Embassy and Consulates of Belgium in Canada
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Identity card applications in Montreal

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Appointments can only be booked through our online appointment system

ATTENTION

In accordance with European regulations, all identity cards issued by EU Member States must now contain the fingerprints of both index fingers.

It is therefore no longer possible to request an eID by post and you will need to make an appointment to go in person to the Consulate General in Montreal in order to register your biometric data.

Please note: your current identity card remains valid until its expiration date. You do not need to renew it immediately! 

Procedure

IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

  • Please note that the possession of an eID is recommended but not compulsory for Belgians living abroad (unlike for Belgians living in Belgium) 
  • Your current identity card is still valid until its expiration date: you do not need to renew it immediately!

A new procedure is in place since June 2021: from now on, to obtain an eID, you must come in person, by appointment, to the Consulate General in Montreal. Your photo, fingerprints and signature will be recorded at the Consulate General. There is no need to call the Consulate General to make an appointment: appointments are made exclusively through our online appointment system

If you are unable to travel to Montreal, alternative options are: 

1. Apply for an eID during an upcoming biometric mission of the “Flying Consul” in your region (see this page for upcoming missions); 

2. Apply for an eID in Belgium at: 

  • The Belgian municipality of your last registration; 
  • The Belgian municipality of your birth if you have never lived in Belgium but you were born there; 
  • The Belgian municipality of your choice if you have never lived in Belgium and were not born there.  

     Although the price in a Belgian municipality is higher (about 100 Euros,
    varies from one municipality to another), the delivery is nevertheless much faster
    (maximum 2 working days). 

The photo, fingerprints and signature that you may have recorded in a previous application for an eID or a passport cannot be re-used for a new application, due to legal and data protection reasons.  

Unlike for passport applications, it is not possible to apply for an eID at another Belgian consulate except the one where you are registered. 

Your old eID must be returned when you receive the new one.  

Validity of an eID ?

The validity depends on your age at the date of the application: 

Age at the date of the application 

Validity of the eID 

Between 0 and 12  (Kids-ID) 
Between 12 and 18 
Between 18 and 75 
Older than 75 

3 years 
6 years 
10 years 
30 years 

 
The eID remains valid
  
  • In case you move (to another career post, from or to Belgium); 
  • If it was issued by a Belgian municipality and provided that the holder has reported his move abroad to the municipal administration; 
  • If it has not expired (see expiration date on your card). 

The eID is no longer valid

  • If it is reported missing or stolen; 
  • If the holder’s photo is no longer resemblant; 
  • If it was issued after August 2008 by a Belgian municipality and if the holder has not reported his move abroad to the municipal administration. 

How much does an eID Cost ?

The cost of an eID is given on this page. All eIDs bear the same cost regardless of the age of the applicant. Payment is made at the Consulate General counter when applying. 

Where and how to apply for an eID?

1. You must first be registered at the Consulate General (registered in the population registers in Montreal). 

2. You make an appointment via our online system

3. You must complete the application form in Dutch or in French

4. When you come for your appointment to the Consulate General, you will need to bring with you: 

  • The completed and signed application form (filled out on a computer, or in capital letters and black ink); 
  • The actual expired identity card OR a photocopy of your current identity card or passport; 
  • If, in addition to your Belgian nationality, you have another nationality: a photocopy of your foreign identity card and/or your foreign passport; 
  • If you are Canadian, but were not born in Canada: a photocopy of your naturalization certificate (large format); 
  • Recent proof of residence (electricity, gas, water or internet bill, lease contract, front/back Canadian driver’s license, etc.); 
  • Proof of your legal status in Canada (certificate of Canadian citizenship, front/back of your Permanent Resident Card, work permit, study visa, etc.); 
  • A payment card (debit or credit) with which you will pay the cost of the identity card at the Consulate General (see tarif on this page); 
  • A prepaid return envelope (express mail service with tracking number, e.g. XpressPost regional or national, UPS, FedEx, DHL, Purolator), addressed to yourself, so that we can send you your new eID (N.B.: you may also collect it at the Consulate General). 
      
    Please note: You do not need to bring a passport/identity size photo; it is taken on site during the appointment!  
     

When I will obtain my eID? 

The processing time to obtain a new eID is around 4 weeks after your appointment at the Consulate General. The Consulate General will inform you personally once your new eID is available.

Activating your eID 

If you wish to activate your eID card, you must be present at the Consulate. This can only be done by appointment by email or telephone. 

Please note: your old eID must be returned when you receive your new one.  

The non-activation of your card does not affect its validity and does not prevent you from travelling. Activation is mainly useful for certain administrative procedures in Belgium (post office, bank, health services, websites of Belgian administrations, etc.). If your eID is not activated, you may, for example, have difficulties making bank transactions, receiving care in a Belgian hospital or buying medicines in a Belgian pharmacy. The activated card also gives access to a whole range of online public services, available on my.belgium.be 

For new eID (delivered since June 2021), the PUK code does not have to be kept after the card is activated. If you have forgotten the PIN code of a new activated card, you can obtain a new code by visiting in person and with your card any municipality in Belgium or any Belgian consulate abroad, including the Consulate General in Montreal (by appointment by e-mail or telephone). A PUK code or a reprint of the PUK code is no longer required to unlock the PIN code of new cards, as soon as they are activated. 

More information on the electronic identity card for Belgians abroad. To download the eID software, visit www.eid.belgium.be