Before you start

National register number, issued after the police residence check
Belgian eID or the Annexe 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 before applying
Banks ask for it and most will not complete onboarding without it. Some will open a limited account on an Annexe 15 and passport, but policy varies by bank and by branch, so ask before booking an appointment.
In personWho: YouAfter commune registration
2
Pick a bank on fees, not on brand
BNP Paribas Fortis, KBC/CBC, ING Belgium, Belfius and Argenta are the mainstream choices, and most charge an annual current-account fee plus card fees. Compare the total annual cost; the differences are meaningful and the marketing does not lead with them.
OnlineWho: You
3
Activate itsme as soon as you can
itsme is Belgium's digital identity app and it is the key to MyMinfin, mutuelle portals, government services and most bank logins. Activation normally requires a Belgian eID with its PIN, or a Belgian bank card and reader. Until you have it, expect to do things in person that residents do in ninety seconds on a phone.
Mobile appWho: You
4
Set up Bancontact/Payconiq and expect it everywhere
Bancontact is the domestic debit scheme and the default way Belgians pay. Some merchants, especially smaller ones, take Bancontact but not foreign-issued Visa or Mastercard, and a few still prefer cash. A Belgian debit card removes a category of daily friction.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Invoke the basic banking service if you are refused
Belgian law gives residents a right to a basic banking service — a current account with essential payment functions — and a bank that refuses you can be pushed to provide it. Refusals of newly-arrived foreign residents happen, and most people simply try another bank instead of knowing the entitlement exists.
In personWho: You
6
Keep a transfer service for anything international
Belgian bank FX spreads on non-euro transfers are poor. Wise, Revolut and similar are widely used, and Revolut in particular is now common enough here that some employers will pay into it — though a Belgian IBAN is still smoother for salary, rent and utilities.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

eID or Annexe 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 is the real gatekeeper to Belgian digital life, and it is circular to obtain.

Tax filing on MyMinfin, mutuelle portals, commune e-services, pension records and most bank logins run through itsme. Activating it normally needs a Belgian eID and PIN, or a Belgian bank card and reader — and the eID needs commune registration, which needs the police check. Newcomers hit this loop in week three and conclude Belgium is hostile to outsiders. It is just sequential: commune, register number, eID, itsme, everything else.

Source: community-reported; FPS Home Affairs

Belgian current accounts usually cost money, which surprises almost everyone.

Most Belgian banks charge an annual fee for a current account and further fees per card, a normal domestic arrangement that reads as an insult to people from the UK, the US or the Netherlands. The amounts are small but they vary by multiples between banks and packages, and they are set out in a standardised fee document the bank must give you. Read it before signing, because switching later means changing every direct debit.

Source: community-reported

You have a legal right to a basic banking service if you are refused.

Belgian law obliges the sector to provide a basic account with essential payment functions to residents who cannot otherwise obtain one. Foreign residents in their first months are exactly the group most often refused, usually on internal risk criteria rather than anything about them. Knowing the entitlement exists — and saying so — converts a lot of soft refusals, and there is a formal route if it does not.

Source: FPS Economy

Bancontact, not Visa, is the card that works everywhere.

Belgium's domestic debit scheme is accepted almost universally, including at bakeries, markets and doctors' surgeries where an international credit card may not be. Foreign contactless cards work in most large retail but fail more often than newcomers expect in exactly the small, everyday places. Until the Belgian debit card arrives, carry some cash.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to open an account before the commune issues your national register number.
Choosing a bank without reading its standardised fee document.
Assuming a foreign Visa or Mastercard is accepted everywhere Bancontact is.
Accepting a refusal instead of asking for the basic banking service.
Using a Belgian bank for large non-euro transfers rather than a specialist.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.