Before you start

National register number, issued after the wijkagent check
Belgian eID, or Bijlage 15 plus passport depending on the bank
Proof of address
A Belgian mobile number for two-factor authentication

Step-by-step

1
Wait for the national register number
Most banks will not complete onboarding without it. Some open a limited account on a Bijlage 15 and passport, but policy differs by bank and branch — ask before booking.
In personWho: YouAfter city registration
2
Compare on fees, not on brand
KBC and Argenta are Flemish institutions with heavy branch coverage in Antwerp; BNP Paribas Fortis, ING Belgium and Belfius are national. Nearly all charge an annual account fee plus card fees, and the standardised fee document they must give you is the honest comparison.
OnlineWho: You
3
Activate itsme as soon as the eID arrives
itsme is the key to MyMinfin, ziekenfonds portals, city e-services and most bank logins. Activation normally needs a Belgian eID with its PIN, or a Belgian bank card and reader. Until then you will be doing in person what residents do on a phone.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Get a Bancontact debit card and expect it to be the default
Bancontact is the domestic debit scheme and is accepted almost everywhere, including small shops, markets and surgeries that may refuse a foreign Visa or Mastercard. Payconiq QR payment runs alongside it and is common in cafés.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Invoke the basic banking service if you are refused
Belgian law gives residents a right to a basic banking service with essential payment functions. Newly-arrived foreign residents are exactly the group most often refused on internal risk criteria, and most simply try elsewhere rather than knowing the entitlement exists.
In personWho: You
6
Keep a specialist service for non-euro transfers
Belgian bank FX spreads are poor. Wise and Revolut are widely used here, though a Belgian IBAN remains smoother for salary, rent, utilities and any government reimbursement.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

eID, or Bijlage 15 with passport
National register number
Proof of address
Employment contract, sometimes requested
Tax residence declaration (FATCA/CRS), always requested

Things most newcomers don’t know

itsme gates Belgian digital life and obtaining it is circular.

Tax filing, health fund portals, city e-services, pension records and most bank logins run through itsme. Activating it normally requires a Belgian eID and PIN, or a Belgian bank card and reader — and the eID requires city registration, which requires the police check. Arrivals hit this loop in week three and conclude the country is obstructive. It is simply sequential: city, register number, eID, itsme, then everything else opens at once.

Source: community-reported; FPS Home Affairs

Belgian current accounts usually charge an annual fee.

Most banks here charge to hold a current account and again per card. The amounts are small individually but vary by multiples between packages, and banks must give you a standardised fee document setting them out. Reading it before signing matters because switching later means moving every direct debit — salary, rent, utilities and the mutuality contribution.

Source: community-reported

There is a legal right to a basic banking service if a bank turns you away.

Belgian law obliges the sector to provide residents with a basic account offering essential payment functions. Refusals of foreign residents in their first months are common and usually generic rather than personal. Naming the entitlement converts many soft refusals on the spot, and there is a formal route when it does not — most newcomers never learn it exists and just try the next bank.

Source: FPS Economy

Bancontact, not your international card, is the one that always works.

The domestic debit scheme is accepted essentially everywhere, including bakeries, market stalls and doctors' surgeries where a foreign-issued credit card can fail. Antwerp is broadly cashless, but the gap between 'card accepted' and 'your card accepted' is real in exactly the small everyday places. Carry some cash until the Belgian debit card lands.

Source: community-reported