of the municipality (commune) where they live, within 8 working days of arrival. Brussels-Capital Region comprises 19 separate municipalities, each running its own administrative services. The relevant commune depends entirely on where you live.

Confirm with your mission or organisation’s administrative office which registration path applies to you specifically, as the categories and procedures are detailed and vary.

EU institution staff

For staff of the EU institutions (Commission, Parliament, Council, agencies), the applicable framework is the Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union, not the Vienna Conventions. Registration, identity card issuance, and vehicle plates are handled through separate EU procedures, coordinated between each institution’s HR and the Belgian authorities. The Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations maintains practical guidance at commissioner.brussels.

NATO staff

NATO personnel and their families are governed by the Agreement on the Status of NATO Headquarters (the 1951 Ottawa Convention and related instruments), administered through NATO headquarters at Evere. NATO HR and the relevant national HQ manage the accreditation and special status formalities.

Housing

Residential neighbourhoods most commonly chosen by diplomatic and EU/NATO-accredited families include Ixelles / Elsene, Etterbeek (close to the European Quarter), Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Uccle, and Auderghem. The areas around Tervuren and Waterloo (south of Brussels) are also widely chosen by families with children at BSB or ISB (see the companion guide International Schools in Brussels, BE·SCH·01).

Brussels has a well-stocked English-language rental market, particularly in the areas above. Mission administrative offices typically have relationships with agencies experienced in placing diplomatic families.

Emergency contacts in Belgium

112: European emergency number (police, medical, fire)
100: Fire brigade and ambulance
101: Police (non-emergency)