Do US passport holders need a visa for Belgium?
Covers 11 passports and 80 destinations. Rules older than 30 days are flagged for re-check.
How this tool works
We read the official notice for each pair and record the date. Nothing here is generated; a pair with no written check is not shown.
How we checkNo visa. US passport holders visit Belgium visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180.
Belgium is in the Schengen area, so the 90 days are shared with every other Schengen country. At your first crossing you register in the EES with a face scan and fingerprints instead of a passport stamp. ETIAS, an online authorization for visa-free visitors, is not yet in operation. The visa exemption comes from the EU visa list (Regulation 2018/1806, Annex II) and the passport rules from the Schengen Borders Code (Article 6). The US State Department's page (Last Updated July 30, 2026) is consistent with the above. The 12-page US emergency passport is not valid for visa-free entry into Belgium, and 2 blank pages are required for entry.
Source: Embassy of Belgium in the United States. Checked Oct 4, 2026See the source
- Maximum stay
- 90 days in any 180
- Counted across the whole Schengen area.
- Passport validity
- 3 months after you leave
- Issued within the last 10 years.
- Emergency passport
- 12-page not valid
- State Department: "The 12-page U.S. emergency passport is not valid for visa-free entry into Belgium."
- Blank pages
- 2 for entry
- State Department: "2 blank pages required for entry."
- At the border
- EES registration
- Face scan and fingerprints at your first crossing; under 12s skip fingerprints.
- Pre-travel authorization
- None yet
- ETIAS (€20) is not in operation and the EU site lists no start date. The Belgian embassy says it will start in the last quarter of 2026.
Changes to this rule
- Apr 10, 2026EES fully operational at all Schengen external borders; passport stamps ended.