Services for Belgians in need

You can find our advice on travel and safety in the U.S. here in Dutch and in French.

Belgians in distress may contact the emergency number of the appropriate post, outside business hours. Please contact the appropriate consular post with jurisdiction over your place of residence.

Attention: you may only use this service for real emergencies, such as:

• Death of a Belgian abroad;
• Serious accident abroad involving a Belgian;
• Troubling disappearance of a Belgian abroad;
• ...

This service is not intended for non-urgent administrative and consular questions, such as:

• Questions concerning traveling to the USA. We have no control over the ESTA procedure, which is managed by the American authorities only;
• Questions about visas ;
• ...

However, we will be happy to deal with any queries during normal office hours.

Finally, please note that there is a time difference of six to nine hours between Belgium and the USA. If you call before 13h Belgian time, the agent will have to answer from their private residence, which is only acceptable in the case of a real emergency as described above. If your emergency does not involve a Belgian citizen in the USA, you may contact the FPS Foreign Affairs here.

Emergency numbers outside opening hours (for Belgian nationals in need only)

• Embassy in Washington: +1 202 972 00 15 
• Consulate General in Los Angeles: +1 213 247 93 05 
• Consulate General in New York: +1 917 597 34 10
• Consulate General in Atlanta: +1 404 271 96 69

Loss or theft of passport

Please read what to do immediately in the section Loss or theft of passport. 

Emergency procedure for Belgians residing in the USA

If you need to travel urgently, you can obtain a provisional passport. This is valid for one month or one year, depending on your situation. 

Required documents: 

1. the application form (in French and in Dutch);
2. two recent passport photos;
3. notarized copy of your green card or US visa
4. payment, please review our price list. Payment; can be by certified check or money order issued to "Consulate General of Belgium" or "Embassy of Belgium". During your appointment, payment can also be made by credit card. In Washington, credit card payments can be made remotely by filling out the "Credit Card Authorization Form" (below).

Not all countries recognize the provisional passport as a full travel document. It is your own responsibility to verify that you can travel to your destination with a provisional passport. The provisional passport is also not electronically readable and does not allow you to return to the United States without a U.S. visa or a “resident alien card.” For more information, check this website of the U.S. authorities.

General information and brochures

Please consult the federal public service for Foreign Affairs website for general information on Belgian or European consular assistance. You can also consult the consular publications with general information.