Bank Account in Belgium

Belgium is a cozy European country with wonderful neighbours: Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Belgium is famous for its exquisite architecture and delicious chocolate. But these are not its main advantages. It is a highly developed state with modern seaports of international importance, in which many political and financial interests are concentrated. The Belgian capital, Brussels, is also the capital of the European Union and the headquarters of NATO.

Belgium is a great country for creating and running a successful business. The state provides high-quality business support in the form of benefits and subsidies to both its citizens and non-residents.

Belgium is one of the largest banking and financial centres in Europe. To date, more than 100 banks, including foreign ones, operate in the country. Belgium is among the European leaders in the ratio of bank branches per capita. The most popular financial institutions in Belgium are ING, BNP Paribas Fortis, KBC.

The specialists of the “Second Passport” will provide detailed information and provide comprehensive assistance in choosing a bank suitable for your personal requests.

How to Open a Belgian Bank Account

In most Belgian banks, to open a current, savings or checking account, you must provide a passport or a Belgian identity card and confirm your place of residence. After registration, the financial institution will personally hand you a new card or send it to the specified address.

If you want to open an account before arriving in Belgium, you must send a confirmation of your place of residence to the representative office of your chosen bank upon arrival. In each bank, it is necessary to clarify in advance whether it provides the possibility of opening an account remotely – international banks often offer such a service to their clients.

When deciding to open an account in a Belgian bank, we advise you to contact our specialists in the messenger by phone, which you see at the beginning of the page. Or just click the “order a consultation” button located in the upper right corner. Our experts will advise you and tell you what the first steps need to be taken to make the financial transaction successful.

Belgium provides citizens and foreigners with a wide range of banking institutions and services. According to the European Central Bank, Belgium ranks third in Europe in terms of the density of bank branches. In addition, Belgium is at the forefront of the introduction of electronic banking services. Currently, more than 90% of transactions are made electronically.

It is preferable to open accounts in Belgium in large systemic banks like Dexia, ING Bank — due to their focus on the business audience, they offer the lowest rates for account maintenance, do not charge fees for opening and maintain low prices for transfer services.

In recent years, one can observe the destruction of traditional stereotypes in the banking sector. With the privatization of state-owned banks and their integration into existing financial groups, banks can offer their clients a more complete set of financial services, from savings accounts to loans to companies and providing access to financial markets. The opportunities provided by large financial institutions are complemented by specialized banks offering services that meet the individual requirements of the client.

The banking services sector has undergone significant changes in recent years. There have been several mergers of large banks, and the presence of foreign banks in the country has increased. The five largest Belgian banks (Fortis, BBL, KBC, Dexia, Artesia) offer their services in all market segments, including insurance services.

A bank transfer can be made using Self-banking ATMs or by phone. Account management by phone is offered by many banks. With this service, you can pay the bill via a phone with a tone dial, being anywhere in the world. The connection to the account management system occurs after entering a series of passwords.

A common practice in Belgium is to use bank orders to automatically pay certain bills (domicilation). With their help, your gas, electricity, water, etc. bills will be automatically paid by the bank. To make regular payments with the same amount (for example, rent or loan repayment), you can also give the corresponding order to the bank (standing order). In addition, you can instruct the bank to automatically transfer money from your current account to your savings account (if the balance on the current account exceeds a predetermined limit).

If you wish to open a business bank account in Belgium, our team here at Regulated United Europe  will be delighted to assist you. We have eight years of experience in helping clients to open bank accounts in Europe. We tap into our vast network of trusted partners in the European financial services industry to offer the most suitable and cost-effective solutions that improve the functioning of the businesses we serve.